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| LIMITING OUR CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS |
It was to be expected. Once the creative minds tapped into cyberspace, attempts to censor their expressions and ideas in this new medium became inevitable. Survival for the artist and writer has always been a perpetual struggle throughout history. Each period is dotted by its own peculiar version of censorship which leads one to conclude that art and politics don't mix. Yet suppressing what at first seems objectionable but otherwise aims to enlighten others with a criteria to chose freely, would be infringing upon the First Amendment. One only needs to look at recent events to be aware how many methods have been introduced to perpetuate the correlation between hypocrisy and censorship. Following are few examples; click on thumbs to see the full pictures.
* 1980 - Brook Shields wearing Calvin Klein jeans and shirt in an ad was banned by the CBS Network when it was learned she was to utter: "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
* 1994 - In San Francisco, State Education officials banned a story by Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker from a state wide English test. Her story was pulled because it was "Anti-meat-eating". Earlier a story by Annie Dillard was also removed because her description of a snow ball fight was deemed too violent.
Historically, the rationalization of censoring others began in part when in 387 B. C. E. Plato counted art as a form of imitation and classed the artist with the sophist - a maker of images against whom the government must be on its guard. Aristotle, however, in 322 B. C. E. urged that special care be taken to protect the immature from pictures as well as talk and books.
In practice, censorship was increasingly administered by whoever was in power over those who for the most part were illiterate, unworldly and without means to defend themselves or their rights. What is mentioned next is but a fraction of censorship cases recorded throughout history.
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* 1488 - The painting Adam and Eve by Baccio Bandinelli shocked members of the clergy and was removed from its place behind the altar of a Florence Cathedral. |
* 1521 - Martin Luther was prohibited by edicts of Emperor and Pope to publish: Address to the German Nobility.
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* 1605 - Caravaggio's Madonna of the Serpent was removed from the Pala Frenierei because the figures were "indecently portrayed". |
* 1863 - Edovard Manet's Luncheon on the Grass became the principal concept of the condemnation for the whole group of Impressionists in the name of morality.
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* 1900 - Alice's Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, was suspended from classroom use at the Woodsville High School in Haverhill, N.H. because the novel was deemed to contain expletives, references to masturbation and sexual fantasies, and derogatory characterization of a teacher and of religious ceremonies. |
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* Candide - by Francois Voltaire. Seized by U.S. Customs in Boston - 1929 - and declared obscene; suppressed in 1935 in Russia. Voltaire's best known work remained intensely disliked by American authorities as late as 1944, when Concord Book Sales cataloged the work but was informed by the U.S. Postal Service that such listings violated U.S. Postal Regulations against sending obscene matter through the mail. |
* 1875 - Auguste Rodin was accused by fellow artists of using a life cast for his sculpture Age of Bronze. The work, a male nude, was subsequently withdrawn from the salon where it was being exhibited.
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* 1985 - During the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on dirty rock lyrics Senator Albert Gore (D. TN.) voiced questions about censoring some of the lyrics not suitable for young listeners. In the exchange, Frank Zappa explained, "I would say that when a buzz saw blade is between the guy's legs on the album cover is a good indication that it's not for little Johnny." |
* 1969 - A poster depicting Michelangelo's David was confiscated from a bookstore in Sydney, Australia and the Manager charged with obscenity.
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* 1497 - The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri was burned in Florence, Italy. It was also prohibited by church authorities in Portugal until all copies were delivered to the Inquisition for correction. |
* 1859 - On the Origin of Species, by Charles R. Darwin. Banned from Trinity College in Cambridge, England. Banned in Yugoslavia - 1935; 1937 in Greece. The teaching of evolution was prohibited in Tennessee from 1925 - 67.
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* 1985 - Sen. Jesse Helms (R. N. C.) attempted to arrange a takeover of CBS so conservatives could become Dan Rather's boss. |
* 1940 - Declaration of Independence, by Vladimir I. Lenin. Was banded in Oklahoma City, Ok.. Bookstore owners were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $5,000 for selling Lenin's work.
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* 1989 - Garfield: his nine lives, by Jim Davis. This author's cartoons and writings were moved to the adult section of the public libraries of Saginaw, MI. after patrons requested that children be denied access. |
It is a known fact that when dictators gain power, the first group to be expelled, jailed or executed is a body of men and women who are seen as part of the intelligentsia. These are often members of the opposition, but also included in the mix there are teachers, lawyers, union organizers, journalists, professors, and yes, even artists who don't easily conform to the NEW ORDER. Thus, recently in China there has been a Cultural Revolution; in Cuba all walks of life leave the island by the raft load; and in the once Communist Russia they could only envision life under a five year plan - while millions were deceived by government propaganda.
