Has Censorship Become the Norm?

Kind of linked to Jestor's post "what is freedom of speech?"

But saw this on Facebook and wondered what others in the Temple thought. Is censorship going too far these days?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z5vMlQTLJX0

This is exactly what I was trying to address in a previous post:

https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/forum/open-discussions/113525-the-disease-of-politcal-correctness

Thanks for the video, interesting stuff!

1) There's always darknet uncensored. So, everybody has a choice.

Also, under USSR regime, people had their freedom of speech very much limited. It just created new ways of indirection of speech, "cypher" layer, new genres. It became a sports of a new sort among writers.

2) IMO, real problem is not censorship but informational flood and absence of consciousness on our information-retrieval habits.

Just today I had to stand my point of not reading the news in front of colleagues. You see, I can read them. But there's almost nothing useful on the news for me:

I haven't read news for about a year and lost nothing.

I agree completely; if we just drown out what others think because it offends us, then we will be in a never ending war. Anti-LGBT people are offended by LGBT people, and then would be in a constant war of who censors who. Both would get censored.

If we do this, it will only make us more and more ignorant to the world around us.

I think what happens is when a change has to be driven it creates a momentum of change to swing back to some balance, but when new desired status-quo is achieved, that momentum can carry on to over-reach. So I tend to agree with the OP, that we need to keep the potential to communicate open, as it is the 'means' which change itself can be achieved - through participation in peaceful expressions of opinion to inform a democratic process of change.

Basically the rights of one group feeling discriminated against is no more important of the rights of the other group feeling discriminated against, and how we solve these things is by increasing understanding of its nature and the impact these things will have to society and individual health. So yea, unless its illegal, in which case it probably exerts some unfair benefit and thus needs to be more controlled to avoid abuse and failure of the established system in place to manage fairness.... without going into pretending all laws are fair LOL
:pinch:

Censorship is everywhere and I, for one, am tired of it. This whole politically correct thing is bullshit. It doesn't help anyone and probably hurts more than it helps. Look, I don't like being offended anymore than the next person, but if the world is too afraid to speak out of fear of hurting someone's feelings how are we to get anything done? Communication is done at the risk of being offended on a daily basis.

An example I saw on TV: During the Water's World segment of Bill O'Reilly's show on the Fox News Channel (which I do not usually watch) there was an amusing moment. In this segment Waters shows up on college campuses in an attempt to reveal the ignorance and lack of knowledge of college aged men and women. Someone he was speaking to mentioned the rights of queer people. Waters said "You can't say 'queer' anymore, it's offensive." The person replied "Well I am queer so..." I was amused to no end.

I have the same issues with prohibitions on swearing/cursing. I suppose I can understand that people feel it's offensive, but prohibition didn't work for alcohol, it hasn't worked for drugs, and damnit it hasn't worked for cursewords either. They're words. Teaching people not to say them only gives them more power. What is it Hermoine says? "Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself." Yes, words have power, but only insomuch as we give them that power.

Good video, thanks for sharing!

This whole politically correct thing is bullshit

That isn't censorship, it's manipulation and power though censorship does the same thing. People will do it in a pathetic reach for power and people let them get away with it which empowers them and the cycle repeats it's self. "but only insomuch as we give them that power."

Rickie wrote:

This whole politically correct thing is bullshit

That isn't censorship, it's manipulation and power though censorship does the same thing. People will do it in a pathetic reach for power and people let them get away with it which empowers them and the cycle repeats it's self. "but only insomuch as we give them that power."

Fair point. I only brought it up because the video seemed to mention political correctness.

All I know is that people are taking the bite out of language and it's very unsettling to me. Being able to express ourselves fully is important. This whole idea of shutting down anyone who doesn't agree with those in power is disturbing. We need people who are willing to stand up and say it like it is. If I don't like something I intend to speak out about it...vociferously.

It's not that I'm not a sensitive or tactful person, I just feel I should be able to speak my mind freely. If I'm worried about being shouted down just because I use some expression that isn't socially acceptable it makes it that much harder to speak out. We as a people need to recognize the risks associated with this passive acceptance of censorship that we seem so comfortable with.

Ideas, I feel, are what shouldn't be censored, certain words? well, if the word has no synonym, perhaps...

I don't feel the exclusion of some words, that some find offensive, is that big of a deal....

Evidently, as I stated in the other thread, my definition is not the legal one.....

But, if you want an audience to listen, understand, and possibly agree, you don't offend them....

Just as the right to use whatever word you want is your (a persons) right, it is mine to consider that same person "a close minded bigot, without any concern for the feelings of their fellow human," and "that it demonstrates a sever lack of empathy."

But its just my opinion...

We don't need censorship... we need enlightened society.