Censorship gOOD OR BAD?
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Understanding censorship
Not all censorship is equal, nor does all arise from government or external force. People self-censor all the time. It is the exercise of control over what one says or does, especially to avoid criticism. The psychology of censorship is the prevention of disturbing or painful thoughts or feelings from reaching consciousness except this happens in a disguised form. While it is difficult to characterize self-censorship as an attack on freedom of speech, it is certainly a limit to free expression.
Self-censorship is sometimes necessary and other times needless. Both can result in a positive outcome or negative. And sometimes it is not much different than self-preservation. For example a school nerd who withholds certain information in fear of otherwise getting beaten up by quarterback of the football team. Or on a job interview, when you promote your good qualities and hide or ignore the bad ones in order to impress the employer. And what about our children? Should they be exposed to obscene images and language? We want to protect our children from potentially destructive information that can affect their psychological development and therefore we censor all the time. Remember the story about the birds and the bees?
If you want to understand censorship, and the impulse to censor, it is necessary to take away the shock value that is attached to the word when you first hear it. One must recognize that censorship and the ideology supporting it go back to ancient times. Every society, weather you think is good or bad has its customs, taboos, or laws by which speech, religious observance, and sexual expression are regulated.
"Are we being protected?
or are we being controlled?
article by: Juliette Zigterman