In our time, and in the new millennium, our nation has positioned itself at the pinnacle of the free world. Artists and writers can only hope that our governing bodies will not regress to resolve its malaise of censorship and morality at best in the same vein as during the Victorian era. Traces of puritanism are still evident in this country although in splintered forms and dogmas to suit immediate and local needs. The concept of the flock being led by a single minded shepherd is well tuned to bring forth what may seem the over-whelming support for a just cause; while by simply passing laws for the purpose of censoring the creative ability in a free society, doesn't make it just.
If left to the public forum, incompetent lyricists, dramatists, writers and artists will eventually wilt away through the natural process of public scrutiny who are "supposedly" free to chose without the hindrance from moralistic watchdog groups. This not so new democratic process doesn't guarantee the success of anyone's artistic expression or being sheltered from public opinions. However, it does give the creative individual the option and right to respond to critics without fear of reproach or malice.
Many creative individuals have lived an obscure life while perhaps many more have died for what they believed. In our modern times while we are increasingly communicating with the use of the latest satellites, one must be alert and also to be aware of what is discretely censored. Thus the inevitable cause and result has become as if our modern society has lost its will to live on the edge where it once rode the wild stallion "INNOVATION." Is this how we have lost the sparks that once ignited the minds of Michelangelo and Picasso; Lennon and Verdi; Dante and D. H. Lawrence, and countless others? Have our innovative thoughts been snuffed? Where are those who created friction in the folds of the fattened societies?
Perhaps we are to use as a gauge this next true story to determine if we, in our modern society, have made some progress when relating to censorship.
Not long ago while viewing a CBS program I became aware that a German film on video cassette with English subtitles was banned because a scene was offensive to a local minister in Oklahoma. This made my inquisitive mind wonder why a "man of the cloth", would even bother renting such films when their content is clearly marked by rating on the jacket box cover. By investigating further, I remembered seeing a copy of the same film at my local public library. I had never checked it out before because the main theme was about Nazism and instinctively suspected that I wasn't going to be entertained by sitting through a series of war atrocities. Yet by now my curiosity had escalated and did want to view the video and judge for myself, if it should have been censored.
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The following morning I went to my local Public Library and after some searching, disappointedly I couldn't find the library copy of the video and presumed it must have been checked out earlier. But when asked if it was, the librarian responded straight forward by saying, "I am sorry sir, but our library never owned a copy of "The Tin Drum". "Are you sure?" I asked and added with a forceful eye contact, "Both my wife and I are positive of having seen it on the shelf." "Sorry." she said nervously. "Could you please check the video file on the computer?" I insisted. "I'll try, sir. But you're the third person today who requested that same video and we just never had it here on the shelf." |
If I learned one thing about bureaucracy, is to never argue with its lower staff since it always proves fruitless. And yet, "The Tin Drum" had indeed been on the shelf and the librarian had lied when saying, "it was never there".
Our other recourse was to rent it from our local video store, and we knew, we had seen it in the foreign video section two days earlier. But you know, that title had also been removed, out of the video store and computer file until further notice - so explained the manager.
I had similar experiences with books, but never with a videos. And wasn't it amazing how a governing body and private enterprise can move so swiftly when it deems itself right to do so?
Apparently, tolerating someone's views or beliefs has always been a scarce commodity in human societies. The lack of understanding - for example - between artistically rendering the nude and pornography has escalated into the universal panacea to be censored and often used to cure all of societies moral ills.
In ancient times the concept of the nude and nudity ran parallel without fear of it or guilt. But both, in due course, became a mean to destroy the innocence from the human face. When one is able to control others with illiteracy, fear and guilt, then the human will is easily kept in control. A truly free human being is one who respects and tolerates others without fearing a reprisal from a supernatural being or an event which logically will never happen. For this reason it was in part why many artists chose to leave their immediate society to escape what was being forced upon them. Some distanced themselves to foreign lands, others sought seclusion in their attic or garage and created with ideas that poured out from their mind, heart and soul.
Candidly, censorship seldom succeeds even though there are enough self-appointed righteous people who will keep trying. The moralists don't seem to realize that the real problem with any vices is the monetary profits. However, think about it: if, as of now, the nude or pornography did not exist, what would the righteous people be censuring? ... I shudder at the thought.
Of late, I came to realize not to sweat the little things. In a democracy real vices can be easily eliminated if someone, that is, really wants to do so. Remember: like anything else, "IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO". But by simply asserting, that all matters of concern are political with which art has nothing to do, is to assert that art doesn't concerns itself with humanity, even in cyberspace.
Prof. Malatesta
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