Poll: What would happen if there was no censorship?

[Velociferocks]

What would happen?

Nothing, Sweden abolished censorship in 1766. We still hear the silly "BLEEEP"s whenever someone swears on Conan.

 

[WenisPagon]

It wouldn't exist for long, "natural" censorship would crop up. The strong and wealthy would beat up or otherwise silence people they don't agree with, because their powers would not be regulated.

 

[Matilda Ward]

A Japanese friend of mine couldn't understand why her boyfriend swore so casually in front of her and she was really offended until I explained to her that when people swear casually in front of you in Australia it means that they have a familiarity with you and don't need to bother polishing up their language.

What's weird about this is that Japan operates the exact same way.

Oh well, best I not try to figure out what was going on in a relationship 3 degrees of separation from me. All I can guess is that sometimes when people move to another culture they get it into their heads that everything has to be different, so when they're confronted with a social situation that operates by the same rules they're used to, they have trouble recognizing that it actually is the same and confuse themselves by imagining something else must be at play.

Her interpretation of it is that her boyfriend was swearing at her, instead of it being a term of familiarity, for example you wouldn't really swear when talking to your mother or your father. Same rules, just a different interpretation, as with what occurs between all cultures and countries.

 

[Evonisia]

Well if there was never any censorship like your scenario people wouldn't abuse the worlds considered taboo because said words wouldn't be taboo. We would see liberal use of stuff we'd consider controversial and nobody would bat an eye, they would see it for what it is and what is was intended to convey.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Crap wouldnt be taboo anymore. Seriously just think of the concept of clothes for a second, why do you really need them besides being a cultural norm, but why are they?! Makes ya think.

 

[SuperUberBob]

Every major network station would have shows at the content level of HBO Original Series.

 

[Yopaz]

I don't think much would happen. Censorship isn't really necessary.

When I go to work, there's no-one preventing me from swearing like a sailor, but if I were to do so no-one would take me seriously and probably consider me childish. I swear when I see fit and I don't swear to shock someone.

Censorship usually just leads to having outlets where we aren't censored where we compensate for being censored somewhere else and then we let loose to such levels that we're not taken seriously. As for things being damaging to kids... kids pick up these things like sponges. They know it exists and thus they will use it. More so because it's something they shouldn't do.

I'm thinking TV would get really bad really quickly. You'd have ads for, say, McDonalds which would just be naked women with golden Ms painted on their genitals.

Wouldn't happen. McDonalds have been spending decades and probably hundreds of millions to advertise themselves as a family friendly restaurant, they wouldn't throw that away because sex sells. A good deal of customers would be disgusted with this and choose their competitor instead.

Censorship isn't what keeps this kind of content out of the advertisement, it's rather the fact that they try to analyse their target audience and what ways to best advertise it to this group of people. Barilla recently decided that having a gay couple in their commercial would be bad for business because they want to advertise to an audience of traditional families. There's no censorship preventing any company form having a gay couple advertising their products. There's also a lot of shocking and disturbing things that could work under the limits of what would require censorship. Companies don't want to shock their customers. They want their money. The safest way is through offering a safe brand name that is enticing, not a painted pussy.

 

[LetalisK]

It would be hell. I don't know how exactly or what it would look like, but I'm confident that if people are given no boundaries, the first and last thing they will figure out is how to smear the walls with shit.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Wouldn't happen. McDonalds have been spending decades and probably hundreds of millions to advertise themselves as a family friendly restaurant, they wouldn't throw that away because sex sells.

But...that's where babies come from!

Seriously, yeah, true, McDonalds wouldn't, but there are a fair few companies that'd wouldt.

 

[enemabagjones]

I'm pretty sure censorship in some forms includes quality control right? Because you'd get really crappy stuff otherwise.

Probably not. Censorship and quality are only rarely directly related I'd say.

Look at Theodore-Rex. Awful, awful, awful dreck, but it wouldn't contain anything offensive or incendiary.

On the flip side you have films like Evil Dead, originally censored/possibly banned as a "video nasty" but is by far a better movie than lots of perfectly harmless seeming stuff.

 

[Glongpre]

People would be normal. And by that I mean natural, as in like animals. Nudity? Whatever, just my body. Violence? Probably be the same as today.

 

[lacktheknack]

Try something.

Download the .tor project, connect to a .onion aggregation site, and start clicking random links for about five minutes.

THAT'S what would happen without censorship.

Barf bucket probably required.

 

[Someone Depressing]

It depends.

Man pulling out his digestive tracks through his rectum then eating it, thus creating an infinitive loop of barf (similiar to eating one's own chain of shit, then shitting back into one's mouth). Censorship probably neccesary.

Sex related things? Let the kids see it. They'll probably be more mature in their adulthood - ie, not the kind of people who snigger at the word "bum". Or "naked". Or laugh at Lady MacBeth's many rants about breastmilk or something.