Democracy & Censorship - Hyperbole

[smtpgirl]

What is Censorship?

The editing, removing, or otherwise changing speech and other forms of human expression. The visible motive of censorship is often to stabilize, improve or persuade the society group that the censoring organization would have control over. It is most commonly applied to acts that occur in public circumstances, and most formally involves the suppression of ideas by criminalizing or regulating expression. What is censored may range from specific words to entire concepts and it may be influenced by value systems; but currently, the most common reasons for censoring ("omitting") information are the particular interests of the distribution companies of news and entertainment, their owners, and their commercial and political connections.

Sanitization (removal) and whitewashing are almost interchangeable terms that refer to a particular form of censorship via omission, which seeks to "clean up" the portrayal of particular issues and/or facts that are already known, but that may be in conflict with the point of view of the censor. Some may consider extreme political correctness to be related, as a socially-imposed (rather than governmentally imposed) type of restriction, which, if taken to extremes, may qualify as self-censorship.

What is Democracy?

The common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

[lander]

1. Amen — recommended. n/t