Banning Media
Governments once routinely banned controversial content in books and films because they felt it was their job to protect citizens from immoral content. I recall the book Catcher in the Rye being banned from libraries in the 50s. When I read the book in the 80s, they upgraded it to required reading.
Starting in the 50s, governments have mellowed out, and it is now rare that media is banned. There are some exceptions, including overtly slanderous material (the courts allow the affected parties to sue), dangerous material like explosives manuals (this is still protected under free speech), and immoral content (which may be legally purchased over the age of 18).
Authors, screenwriters, and online personalities constantly push the controversial envelope, which gains attention, money, and fame. This drive to open new moral ground forces restrictions to be lifted and opens new story horizons. For example, alternative relationships are now an open topic.
There is a downside, like when the “F word” gets used on broadcast television. As a parent, I would prefer this profanity to be restricted, but as a guy who likes the program South Park, bring it!
My works do contain some controversy. This includes torture, murder, revenge, and an underage relationship. In my mind, I proceeded with dignity, but I still pushed the envelope. Of course, some people would prefer my content to be restricted, but my counter-argument is, “Geeze, my material is so tame compared to what else is out there. Get a life.”
I have recently finished my sixth book, Cable Pairs, the sequel to Cable Ties (which should be on Amazon in six months). This book almost contained a very controversial topic. It is so controversial that nearly every nation, including America, has taken drastic steps to ban it.
What possible topic could be so horrific that I had to take this drastic step? Murder, sex, adult situations? No, my almost crime was far worse. What did I do? I caved into the pressure. Yes, I self-censored.
My book is a spy novel, and my villain is a puppet of the Chinese government. Umm. Wait a minute. This is America, and we have freedom of speech. It’s not that big of a deal to have a Chinese bad guy. How about the movie The Last Emperor? It took a stab at the early bad acts of the Chinese government. This movie cast a negative tone, but it came out years ago.
There must be other new movies that reveal the dark underbelly of the Chinese government. This is not the case because The Chinese Communist Party is actively censoring controversial media to promote a positive message. How is this accomplished?
In America, (I do not know about the rest of the world), the two largest movie theater chains are now owned by Chinese companies. These theaters refuse to show movies that negatively impact the Chinese government. For example, before allowing Red Dawn Two, the movie studio had to do several re-shoots and digital edits to change the attacking nation from China to North Korea. Several newspapers, media outlets, publishing houses, websites, and magazines also are owned by Chinese companies.
Is this fair? After all, we often see movies and books that take a hard poke at the American government. For example, the recent movie W slammed George W Bush. While I did not care about that movie, it successfully explored the topic. Also, before and after the movie, there were no discussions about the government banning, censoring, or removing content from the movie.
Every subject has positives and negatives, and it is the consumer’s job to determine what they appreciate. Discussion brings change, enlightenment, and a good story. Of course, this can lead to unintended consequences and pain. However, a great man (the Dred Pirate Roberts) once said, “Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” There is a lot of wisdom in those words.
Why am I taking this drastic step of banning my creative energy? Simple. The Chinese Communist Party has immense power to obliterate my feeble efforts. In a heartbeat, I would go from an “up-and-coming author” to a hated “trash novelist.”
So, I changed the villain’s nationality (never published a word) and took a low-energy approach to the nation controlling the villain. Is this a copout? After all, many spy novels tapped into this golden story vein, like Tom Clancy’s book “Bear and the Dragon.” That is true, but Tom wrote that book many years ago and would have difficulty publishing that story today. Plus, Tom had already made his fortune, had a solid reputation, and a big publisher with a legal team. I have none of that.
Do I fear my books being banned? I write in a limited space, so I am not too afraid because it takes a lot of effort to ban a book these days, but I do have a greater fear.
With the internet and social media, it is now super easy to generate a massive backlash. Online publishing houses like Amazon or Smashwords are private companies that may take my book out of their catalog at will. It is a terrifying prospect for an author without a legal team.
This online slander has the same effect as a ban and in many ways is worse. Why? There are no laws, judges, juries or appeals courts in the court of public opinion. Only ruined reputations and people with too much time on their hands.
Is allowing citizens to have this immense power to censor good or bad? It is good because an ordinary person can remove filth from society, and it is bad that the same random person can remove something extraordinary.
