If
you have eight hours to spare in your day and feel like being lectured with
vigorous passion, feel free to ask anyone involved in the arts why censorship
is such a big deal. Since the inception of storytelling, rules and strictures
have been put into place to quell its potential to address topics that exude
any type of discomfort. Books, plays, and films have been banned across the
world due to their controversial nature, and in response, rebellious artistic
collectives have sprouted alongside them to continue the publication and
pollination of such works in their respective societies. Occasionally,
controversy has even elevated relatively mediocre properties to that of
temporary fame a la The Interview.
Despite
our continuous effort to mature as adults, we still get a thrill from watching
that movie that our mom forbade.
Within
our “developed” nation, we appear to be reducing the limits of censorship more
and more with each year. Language denoted as explicit or unseemly seeps further
into network television every year, and previously taboo topics such as homosexuality
are discussed and represented across a number of networks and films; Transparent, a tv show documenting the
trials and victories of a transgender parent played brilliantly by Jeffrey
Tabor, even won a Golden Globe this year for best drama series. Open minded
thought is definitely on the upswing when it comes to popular media, but for
every yin, there must be a yang, and for every apparent victory, there must be
a maddening counterattack.
The
previous model of “polite conversation” that evidently existed throughout the
better part of history before the 21st century has been consistently
eroding throughout the past few decades, and luckily, this has allowed
previously ignored topics to be discussed intelligently and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, this lack of decorum has coupled with the rapid ascent of social
media, and the demon spawn of said pairing has permitted the exponential
increase of public ignorance. Thoughts of staggering stupidity are now thrown
into the cybersphere with reckless abandon, and whenever consequences of any
kind are mentioned, the phrase “free speech” is rocketed out of the
metaphorical canon before the final syllable falls.
Let
this be an open declaration to those perpetrators of this behavior: I will not
censor you. I support your right to say whatever the hell you want. If you want
to see American Sniper and voice your
deepest desire to “kill some ragheads,” you have the freedom to do so. If you
want to fire off an undoubtedly intelligent rant about the “faggots” and “damn
Mexicans” that are trying to take over “your country,” go ahead, by all means.
But.
BUT.
I,
upon my high horse, unquestionably possess the right to 1. be offended by your
display of unremorseful ignorance, 2. denounce your ill-informed, pathetic
statements as exactly that, and 3. judge your overall character as a human
being and consider that in the future regarding the terms of our acquaintance,
or if I am in such a position, potential employment.
Let
me repeat in case those three syllable phrases tripped you up in that last
paragraph – ah, there’s another one. My deepest apologies. Shit, that’s four. I
guess you just have to keep up at this point. I will not censor you. As a human being, it is your right to say
whatever you want, but that does not excuse you from the potential consequences
of your actions. You can touch the stove, but your hand will burn, and you can
yell “FIRE!” in a theater, but you will be arrested. Artists and lawmakers
alike have fought for years for your right to read Howl, Huck Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, and more, but their
sacrifices did not remove the penalties associated with the willful spread of
malicious hate. Never will I support the aggressive blanketing of censorship,
but never will I stand for the venomous spread of hate.
Freedom
is not a synonym for absolution.
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