Comments on: Good Censorship, Bad Censorship ? http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/ Blogging Lebanese politics, business and society since 2005 Wed, 23 May 2012 14:09:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: j http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10683 j Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:53:13 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10683 i disagree with AbuHatem... i disagree with AbuHatem…

]]> By: Dania http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10682 Dania Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:16:09 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10682 Instead of banning why not creatively reflect a positive image and more, adopt it for real! Fitna same as Satanic Verses would've passed totally unoticed had they not been given unecessary propaganda by those who want to defend Islam. Instead of banning why not creatively reflect a positive image and more, adopt it for real! Fitna same as Satanic Verses would’ve passed totally unoticed had they not been given unecessary propaganda by those who want to defend Islam.

]]> By: AbuHatem http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10681 AbuHatem Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:46:25 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10681 The right of absolute freedom of speech has really truly never existed in any country in the world, even Western ones. The vast majority of democracies in the world have some sort of censorship law. The United States for instance censors MANY things including libel, sex, drugs, and violence on TV, profane language on the TV and radio, etc. There is also something called "hate speech" and discrimination. Most countries in Europe ban denying the holocaust or other forms of hate speech. Turkey bans "insulting Turkishness." French bans many forms of religious expression in the public sphere - such as the old controversy regarding headscarves and Christian crosses. Israel has a censor who censors newspapers. This taboo with censorship is often quite odd. It is odd coming from people who say they are proponents of freedom yet absolutely oppose economic freedom. The same people calling for completely free speech do not support the notion of freedom of property and often support the high-tax welfare states of the world and Keynesian economic planning. The same is the case in the Middle East. Instead of having a discussion on privatizing Lebanon's telecom system and other parts of the economy, joining the WTO, and increasing economic freedom, we have a discussion on what types of censorship should be allowed. There are priorities, censorship doesn't build a nation but economic freedom builds prosperity. The right of absolute freedom of speech has really truly never existed in any country in the world, even Western ones.

The vast majority of democracies in the world have some sort of censorship law. The United States for instance censors MANY things including libel, sex, drugs, and violence on TV, profane language on the TV and radio, etc. There is also something called “hate speech” and discrimination.

Most countries in Europe ban denying the holocaust or other forms of hate speech. Turkey bans “insulting Turkishness.” French bans many forms of religious expression in the public sphere – such as the old controversy regarding headscarves and Christian crosses. Israel has a censor who censors newspapers.

This taboo with censorship is often quite odd. It is odd coming from people who say they are proponents of freedom yet absolutely oppose economic freedom. The same people calling for completely free speech do not support the notion of freedom of property and often support the high-tax welfare states of the world and Keynesian economic planning.

The same is the case in the Middle East. Instead of having a discussion on privatizing Lebanon’s telecom system and other parts of the economy, joining the WTO, and increasing economic freedom, we have a discussion on what types of censorship should be allowed. There are priorities, censorship doesn’t build a nation but economic freedom builds prosperity.

]]> By: Global Voices Online » Lebanon: On censorship http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10680 Global Voices Online » Lebanon: On censorship Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:22:22 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10680 [...] Beirut Spring posts about “good censorship” versus “bad censorship” and on the difference between censoring the Da Vinci Code and censoring Persepolis in Lebanon. Share This [...] [...] Beirut Spring posts about “good censorship” versus “bad censorship” and on the difference between censoring the Da Vinci Code and censoring Persepolis in Lebanon. Share This [...]

]]> By: AS http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10679 AS Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:55:19 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10679 I haven't seen Fitna yet. But I do trust the legal system in Holland, and if the movie contains some illegal hatred stuff, it will be banned and makers of it will be punished. Most important thing is not to have a violent reaction like in the karikaturs, since that is the political intention of this movie. I hope muslims won't be stupid enough to react in a barbaric way. Though they are giving death threats to websites that wanna broadcast this movie which is shameful. Let us learn from the embarrassment that muslims suffered after the death fatwa for Sulman Rushdie for writing a stupid, unimportant, irrelevant book "satanic verses". I haven’t seen Fitna yet.

But I do trust the legal system in Holland, and if the movie contains some illegal hatred stuff, it will be banned and makers of it will be punished.
Most important thing is not to have a violent reaction like in the karikaturs, since that is the political intention of this movie.
I hope muslims won’t be stupid enough to react in a barbaric way.
Though they are giving death threats to websites that wanna broadcast this movie which is shameful.

Let us learn from the embarrassment that muslims suffered after the death fatwa for Sulman Rushdie for writing a stupid, unimportant, irrelevant book “satanic verses”.

]]> By: Karim http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10678 Karim Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:35:07 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10678 Fitna was a boring movie, one that contained the same series of images we are all used to seeing, especially regular readers of blogs, while the only thing distinguishing it from a U.S presidential campaign ad was that Wilders’ argument is directed at the entire religion and not just at an identified radical strain. It should not be banned, both on principle and because it isn't that offensive. Fitna was a boring movie, one that contained the same series of images we are all used to seeing, especially regular readers of blogs, while the only thing distinguishing it from a U.S presidential campaign ad was that Wilders’ argument is directed at the entire religion and not just at an identified radical strain.

It should not be banned, both on principle and because it isn’t that offensive.

]]> By: Homo Libanus http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10677 Homo Libanus Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:09:16 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10677 Fitna makes a lot of people uncomfortable because it has a lot of truth (and some crap). How many times have each of us heard hate speech from the loudspeakers of mosques? Enough is enough. Geert Wilders is an idiot, but the movie is not entirely idiotic. Fitna makes a lot of people uncomfortable because it has a lot of truth (and some crap). How many times have each of us heard hate speech from the loudspeakers of mosques? Enough is enough. Geert Wilders is an idiot, but the movie is not entirely idiotic.

]]> By: Farah http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10676 Farah Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:01:44 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10676 No, absolutely not. I saw the movie, and I can definitely see how it would be offensive to any Muslim, but in my opinion at least, censorship is never the solution. There are hundreds of people like Wildrers out there, you're bound to run into them or their beliefs eventually, so pretending the problem isn't there isn't the answer. The smart way to respond would be to do a movie that would outline the goodness of Islam, for example. I was so pissed off when The Da Vinci Code was censored. Okay, even if it may offensive to me, I have the right to read/see it, then decide for myself. Nobody has the right to decide that for me. No, absolutely not. I saw the movie, and I can definitely see how it would be offensive to any Muslim, but in my opinion at least, censorship is never the solution. There are hundreds of people like Wildrers out there, you’re bound to run into them or their beliefs eventually, so pretending the problem isn’t there isn’t the answer. The smart way to respond would be to do a movie that would outline the goodness of Islam, for example.
I was so pissed off when The Da Vinci Code was censored. Okay, even if it may offensive to me, I have the right to read/see it, then decide for myself. Nobody has the right to decide that for me.

]]> By: frenchy http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10675 frenchy Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:00:14 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10675 Censorship is the best advertisement for the censored object. It brings people to be curious about it so it s someone a promotional vector as well :) Censorship is the best advertisement for the censored object.
It brings people to be curious about it so it s someone a promotional vector as well :)

]]> By: Anon http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10674 Anon Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:57:21 +0000 http://beirutspring.com/blog/2008/03/29/good-censorship-bad-censorship/#comment-10674 "Censorship like charity should start at home; but unlike charity it should stop there.(period)" Now all hate speech needs to come with a disclaimer for warned adults (nothing censored,,,nothing). “Censorship like charity should start at home; but unlike charity it should stop there.(period)”

Now all hate speech needs to come with a disclaimer for warned adults (nothing censored,,,nothing).

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