What are the virtues of censorship?

Answer 1

1. Social control.
2. Governmental and religious control over a population.

The Spanish Inquisition was effectively a large scale censorship project that quashed the discussion of any free political or religious thought.

The Soviets used censorship to quell any resistance to capitalism and religion.

The Chinese have used censorship to alienate and prosecute Buddhists in Tibet.

Censorship was used in the US in an attempt to prevent any slave uprisings which resulted in underground communication like ***** spirituals.

Parents, arguably, feel that censorship is used to "protect" their children rather than isolating them for conflicting and new information.

Answer 2

It depends on what you're considering censorship. Even this answer is censored, and thank goodness it is, or I could write horrible things and you couldn't flag it or anything.

Censorship is always a risky thing, whether you have it or not. On one side, you do want protection, especially for your children. You don't want to live in a world where people a passing out ice cream in return for nude pictures of your children. You don't wan to see everything you value openly defaced till nothing holds a deep value, but you also don't want to become enslaved, lied to, and loose the freedom to make your own decisions.

I personally think that censorship is necessary for any society. It's what holds us together, and protects the group from corrosive individual self-interest. But I also think that censorship should come from the people, not from policy.

A good example of this is with the O. J. Simpson book "If I did it." It was perhaps the grosses concept I've ever heard of to have him write this and make money of these murders he probably did. America spoke up and no one sold the book. Since then, the rights to the book as been give to the families of the victims, and it will be sold later this year... with O.J. receiving none of the money. This was censorship, when O.J. was allowed to sell it, the American public made it the kiss of death, which kept it off the shelves for everybody. What did I think when this happened? I was proud to live in a country that wouldn't reward such sick behavior. If the government had outlawed the book though, I would have been against it, it's not their place.. but it was my place.

Maybe that explains some of the virtues of censorhip. When I get a say in what is acceptable and what's not, I'm involved in the world I want to live it.

Answer 3

As long as it isn't imposed by "government", not having to hear a lot of needless crap is nice.

Answer 4

There aren't any.*