Is censorship good for the people?

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I'm assuming you not "for" it, ahayes?

If that's so, I think I agree with you, man!!






These are very good points, IMHO! I think that broadcast radio and TV shouldn't be censored at all... If kids tend to be listening/watching, it's up to their parents to enforce what they should be viewing/watching (ex. only allow the kids to listen to "Radio Disney" or "classical" stations or watch "Public Broadcasting").

Some of you viewing this thread may say, "Well that's not fair -- no one deserves the right to say "!%#&" on the airwaves!"

Another comprimisable option might be THIS: Censorship would only be allowed during certain times of the day when young children are listening/watching (ex. 7 A.M. - 9 P.M.) -- during the later times, no censorship would be required OR be enforced.

F C C actually should stand for For Condescending Censorship!!

Censorship is a tool used by Facsist pigs to silence the truth.

Revolution can be used by us by the mind

All the troubles of the world come from a lack of understanding. Cutting off the more controversial pieces of information does not create understanding, but merely a more benign form of ignorance that turns people away from the more serious troubles of our society. Censorship is like alcohol: a short term solution to several long term problems.

Well, let's look seriously at these two examples.

North Korea: Right now, there are seven Chinese division waiting on the border of NK. Not to protect themselves from military invasion, but refugees. China estimates right now they have close to 20 million NK refugees in their borders from the past five years. So much for brainwashing, since it tends to be overruled by the rumbling of a stomach. The most common NK currency is a counterfiet 100 dollar bill currently. End note, it's failing, and quickly.

Saudi Arabia, well, the only reason it is still in existense is the US. It is westerners that keep the oil pumping, infrastructure running, etc.

These are not good examples of stability. Both nations are very shaky houses of cards just waiting for a wind to topple them. And when they do, it will not be fun to pick up.

There were those who yelled and screamed at how horrible and unfair the Weimer Republic was. They were so obsessed with it they could not bring themselves those to speak harshly of Hitler for it would imply of a more critical danger. It is much the same today.

Censorship is about control--not self control, but control of other people because you know better than they do about what is "good" and what is "bad."

So you don't like knowing about bacterium. Not knowing about something, does not mean it doesn't exist. Imagine you got sick. You don't know why you got sick, just that you are. And because the paper some enterprising, inquisitive soul published about bacterium got pulled from circulation because it had the possibility of frightening people and causing a panic, no one else knows what is causing people to get sick, either. But you're happy, right? You're sick and possibly dying (you don't know, because research into the pathology of diseases has been censored to keep people unaware of the danger microrganisms possess), but you're happy.

Or would you be happy if you could go to a doctor and have him diagnose the problem and supply you with something to make you feel better?

Or perhaps your Benevolent Censor will issue a bulletin about X causing Y, and it is the result of Evil Western Capitalists---so you now hate someone for making you sick and don't know any better because you don't have anything objective to compare it to. All you have is stuff your Benevolent Censor deems safe enough for people to know to keep them happy.

Censorship ought to be exercised on an individual level, so ignorance is a result of personal choice. If you want to be "happy" about not understanding that certain bacterium pose a health risk, and then get sick since you didn't know any better, that's you're call. But don't take that information away from me because you think it will make me upset.

I don't agree with the OP's assumptions, but I did get a chuckle from the comparing of the religion in Saudi Arabia to propganda.

As for censorship, I have to agree that it is both immoral and depremental to society to censor Knowledge. However, I don't think this means that everybody has the right to know everything. People, groups, societies, and even governments have the right to keep secrets.

Neither does it mean people have the right to say whatever they want. Freedom of speech and freedom from censorship are about exchange of ideas not the spoutting of obsenities and what ever jiberish pops into your mind.

A perfect example are forums like this one. We have the freedom to give any idea or opinion, argue, debat, whatever, but there are still certain rules like not cusing. This technicaly can be termed censorship, but it isn't a negative thing, it doesn't hamper the exchange of ideas in anyway. It is simply a communal decision on a way to show respect for one another. I don't personally have a problem with curse words, there just words and most people I know use them all the time, but I'm not going to use them infront of my mother or father just out of respect because society has decieded that those are the bad words.

Take the example of cussing on tv. Someone made a referense to the FCC and it seemed to me the general impression is that the government agensy just makes these rules despite what the "people" want. But this is not true, the FCC inforces the rules they do because that is the wishes of the majority of the population. Most of us in america don't see any need to allow cussing on tv, what benifit is there in allowing it?

Basicly, you have the right to say what you think, but as long as others have to listen, we have the right to make rules on how to say things, that is how groups work.

Ignorance is bliss in some cases, yes.
In other cases, it can be part of the vicous cycle of discrimination.

only when it comes to child molestors and abusers it is, otherwise no way

free speech isn't about protecting the speech you like or can tolerate...it's protecting the speech you hate...because somewhere down the line someone won't like what you're saying and everyone can easily become a victim of censorship if such a path is allowed.

ignorance isn't bliss. it's an intoxication...a drunkenness. and when you finally come to from it, it's the worst hang over ever. which is why it's best to never drink from it...or else you'll die from it.

Exellent post.

If people knew all that was going on all of the time, would they be able to handle it?
Or would they scuttle for the self imposed ignorance they know and understand - yet often do not readily admit or take responsibility for, that they, themselves created and choose to dwell in?

The only censorship I'm against is for things that children could access easily. If you want to run a porn site, go ahead, just don't broadcast it on cable television without requiring some sort of password to unlock it each hour. No use letting little kids see that stuff at such a young age.

I do find it funny though that while they censor nudity, they don't censor blowing people's heads off.

it's because parents don't want to talk to their kids about sex. i actually learned more about sex from the internet and porno than from my parents. never got any kind of speech from them on the subject.