Censorship has received a bad reputation as the popular definition has shifted to mean a tool used to repress artists. However, the dictionary defines censorship as “the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security”. And that’s an important distinction, as censorship isn’t a tool to repress artists but instead a tool to repress potentially harmful media. It’s a common belief that all speech should be free. However, that could have disastrous consequences. Censorship is an important tool to keep us all safe.
Free speech is a harmful myth that needs to be stopped. No one in Canada is allowed to say anything they want anytime they want to, for there are things that are outright illegal to say. It is clearly outlined in the Criminal Code of Canada that advocating for genocide as well as public incitement and wilful promotion of hatred is illegal. So no matter whatever context the writer tries to hide behind, anything remotely hateful needs to be censored and/or removed. Although some claim it can be used as a tool to teach, those words and phrases will be nothing but a tool for hate.
We must do everything in our power to avoid re-traumatising people. Trigger warnings are an excellent tool; however they don’t go far enough. Writers need to not cover traumatising events at all, and if they do, that work must never see the light of day. There are just events and acts so sinister that no one should be able to discuss and learn about. This is why we’re not even allowed to write anything relating to geese here at North Park. Because eventually if we stop discussing tragedies, they will be forgotten, and it’ll be like they never even happened. We just need to be silent and forget for a better society, as speaking about it is just as harmful as committing the act itself.
If we get rid of aggressive opposing ideas we may get a unified society. It’s clear that we are more polarised than ever before, and it’s because of the rise of instant communication spreading more extreme views. If we simply remove these aggressive views from society then maybe we can all see the same way together. We’d be free from the constant aggressive protests for change that only works to create dissent. There would effectively be no more disagreement which would create a perfect utopia free from argument. We need to increase the silencing the aggressive voices of dissenters in society, as it is the only way to achieve true unification.
We need to move past the extremist view that censorship is a tool to silence and hurt those who create. Censorship would only stop bad creators out to harm society, whilst preserving the good voices out there. Those in power need censorship to keep society unified and should increase their use of censorship for all our sakes. A true unified society where we follow the same view voices which only speak positively is a utopia we all need to strive for. If you write, make sure to keep your work appropriate, and if you don’t, authorities should take down your work for everyone’s safety.
Image Credits: Lu Z.
THE NORTH STAR 