“Censorship”?

Censorship. The word evokes visions of bonfires built to burn books deemed unfit for the common person.

“Censorship”?

Censorship.  The word evokes visions of bonfires built to burn books deemed unfit for the common person.  I remember, as a child, reading a book called “Little Black Sambo”.  It was one of my favourites.  It may well have been the first book I learned to read on my own.  Another I truly loved was “Tom Sawyer”.  

I was raised in an all white town.  The Midwest was peppered with such communities.  (Moreover, if you look hard enough, you can still find them today.)  The only access I had to people of a different culture was TV and Amy, the Jewish girl in my seventh grade class.  I had no pre-conceived notions about other people; I had no notions whatsoever.  So, imagine my shock when, as an older citizen, there was a banning of my favourite book, “Little Black Sambo”.  The reasoning was that it showed blacks in a bad light.  I never saw that.  I saw the story of a little black boy who outwitted a tiger.  Nothing more.  So, why did they ban it?  Then there was the attempt to ban “Tom Sawyer”.  My only guess as to why?  It had a black character named Jim, who happened to be a runaway slave.  Again, why did someone choose to read more into it that that?

I am not a fan of censorship.  I believe the past happened and no amount of whitewashing the facts will change that.  WWII is a fact.  Denying the Holocaust will not change the fact 11,000,000 people were murdered.  Stalin killed millions of Russians.  Look at history, and you will find that censorship is a direct result of someone with more power than the average person wanting to cover up what they consider unpleasantries.  Facts are facts.  That kind of censorship is a blight upon the thinking person.  I have a mind and can discern fact from fiction.   That is what censorship is, making fiction from fact.

That being said, I do find that there are things in this world to which I do not care to be subjected.  Michelangelo painting nude cherubs and sculptors carving the nude statues of ancient Athens is a far cry from the guy who showed one man peeing in another man’s mouth.  Art is subjective, but I find nothing tasteful about the latter example.  I also find nothing tasteful about some people’s choice of language.  It has been stated on site that words only have the power to hurt the hearer if they let them.  That is so wrong.  Words can build a person up to glorious heights, or tear them down and leave them trampled in the gutter.  I know, I have been on the receiving end of hateful words.  The way it was explained to me?  It is my fault if I am hurt.  It has nothing to do with the person spewing the words, the onus is upon me to ignore it and go on my merry way.  I say that that is one of the most arrogant things I have ever heard: the victim is to blame.  That can only lead me to the conclusion that the speaker was one of the antagonists, rather than a victim.

We live in a society that is hell-bent on making sure everybody has his or her rights.  What most fail to take into consideration is the fact that one person’s “rights” may trample another’s rights.  Your right to smoke wherever you please takes away my right to enjoy a meal with ALL my senses intact.  (Not to mention that I am allergic to cigarette smoke and suffer for hours afterwards.)  Your right to say what ever you want impinges on my right to keep my children relatively filth-free.  

Yes, this is the land of freedom.  And, you have your rights.  Nevertheless, you also have the right to exercise rational restraint.  You must balance your rights against the rights of others.  There are many things I would like to indulge in, but I do not, because they would infringe upon others’ rights.  We have what you call “censorship” because we, as a people, do not know how to control ourselves.  We are like the classroom when the teacher steps out for a few minutes; bedlam ensues.  If we had self-restraint, would we need police?  Or courts?  

If you do not want “censorship” then you should take responsibility.  Grow up and realize that the world does not revolve around YOU.  You are part of the world.  And, until you become King of the World, then you will have to become part of the world.  We can live peacefully if we respect each other’s rights.  However, that does not mean being trampled on and never standing up for your rights.  But, there is a big difference between standing up for your right to express yourself in a responsible manner, and whining because you cannot use a word that is objectionable in the first place.  Pick your battles and leave the tilting at windmills to Don Quixote.  He was crazy; you are supposed to be rational.
This was written for a contest, however, it was not acceptable, as it is not an actual poem.  I do not suppose anyone else sees the irony of that?  So, I am posting it here.  Just my views.