More on Respect

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What do you think about censorship?

Let me put it this way:  do you enjoy being censored?  When you are about to read what you want, watch what you want, believe what you believe -- do you enjoy someone (perhaps someone who doesn't even know you) forbid you?  Do you, or would you, enjoy having a government official or a religious official have you arrested if you don't submit to censorship?

I know I would hate that, and despise the toadies who tried to stop me. 

Most of us would rather be censors than censored, I think.  We believe our beliefs so strongly we want to keep others from reading, watching, thinking or hearing stuff that would be "bad for them".  But we don't usually want others to decide for us what we can read, watch, think or hear. 

Leaving another free to decide for herself or himself what will be read, listened to, watched, thought or believed is another sign of respect.  Along with that kind of respect is the mutual obligation, I understand, to communicate even when we agree.  In the words of a man who was my pastor in San Francisco many years, ago, we "agree to disagree without being disagreeable about it". 

I have shifted from despising pornography because it might promote immoral thoughts or behavior to a greater despising of pornography because of the dehumanizing it does.  First, it dehumanizes the people posing, acting, or speaking.  When these are children manipulated into these roles, or forced into these roles, I more than despise the topic.  I get downright angry.  When people are hooked on drugs, and required to take part in porn parts to get their next fix, I get incensed.  It's not about censorship, per se.  It's about the way people are treated as porn is produced. 

I believe you have the right to read or watch or listen to -- porn.  I do not believe anyone has the right to abuse others in order to supply you (or me) with porn.  It's a matter of respect for people I will never meet. 

What do you think?  Leave a comment and let us know.