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I have come to the conclusion that censorship these days is not about improving society. It appears to be about protecting children (not entirely sure from what though as anyone who has vistied melonfarmers can testity).

Now the primary responsibility for raising children rests with parents. If parents want to keep certain ideas or forms of expression away from their children, they must assume the responsibility for shielding those children. Governmental institutions cannot be expected to usurp or interfere with parental obligations and responsibilities when it comes to deciding what a child may read or view.

Parents who believe that the current state of society and communications make it difficult to shield their children must nevertheless find a way to cope with what they see as that reality within the context of their own family.

Censorship in any form must start with good parenting otherwise 'Big Brother' will do it for us and what censors don?t consider is that, if they succeed in suppressing what they don?t like today, others may use that precedent to suppress what they do like tomorrow.

Discuss.

You are undoubtably right that controlling what a child sees is the responsibility of the parent. The late Mary Whitehouse always argued that she wished to see stronger censorship, in particular on television, to protect children. Although it is unfair to tar everyone with the same brush, generally people who wish to see stronger censorship want to control what other people see and the protection of children argument is camouflage. There is no evidence, as far as I am aware that countries, who have more liberal censorship laws, e.g. Holland, have any worst behaved children than the UK. Providing the material is consenual there seems to be little reason to censor it. There are types of porn I don't like but I find it easy to avoid this.

Hi Dave,

I lived in Holland for nearly six years and I noticed how polite and well behaved the children were. No wonder ours are rebellious, they are living in an open prison here. !annoyed!

Mike Freeman

Thank you. Although I have never lived in Holland the observations I have made during visits there back up your own. Having had an extremely restricted upbringing myself I know it does you no good and I had to battle hard to overcome it. The evidence is overwhealming that strict censorship does nothing to create a healthy society.