TresSugar

Censored: Books Banned For Sexual Content

colleenb — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

It's Banned Books Week and time to honor some of the most reviled books in America. While book-banning may sound like a throwback to Victorian times, censoring books continues to flourish in 21st-century schools. What's most surprising is a book can be removed from a curriculum, reading list, or school library with the complaint of just one parent. Violence, racial themes, and the occult are commonly cited reasons, but an even more popular one is sexual content. Check out these nine books that have been removed from schools in the last two years, and tell us if you think there's ever a good reason to ban a book.

Source: Flickr User wheelo50411

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6 Silly Targets of Censorship

TresSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0700

No country is immune to censorship. Sometimes there are compelling reasons for censorship. I think most can agree that child pornography should be censored, and Germany can make a good case for forbidding the printing of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. But other times, censorship can be downright silly. Here are six examples of content that has been suppressed for reasons including national security, morality, and laziness.
Source: Flickr User jturn

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Should Wal-Mart Censor Artists?

TresSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:00:00 -0700

It seems fair for a store to make decisions about what it wants to sell. For example, if an owner of a small business opposes vulgarity, she might pass on selling CDs with explicit language.

When Wal-Mart, the largest record store in the country, refuses to sell an artist's record because it contains bad language and insists that it will do so only after the band has released an edited, "clean" version - this is de facto censorship, and, in my opinion, an abuse of corporate power.

Green Day's album "21st Century Breakdown" won't be sold in Wal-Mart because the band refused to edit it for language and content, and knowing their reputation, probably never will. Basically, Wal-Mart is preventing a large portion of an artist's audience from enjoying the artist's authentic work.

Do you think Wal-Mart should be allowed to dictate these standards to artists? Should Green Day suck it up and release a Wal-Mart friendly version?

Wikipedia Keeps Obama's Page Clean - Is That Fair?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:05:43 -0700

It may be more truthiness than truth, but Wikipedia still has some standards. The free, user-generated encyclopedia makes sure any mention of Barack Obama's eligibility to be president is deleted from his page within minutes. The argument that Obama is not a natural US citizen has been rejected by the Supreme Court and Wikipedia it seems.

But some fear the lookout against offensive content goes too far. Neither Jeremiah Wright or former domestic terrorist William Ayers show up on Obama's page, even though his connection with the two men gained a lot of attention during the campaign.

Wikipedia, a site that embodies and perhaps produces conventional wisdom, is monitored by trusted community members who have access to extra tools that allow them to delete certain entries. Do you trust them?

TV Networks Reject Ad Questioning Obama's Citizenship

CitizenSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:30:04 -0800

Oh, that liberal media and its gatekeeping television networks. They won't let the professional-looking ObamaForgery.com spend its American dollars on air time. The ad compiles all the Obama-isn't-an-American-citizen rumors into one minute, most of which I can't find credible sources for - on either side. Though the citizenship dispute is disproved on FactCheck.org.

What are the allegations?

Obama refuses to release his original birth certificate.
His Kenyan grandmother said she remembers him being born in Kenya.
Obama (or is he?) attended school in Indonesia under his stepfather's last name, Sottero.
He traveled to Pakistan in 1981 when it was illegal for US residents.

The ad works its way up to the final crescendo: "Fact: The Constitution still matters." Except, maybe, that's really more of an opinion. To see the video, read more.

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Gold Medal in Censorship? China Reblocks Websites

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:00:36 -0800

Now that the Olympics are long gone, and the world has its eyes off of China, the country's government has returned to keeping an eye on what its 250 million Internet users can access. It appears China, which has the most web users in the world, only made superficial advances in freedom of the press during the games. In other words: censorship is back!

So which sites can you no longer visit in China? Chinese language versions of international sites like BBC, Voice of America, and Human Rights Watch have been rebanned, along with some Hong Kong-based sites, because they refer to Taiwan as an independent country and not part of China.

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said China had the right to censor material deemed illegal, just like other governments do. For example, the US criminalizes online technology that can be used to violate copyright protections.

Are you surprised the legacy of the Beijing Olympics probably won't include expanded freedom?

