Edited Media

     Hey interweb. The other day, I was watching the show "South Park" on a channel called WGN. During the show, a black screen came up saying something along the lines of "this image of the character defecating has been edited for your protection." At first I didn't know why it angered me so much to miss out on a cartoon's bowel movement, but then it dawned on me. Who are they to decide what I need and don't need to be protected from viewing? Now I know there were no secrets to life in that characters explosive diarrhea, but it is the principle of the matter. One of the greatest tools of oppressive governments is withholding information. This was the purpose of the infamous Nazi book burnings. They didn't want their citizens to know that there are better ways of life out there, that there are better governments out there, or that many beneficial advancements are being created beyond their borders.  Denial of information and misinformation are some of the most powerful tools in the act turning people into nothing more than cattle. If ideas cannot be spread and information not attained, then how can there be progress? How can human beings protect their rights? How can humans fulfill their right to be informed in the truth in all things? How can people escape oppression?

     Another thing is the types of things that people of power have decided that the public needs to be "protected" from. A pair of breasts and a bowel movement must be edited, things that all human beings have or experience, but it is perfectly fine to see malicious and intense acts of violence. Sex is somehow more offensive to the average person than seeing someone have their face shot off by a serial killer on a TV show. Oh and heaven forbid someone make a reference to GOD or say a curse word. These things are also far more damaging to a young child than teaching him how to fight, kill, or aggressively display anger and hate. If you are more offended by a naked human who has the same form as yourself than you are of seeing someone have their throat slit, maybe you should spend your time trying to transform yourself into a dairy cow instead of watching TV. 

     This goes right along, in my opinion, with seeing that message after you try to post a message on someone's blog. "Your message will appear after blog owner approval" or whatever it says. I understand that it is your page, but who are you to decide what I am and am not allowed to contribute to the discussion on your PUBLIC page.  If you are that concerned about what people will post on your page, make it a private page, don't allow comments, or better yet don't be on the internet. The last being a very big loss because so many people have so much to share and some of these "edited" blogs have great posts and images that they share with everyone. Don't edit people's minds and voices because you are afraid of offending someone. People have the right to offend and be offended, and share ALL information and ideas. They shouldn't be constrained to what you deem "appropriate." For these reasons, my comments will never be edited. If it weren't for people who came out and spoke against oppressive forces, we would still think that the earth is flat, we would think that the earth is the center of everything, we would not have modern medicine, we would not have equal rights, and America would not exist just to name a few things.

     As you can tell, missing out on this cartoon bowel movement really struck a nerve. In my opinion these social stigmas, embarrassment, and hatred of everything that makes us human are a primary root of some of the most troublesome social problems and individual psychological problems present in our society because it teaches us that the most innate parts of being human are disgusting and inappropriate. So what do you think? Should people be "protected" from the commonplaces of life that we are embarrassed of or offended by while extreme acts of hate and violence are considered good entertainment?