Many books and films were censored because they were afraid to insult the readers. But why would one feel insulted if they are willing to face the truth? I think that only those who cannot accept the fact that everyone is entitled to their own opinions would be the reason a book is censored.
Therefore, I do not think that books should be censored merely because some find it offensive. One of the reasons that Slaughterhouse Five was censored was because of it's sexism. However, why should anyone be offended by the lack of mention of women in the war, when in truth, women really didn't do anything in the battle field? If people can accept that the real battlefield belonged to men, then no one would find it offensive.
Brave New World was also censored at a certain time because of the " references of sexual promiscuity" (Wikipedia). This might offend those who believe that one should be dedicated to only one other. However, if these people were to accept the fact that some in our world act like those in the book, that they will choose to have sex with random people picked up from a bar, I do not think this book would offense anyone. I think that this is only offense to those who believe that everyone should believe in the same thing as themselves.
Although censorship is kept so that there would not be conflict because of offensive subjects, I do not think this is right. I think that in order to keep peace, people would need time to accept others' opinions and for who they are.
Poo-tee-weet
- Yuemin
You made a good point about censorship imposing one group's morals on society as a whole. I think there needs to be boundaries of good taste in society, and that these boundaries will likely continue to be pushed back with each generation, nothing in the novel struck me as offensive, lewd or irrelevant. Vonnegut was honest, and I think honesty can get a writer in a lot more trouble than fiction.
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