Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I think censorship is pretty important when it comes to the arts, whether it be the written word, TV, or movies.   Or visual art, of course.   But I was talking about something not being published or whatever yesterday and the question came up about what I'd say to the cries of censorship as an argument that this should be published. 

Interestingly enough, I'd never said it shouldn't be published, but that it hadn't been.   Fact. 

I leaned forward, a gleam in my eye, and said, 'Really, what government is barring this book from being circulated?'

Crickets chirping interrupted the silence.   See, censorship is used improperly all the time.   Or misunderstood.  Or conflated with things that are not censorship.   

So let's look at what censorship isn't. 

1. Someone not publishing your book, or allowing their book to be published on their site.   This isn't censorship.  This is a business decision a publisher or website has made.   Stephen King and JK Rowling got loads of rejection letters initially.   Not censorship.   The publishers thought, at the time, that they wouldn't be able to sell the books.   Business decisions are not censorship.   

2.  A website not allowing you to publish.   They have terms of agreement.   They have standards, and policies, and if you violate those, you getting banned or your work getting deleted is not censorship.   Another type of business decision.  Furthermore, they're not cutting off ways for you to publish anything.   Create your own site or find one open to your work, but don't tell me you are being censored when you are not. 

3. Something not winning an award.  I've seen this in multiple places.   So, for the record, I think offensive things are allowed to exist.   They have a right to be created, but I have a right to criticize them.   Furthermore, they may not win an award for many reasons: something else was better made, or it was so offensive those judging couldn't really get past it.   Still, the thing is out there, not censorship.   Censoring has nothing to do with the right of anything to win anything, although I've seen the two conflated. 

4. The right to ward of criticism.   If  you write something offensive and someone criticized it, not censorship.   I've seen censorship woefully misunderstood this way.   The thing is out there if somebody's read it, so it clearly has't been censored.   Anything else, or are you really going to stick with that?   Okay, then...

Words have meaning.   Censorship means something specific.  I realize you have other issues, but if one of these four are your problem?   Not censorship.  Just needed to get that off my back after my rant yesterday.