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Briefing Book! Experience China's Censored Internet at Home

LibertySugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0700

China: Want to come face-to-face with China's Net Nanny? New Firefox ad-on lets you experience the censored Chinese internet at home! - Shanghaiist
Palin: Will Tina go softer on the Palins? Sarah offered her daughter Bristol to babysit Tina's daughter during SNL. - Huffington Post
Voting: No long lines there? Astronauts cast ballots from space. - Neatorama
Florida: An effective surrogate? Republican strategist says Governor Charlie Crist's decision to extend voting hours in Florida just blew the state for John McCain. -23/6
Media: Is the media getting bored with pointing out campaign falsehoods? ABC picks apart lies about Obama's 2001 radio interview that are now centerpiece of Palin's stump speech. - Talking Points Memo
McCain: Behind the fancy campaign lies the truth? McCain responds to Obama's half-hour ad with new video. -Townhall

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Front Page: Bush Defends Economic Measures, China's Media Freedoms to End, US Pushes for Iraq Security Deal

CitizenSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:00:41 -0700

Bush Defends Measures:
In a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce moments ago, President Bush defended the government's recent intervention in the financial crisis as measures of "last resort," saying that it will "take a while" for the credit system to thaw and that Americans can be confident it will. He said of the intervention, "Had the government not acted. . . We would have been forced to respond with even more drastic and costly measures later on."

China's Media Freedoms to End:
The rules that allowed greater freedom for foreign reporters during the Olympics are set to expire. There has been no word yet whether they will be extended, tossed, or traded for a new set of rules. The rules that allowed journalists to travel around China without applying for permission did not apply to Chinese journalists. Many hope the freedom will expand as a legacy of the Games.
US Pushes for Iraq Security Deal:
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is seeking to extend the US mandate in Iraq which is set to expire later this year. The details of the planned draft would have US troops withdraw from Iraq by 2011. Official approval by Congress isn't required though approval from Iraq, is. The current mandate expires on Dec. 31.

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Station Censors Mistake in Debate & Fact-Checking Last Night

CitizenSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:00:02 -0700

This is an odd case of censoring that if applied at the debate last night, could have made things look very different. In a congressional debate in Pennsylvania, a TV station has censored remarks made by one of the candidates because they were erroneous. Bleeping out a mistake? Yep, because the statement was about the economy. She said that two major banks had failed - when actually they hadn't - a mistake uncorrected at the time by either her opponent or the moderator was zapped from the debate before it was broadcast.

The general manager of the station who made the decision (after consulting with the FCC and the NAB) said, ''In the end, we did not feel that broadcasting the names of the banks served the public in any way. Because of the economic times we're in . . .a statement on television can cause an immediate effect.'' The debate aired with a disclaimer approved by both candidates.

To see what could have happened if this fact-checking censoring were to have happened at the debate last night, read more.

McCain described Colombia as the "largest agricultural importer of our products." Actually? It's Canada.
Obama said all of McCain's ads have been negative. While that applied for one week recently, at times Obama has run a higher percentage of negatives.
McCain pegged Obama's health care proposal as "single-payer" based on a five-year-old quote. Obama's current proposal is not.
Obama said he's willing to break ranks with Democrats when he's voted with them 97 percent of the time since becoming a senator.

If you want more, the whole debate has been fact-checked so you can separate truth from . . . the bleepable. Is the notion of censoring mistakes a dangerous precedent? Was it OK in the example of the economy? If so, where's the line?

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Front Page: US Homeless Population Drops, Internet Censored For Games, Bush Signs Housing Rescue

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:00:05 -0700

US Homeless Population Drops:
The number of homeless people living on the streets and in shelters dropped by 30 percent between 2005 and 2007, according to Bush administration officials and statistics compiled by local counts. The drop is attributed to a "housing first" strategy. The plan emphasizes placing the chronically homeless in permanent shelters to stop the cycle of emergency shelters, hospitals, and the streets. The decline is the most significant officials have seen in years.

Internet Censored For Games:
Journalists will not have uncensored access to the Internet during the Olympics, according to officials. Sites related to human rights and the group Falun Gong will be blocked. When China bid for the Games, they said journalists would be free to report, and blocking the "sensitive" sites does not go back on the pledge in their minds. "We will provide reporters with sufficient Internet access."
Bush Signs Housing Rescue:
President Bush signed a housing rescue package into law today that, in addition to protecting mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, includes $4 billion in grants to states to buy and repair foreclosed homes to "flip" them for profit and a fund to help homeowners get more affordable mortgages. The nation as a whole is $12 trillion in mortgage debt.

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