You’re the best -Bill
September 11 2019 Updated August 16, 2024
Starting in the 50s, governments have mellowed out, and it is now rare that media is banned. There are some exceptions, including overtly slanderous material (the courts allow the affected parties to sue), dangerous material like explosives manuals (this is still protected under free speech), and immoral content (which may be legally purchased over the age of 18).
Authors, screenwriters, and online personalities constantly push the controversial envelope, which gains attention, money, and fame. This drive to open new moral ground forces restrictions to be lifted and opens new story horizons. For example, alternative relationships are now an open topic.
There is a downside, like when the “F word” gets used on broadcast television. As a parent, I would prefer this profanity to be restricted, but as a guy who likes the program South Park, bring it!
My works do contain some controversy. This includes torture, murder, revenge, and an underage relationship. In my mind, I proceeded with dignity, but I still pushed the envelope. Of course, some people would prefer my content to be restricted, but my counter-argument is, “Geeze, my material is so tame compared to what else is out there. Get a life.”
I have recently finished my sixth book, Cable Pairs, the sequel to Cable Ties (which should be on Amazon in six months). This book almost contained a very controversial topic. It is so controversial that nearly every nation, including America, has taken drastic steps to ban it.
What possible topic could be so horrific that I had to take this drastic step? Murder, sex, adult situations? No, my almost crime was far worse. What did I do? I caved into the pressure. Yes, I self-censored.
My book is a spy novel, and my villain is a puppet of the Chinese government. Umm. Wait a minute. This is America, and we have freedom of speech. It’s not that big of a deal to have a Chinese bad guy. How about the movie The Last Emperor? It took a stab at the early bad acts of the Chinese government. This movie cast a negative tone, but it came out years ago.
There must be other new movies that reveal the dark underbelly of the Chinese government. This is not the case because The Chinese Communist Party is actively censoring controversial media to promote a positive message. How is this accomplished?
In America, (I do not know about the rest of the world), the two largest movie theater chains are now owned by Chinese companies. These theaters refuse to show movies that negatively impact the Chinese government. For example, before allowing Red Dawn Two, the movie studio had to do several re-shoots and digital edits to change the attacking nation from China to North Korea. Several newspapers, media outlets, publishing houses, websites, and magazines also are owned by Chinese companies.
Is this fair? After all, we often see movies and books that take a hard poke at the American government. For example, the recent movie W slammed George W Bush. While I did not care about that movie, it successfully explored the topic. Also, before and after the movie, there were no discussions about the government banning, censoring, or removing content from the movie.
Every subject has positives and negatives, and it is the consumer’s job to determine what they appreciate. Discussion brings change, enlightenment, and a good story. Of course, this can lead to unintended consequences and pain. However, a great man (the Dred Pirate Roberts) once said, “Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” There is a lot of wisdom in those words.
Why am I taking this drastic step of banning my creative energy? Simple. The Chinese Communist Party has immense power to obliterate my feeble efforts. In a heartbeat, I would go from an “up-and-coming author” to a hated “trash novelist.”
So, I changed the villain’s nationality (never published a word) and took a low-energy approach to the nation controlling the villain. Is this a copout? After all, many spy novels tapped into this golden story vein, like Tom Clancy’s book “Bear and the Dragon.” That is true, but Tom wrote that book many years ago and would have difficulty publishing that story today. Plus, Tom had already made his fortune, had a solid reputation, and a big publisher with a legal team. I have none of that.
Do I fear my books being banned? I write in a limited space, so I am not too afraid because it takes a lot of effort to ban a book these days, but I do have a greater fear.
With the internet and social media, it is now super easy to generate a massive backlash. Online publishing houses like Amazon or Smashwords are private companies that may take my book out of their catalog at will. It is a terrifying prospect for an author without a legal team.
This online slander has the same effect as a ban and in many ways is worse. Why? There are no laws, judges, juries or appeals courts in the court of public opinion. Only ruined reputations and people with too much time on their hands.
Is allowing citizens to have this immense power to censor good or bad? It is good because an ordinary person can remove filth from society, and it is bad that the same random person can remove something extraordinary.
You’re the best -Bill
September 11 2019 Updated August 16, 2024
