Where do I stand on censorship?

A steemian asked me this question, and while I did answer Hive account@skiponline in the comments under his post, I've thought so much about it in the last couple days, I wanted to get my own thoughts down.

Censorship has mostly meant people (including ME!) being silenced. It's a selfish view that misses the most important point, at least to me.

Who gets to choose what I may or may not hear/read about?

It doesn't matter who, I reject their intervention. I want to read it all, and decide for myself. I also want to be able to discuss any ignorant, stupid idea I get taken with, in an effort to divide wheat from chaff.

Censoring others is a huge problem, especially when it denies someone a chance to decide for themselves.

Censoring ourselves is an even bigger one.

For years, I had a pretty one-sided set of views. I still have most of them (because fuck you all, I'm stubborn) but some have been seen in new light. Because I have taken the time to try to understand others, and because they took the time to share with me, I've grown myself a lot.

When you hear someone who you disagree with, treasure them. If someone is looking you in the eye and disagreeing, treasure them especially. Treat them as if they have a wealth you can not achieve without their help.

With facebook and other 'customisable feeds', we censor ourselves. No irritating messages in the feed (why do YOU think facebook has a like button, but no 'dislike' button?) and no chance to ever change an idea. Facebook (et al) also censors via ad revenue, but the most important, pervasive and corrosive censorship on that platform was me.

We don't look at things we don't like to look at.

Censorship is also context dependent. I do value freedom of expression and freedom of speech highly, but have no problem respecting rules restricting it. In a math class, for example, a discussion on the subtleties of tantric sex probably ought to be 'censored'. In a humanities class, math ought to be (apparently lol)

Anyway, I just wanted to give this idea a bit more thought than a reply to Hive account@skiponline's very interesting post.

Here is a photo of a northern traffic jam. Just a bunch of tundra-cattle censoring Manitoulin Transport from communicating their goods south. :)