What is your stance on censorship? Does it protect family? Is it Communist?

Answer 1

Censorship is defined as the removal and withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body.

Typically censorship is done by governments, religious groups or the mass media, although other forms of censorship exist. The withholding of official secrets, commercial secrets, intellectual property, and privileged lawyer-client communication is not usually described as censorship when it remains within reasonable bounds. Because of this, the term "censorship" often carries with it a sense of untoward, inappropriate or repressive secrecy.

Censorship is closely related to the concepts of freedom of speech and freedom of expression. When overused, it is often associated with human rights abuse, dictatorship, and repression.

The phrase "when it remains within reasonable bounds" probably describes what a free society will accept.
The burden of proof that the censorship is within acceptable bounds rests with the government.

Yes, dictatorial regimes use censorship as one of their weapons. It is hard to see how it protects the family.

Answer 2

What is your definition of censorship? If by censorship you mean the outright ban of certain publications, broadcasts or other violations of free speech, then I am absolutely against it. If you are talking about the restriction on sales of obviously adult materials to minors, I do not think that is censorship--after all, it is still available for purchase by any adult. All this practice does is put the ultimate decision as to what minors should be allowed to see in the hands of who it should be in, namely, their parents. Does it protect family? That's hard to say, but it does put the decision where it should be. Communist? That's an economic philosophy, not necessarily a social philosophy. Have most Communist governments been oppressive in this manner? Yes, but that doesn't define Communism. Am I asking and answering my own questions like Donald Rumsfeld? Yes, I am.

Answer 3

It is funny that in one of the most liberal countries in the world people complain about censorship. That is because they have the right to complain.
Some things need to be censored and that is a fact of life. I do not want our kids watching porn on TV.
I have no problem with the very limited censorship in America.

Answer 4

Censorship is always bad.

As Kieth Olbermann said when Newt called for censorship

"----He wants to somehow ban the idea.

Even though everyone who has ever protested a movie or a piece of music or a book has learned the same lesson:

Try to suppress it, and you only validate it.

Make it illegal, and you make it the subject of curiosity.

Say it cannot be said - and it will instead be screamed.-----"

To compete in the realm of ideas you have to put that idea in the fight.

If it has validity, it will win.

If it cannot compete it does not deserve to win.

If you are too fearful to compete then it is not even an idea that you can believe in.

Reality does not have an agenda, but it does have a bias against those who would hide from it.

The answer to bad ideas is better Ideas. If you "protect" children when they are young, they will not be immune when they are no longer "protected"

The only way to fight for freedom is to have more freedom and not less, Only Evil thrives in darkness.

Answer 5

I see it as being both good and bad, depending on it's use. If I had a child today, I'd use censorship on much of the Internet and would also censor many TV stations. To me, that type of censorship is good.

If you're referring to freedom of speech, I don't agree with censorship.

Answer 6

Censorship is bad, bad, bad. Yes, it's communist.

How would it protect the family? You can't be protected from something just because people aren't allowed to mention it in a public forum. It still exists. Television, for example, is a reflection of society, it doesn't create society. TV is violent and racy because society became violent and racy.

Answer 7

It is unnecessary,don't want your kids to see something on TV,turn the thing off. Instead Americans want the government to censor everyone because they're too lazy to do their parenting job.

I always find it interesting that most of Europe has legalized prostitution,many have pornagraphy available to a level that would stun many Americans,ages of consent in many European countries are as low as 15,theres' topless pictures in a daily paper in Britain unless they've eliminated the page three girls since I was there,a drinking age is seemingly unenforced in Germany to the point that I wondered if they had one. and yet they have fewer problems with all the things the puritans in our society always rail against. They had lower rape rates,child molestation rates,alcoholism rates,teen pregnancy rates,etc. So hows all that puritanical BS working for us so far,including censorship?

AD

Answer 8

A euphemism that I loathe and despise: "Edited for content". Censorship exists to pander to self-appointed guardians of decency and virtue. (The religious right springs to mind...) It's not about Communism however: censorship transcends politics: it occurs in leftist and conservative regimes alike. In a true democracy, people would simply decide for themselves what they choose to watch/listen to/read, and what they choose not to. Unfortunately, there are people who don't feel up to the task of making these decisions for themselves, and influential people all-too-willing to oblige them by fulfilling that role. Do we truly even need the FCC (Federal Communications Commission)?

Answer 9

It's wrong. But censorship can be done by any ideology. For example the neocons censoring the war news in Iraq by requiring journalists to have permission to be there (a very long and difficult process), and then requiring that they be "embedded" in a special military unit.

Answer 10

I am against government censorship. Fortunately. it's unconstitutional.