Shut Up And Listen 136

Fuck Censorship
I really hate censorship. Gee, what a surprise, eh?
	This topic was brought to my attention recently by an article in my university’s paper The Gazette with an editorial piece on an art exhibit created by a visual arts class on censorship. From what was said, the class ended up doing a bunch of grotesque and fucking obscene pieces of work. Things involving shit and swearing and blood and guts and just over-the-top shit. You know, the typical stuff that most people don’t actually want to see under most circumstances. What they failed to do though, was actually comment on censorship. This made me wonder though: how can one comment on censorship in any insightful way?
	I think the best piece I ever saw that commented on censorship was an ad for the Comic Book Legal Defence Fund. In it, we see a girl who has bandages over her eyes, mouth and ears, and a pair of hands are about to place another bandage over her nose, telling her that with this one she’ll be safe. I think that’s the tricky thing with censorship: people think they’re protecting others from offensive content most of the time. Yes, it comes from ignorance and blinding stupidity, but a lot of people do think they’re doing good by making it so certain pieces of “offensive” work don’t get out. Usually, it’s decent, but misguided, people just trying to keep the world the way they like it. Now, I don’t agree with that by any means, but I think I can empathise with their goals. Who doesn’t want to make the world a better and safer place? But of course, the morons are going about it in the wrong way.
	Let’s be honest here: words like fuck, shit, ass, cock, cunt, pussy, hell, damn and all of that aren’t going to destroy the world. They’re just words. I heard them when I was a kid and I turned out fine. No, seriously, I’ve turned out fine. I’m twenty-years old, I’ve never been in trouble with the law, I graduated high school with an A average after making the honour roll every year I was there, I’m currently getting a combined honours Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from a well-respected university, and I love my mom very much. So fucking what if I happen to use words like fuck? Does that really make me a bad person or the world a bad place? Shit no. Anyone who thinks so is obviously a moron and I’m amazed they can actually walk without bumping into things.
	Most of the time, adults are censoring things that kids don’t understand. I remember seeing movies when I was a kid that I thought were great and then seeing them when I was older and noticing how racy they were. Revenge Of The Nerds II: Nerds In Paradise is the best example I can think of. My sisters and I loved that movie as kids. We must have watched it a million times. Then when I was older, I caught it on TV one late night and quickly noticed how many sex jokes, drug jokes and general “non-children appropriate” plot points were in that movie. But I didn’t notice them when I was a kid because I didn’t know what they meant. A kid will not notice if there is a blowjob joke in a movie. You probably will, but they will just ignore it and laugh at the next thing they do understand. If you think about it, it doesn’t really make logical sense to apply adult standards to what kids can and can’t see. How can any adult really tell what is and isn’t appropriate for a kid when you don’t know what they’ll actually think of what they are shown?
	And I’m here to say something as an artist: art should never be censored. I am fucking sick to death of hearing songs that are censored or seeing movies on TV censored. You know what? If you don’t fucking like the content, then don’t play or show them! That is fucking art and it should be illegal to edit it. I am fucking serious. I don’t care what the fuck Eminem says in his latest song. Or that TBS wants to show a movie, but just doesn’t like a few jokes. Fuck that. That is retarded. One night, the channel formerly known as TNN showed Showgirls, but without the nudity. That’s like showing porn, but without the nudity. I changed the channel very quickly and didn’t bother changing back, because the only positives about that movie are the tits. And I dare you to find me more than five people who think differently. Find me more than five people who would watch that godawful movie without the nudity. You won’t be able to. And yet a TV station decided to air it because they are fucking retards. TBS once edited the words “pansy” and “sissy” out of Robin Hood: Men In Tights. That’s how fucking sensitive those assholes are, despite later showing Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and having pieces about swimsuit models or naked chicks as they do every single episode. It really pisses me the fuck off.
	I really fucking hate censorship. I understand that people do it out of a concern for society and shit, but they’re misguided and wrong. There are much better things that should be changed. A few swear words aren’t on that list. And you’re a moron if you think they should be.