And now, a word about censorship
This article was going around the Twitterverse yesterday and since the 140 characters Twitter allows didn’t give me nearly enough room to rant, I’m taking it to the streets (virtual anyway). I have a major issue with zealotry of any kind, primarily because it’s by nature close-minded. “I’m right. You’re wrong.” Period. End of sentence. And not just wrong, but E-V-I-L. All caps.
The problem with censorship - as if there’s only one - is that it squashes the free exchange of ideas. Those in favor of it, like the parents in this article who want to keep their library “clean” are afraid that others’ opinions and take on morality will taint their children. Do they not understand that trying to impose =their= view of morality on others is the very same thing they're supposedly protesting? No, of course not, because their views are Right. (Again note the capitalization.) If we only allowed for the “Right” and proper view of things, the world would still be flat, the sun would still orbit the earth and humans and dinosaurs would all have lived happily together.
My question to anyone who would decide for others what they can and can’t access is: how would you feel if it was decided for you? What if the fundamentalist folk had their literature banned and couldn’t worship together or even walk down the street without fear of name-calling or even beatings? Wrong! they’d cry. Prejudiced, biased, unconstitutional! And yet judging others and attempting to marginalize or eradicate their work is not only acceptable, it’s their calling.
-Lucienne Diver, agent of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, romantica and other works probably on the to-be-banned wish-list, author of (gasp) vampire fiction.
The problem with censorship - as if there’s only one - is that it squashes the free exchange of ideas. Those in favor of it, like the parents in this article who want to keep their library “clean” are afraid that others’ opinions and take on morality will taint their children. Do they not understand that trying to impose =their= view of morality on others is the very same thing they're supposedly protesting? No, of course not, because their views are Right. (Again note the capitalization.) If we only allowed for the “Right” and proper view of things, the world would still be flat, the sun would still orbit the earth and humans and dinosaurs would all have lived happily together.
My question to anyone who would decide for others what they can and can’t access is: how would you feel if it was decided for you? What if the fundamentalist folk had their literature banned and couldn’t worship together or even walk down the street without fear of name-calling or even beatings? Wrong! they’d cry. Prejudiced, biased, unconstitutional! And yet judging others and attempting to marginalize or eradicate their work is not only acceptable, it’s their calling.
-Lucienne Diver, agent of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, romantica and other works probably on the to-be-banned wish-list, author of (gasp) vampire fiction.