What is a censor/what is censorship?
Cen-sor n. 1. an official who examines books, plays, news reports, motion pictures, radio programs, etc., for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds. 2. any person who supervises the manners or morality of others. 3. an adverse critic, faultfinder. 4. (in the ancient Roman republic) either of two officials who kept the register or census of the citizens, let public contracts, and supervised manners and morals. 5. (in early Freudian dream theory) the force which represses ideas, impulses, and feelings, and prevents them from entering consciousness in their original, undisguised forms. —v. t. 6 to examine and act upon as censor. 7. to delete (a word of passage of text) in one's capacity as a censor. –Random House Dictionary of English Language
Why are we having this debate anyways?
Censorship is not grounded by just reasoning--the censoring of material is seen as a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the foundations of democratic government altogether (in many cases).
Freedom of Speech (implications by U.S. Constitution)
Amendment I:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
-http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html
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