I think censorship is fine as long as they don't censor my ideas. "They" can censor people that disagree with me all they want.
That's very focused of you Richard, LOL!
I just had a look at the list of sites blocked to Australians and most of them are sex related which I'd describe as perverted sex - incest for example.
From what I've seen here on tv here in Australia there are many sites that encourage anorexia that are also blocked.
I wouldn't disagree with those sites being blocked and therefore don't really see that it is censorship. It's just the kind of thing that a responsible parent would do for a child. While I wouldn't say that it is necessary for everybody I would say that there are some people who just don't realize what harm they are doing themselves.
Censorship in other countries enables governments to encourage people to obey the rule of law - surely that is the right of any government?
I believe the understanding of "freedom of speech" is not abridging the right of an individual to make comments of a political nature which might oppose the majorities political beliefs.
We restrict the right of individuals to yell fire in a crowded movie theater, for instance. We enact laws against expression of public lewdness in many places. We allow for this type of speech to be "censored".
The crucial thing we must guard against is the stifling of political speech to the detrement of those who might disagree with us.
This past holiday has brought to my attention that a 5th grader (10 yr old) is quite adept at surfing the internet for porn sites, which I might add, were extreme and as usual denegrating of women. When I was 10 I had absolutely NO idea what IT was used for. Until I think it was 6th grade the subject was not even on the radar. When I heard about IT I refused to believe it was possible. LOL
Although the idea of a 10 yr old viewing hard core porn is quite sad.
If you agree with me: great. If you disagree: of with your head.
I've been dismayed at the amount of porn freely available on the Internet for years. It seems like a closed circle ... people demand it and view it, so it continues to be supplied. There seems to be no way to get addicted viewers to understand what they are contributing to. I'd like to see just as much focus given to ad campaigns to get people off of porn, as off of cigarettes.
Agreed BB, those who are against a thing should provide the alternative.
What are addicted viewers contributing too? Is it beneficial or is it detrimental. I can think of pros and cons for both but if you want to broad brush the latter; go for it. Lets hear what you want to say.
Slippery slope giving big brother the parental role of deciding for us what's OK to put in our heads.
The right of freedom of speech is for speech that is unpopular, not pleasing to the majority. If it were, we would not need that right protected. Parents have a right to control what their children see. But an adult individual has a right to freedom of expression with as few limits as necessary. Shouting "fire" in a crowded theater to causes a stampede and people forseeably to be hurt, no. Advocating the violent overthrow of the goverment -- maybe, just maybe. Sedition laws in this country are written tight, and for good reason. Unlike Australia, we are not a Crown colony any more. We revolted against the Crown and threw off the controls that the monarchy imposed on its subjects. Our constitution with its Bill of Rights, unlike the one granted to Canada does not have a 'notwithstanding clause.' So American freedoms, Canadian freedoms and Ausralian freedom of speech are not compatable.
Recenetly Britain refused a visa to conservative talk show commentator Michael Savage. Because they don't like what he has to say. So they lumped him in with terrorists and murderers, just for expressing a conservative viewpoint. While I differ with his point of view on many issues, nothing have I ever heard him say was inflammatory, enough to start a riot, nor demeaning to races of people like some other talking heads I know. Obviously free speech is dead in the UK. And I am so glad I am not a subject of the British Crown.
Porn is an issue that has been fought for years, the biggest problem has been defining it and then restricting adults rights to view what they want. Child porn can be prosecuted because by its definition it exploits children and abuses them in order just to produce the porn. That is why people can be prosecuted for producing and owning -- child molestation and sexual exploitation a criminal act and the hard proof is in the porn itself.
