Topic: Of Censorship
This is an actual political issue around the world, not a complaint specifically. Since the issue seems relevent at hand, it's time to talk about it to try to understand it.
Now to understand censorship you must first know why it happens. Usually censorship occurs because someone is 'uncomfortable' with what is being said. This could be a member of society or a leader in a nation. This uncomfortable could be with an opinion, a religion, a fair belief, a way to raise children, facts about a government, or anything in general.
That first step, the uncomfortable, is the start of censorship.
Censorship through history has been rather damaging. For instance, a group once sought all complaints against it squelched, as well as anything contradicting what they said. They thought they were just in their efforts. They were known as the Roman Church. Untold damage was done by their eliminations of science and history teachings, of books that questioned certain changes they enacted, etc.
One should have wished this glaring example would have made censorship seem a bad idea.
However censorship still has strong sway amongst people. There is after all a morality issue in modern society which makes some area's taboo. For instance we do not place porn in libraries.
Censorship is across all religious, ethical, political, and moral lines. Being a Democrat, a Liberal, a Republican, a Conservative, or a Dictator (insert other political belief structure here) does not mean your group does not try to censor.
For instance in many schools there is a push to never have any religious books what-so-ever. To many this is a form of censorship as it is a book that teaches (usually) about ethics, history (in a narrow view), of early laws, and more. One need not take a religion by reading of a religion after all, therefore this is in purest form, censorship.
The same is true about preventing guides to being 'gay', aka Homosexual, and Bi, aka Bi-Sexual, in libraries (so long as they are not smut books). Many groups oppose these books existing at all, and yet they wish to have the Bible in a school and claim censorship.
Censorship can take many forms. In China there is a place where you can complain about anything, and not get reprimanded about it. However the structure for such complaints is rigid, and bulky in requirements. Few if any truly get to put their issues to text in a manner where others may, if they wish to do so, can read about these complaints in a manner befitting their choice.
China has indeed taken censorship to the highest known levels ever. Complaints about their government (excluding the one legal manner) are not allowed at all. They have even gone so far as to put blocks on the internet, and requirements on all ISP's and Search Engines operating in China. These blocks prevent certain words from being searched upon, and getting results.
Further they ban certain topics all together (excluding the one legal manner ofc) in their effort to squelch any chance of a voice of opposition.
For their efforts most of the world brands them as a censorship country.
China is not the only nation practicing censorship. N. Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Syria top the list of nations that censor books and writings.
Some censoring fits within certain moral guides; for instance forums preventing advertisers from posting. This function is to keep the forums readable. This has been generally accepted (except by some of the advertisers) as a just form of censorship. But I leap ahead.
Certain legal protections, such as the American 1st Amendment, seek to protect Freedom of Speech, including in text formats. The Magna Carta is seen also a key paper in this regards.
Some counter protections do exist, such as the right of private property. I am not allowed to write what I want in a bathroom stall and expect it to be allowed by the owner of the stall, let alone expect it to remain there untampered with for all to read!!!
Censorship can be via a wide variety of means, including the preventing of certain words, such as the FCC does in television, to limitations in topics, to a forum moderator closing topics he objects to.
In Western Society, within reason, Censorship is still seen as a taboo thing to do. Preventing a persons freedom of speech still resonates, and claims of such usually do bring an uprising, if indeed the facts check, against the source of the censorship.
Censorship usually fails to some degree fortunately. Usually there are holes, flaws in the system, or other means to let information flow.
For instance in China the effort to stop certain topics from being read about can be circumvented with assistance from outsiders. In the United States a group called Anonymous stopped censorship by court from the Church of Scientology. I still remember shouting with them "Information is Free!".
The stakes are high. Censorship is done sometimes in the name of good, but in fact does great and substantial harm. Upon times one group has supported censorship of others, only to cry foul when it happened to them, and finding no recourse.
I post this of course in part because I am being censored. The means is pretty diabolical and is said to be done in the name of justice.
Of course there are a great many people who hate me and wish only harm to me and my ideals. They will want this censorship.
However I ask, if I am limited to one thread, for 100 topics, how will my voice be heard? Is "Information Free" after all, or is the price to not question Obama and his policies (as would seem to be the case here)?
I would note that when horrific things were said about Bush, by leftists around the world, they were not told 'do not say things like that', but were allowed to say what they said, in peace. Now we are being told by those very same people to not say anything like that when we try to talk ourselves.
There is a saying. "I would die protecting their right to say what they want". As a Veteran this was a real and serious chance in my future. That it did not happen to me is of course irrelevant. Men and Women have died for this, to them, sacred trust.
"TO ALL FREE MEN OF OUR KINGDOM we have also granted, for us and our heirs for ever, all the liberties written out below, to have and to keep for them and their heirs, of us and our heirs" -- The Magna Carta
Kemp currently not being responded to until he makes CONCISE posts.
Avogardo and Noir ignored by me for life so people know why I do not respond to them. (Informational)