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To: Sam Hill

Censor:1: a person who supervises conduct and morals: as a: an official who examines materials (as publications or films) for objectionable matter b: an official (as in time of war) who reads communications (as letters) and deletes material considered sensitive or harmful.

Don't confuse normal montoring, selection, and/or elimination of speech and writing by indiviuals with the censoring by government officials.


64 posted on 03/09/2007 6:41:47 PM PST by Balding_Eagle (If America falls, darkness will cover the face of the earth for a thousand years.)
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To: Balding_Eagle

Let's go to the unquestioned authority on the English language, the Oxfored English Dictionary:

censor, n. Forms: 5­6 sensour, 6 sensor, 6­7 censour, 6­ censor.
1. The title of two magistrates in ancient Rome, who drew up the register or census of the citizens, etc., and had the supervision of public morals.
2. a. transf. One who exercises official or officious supervision over morals and conduct.

And here are the ciations they give for this second -- and modern meaning:

1592 Greene Upst. Courtier in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) II. 224 A severe sensor to such as offend the law.
1622 Massinger, etc. Old Law v. i, Cleanthes..for his manifest virtues, we make such judge and censor of youth.
1776 Gibbon Decl. & F. I. xx. 564 The bishop was the perpetual censor of the morals of his people.
1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxxiv, Regarding his father as a rigid censor.
1871 J. Duncan Colloquia Perip. 118 Punch is a censor, but not censorious.

Note that not one of them refer to a government official.

And if the OED isn't authoritative enough for you, there is always Wikipedia:

Censorship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship

Censorship is the removal or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. Typically censorship is done by governments, religious groups, or the mass media, although other forms of censorship exist.

++++

And they go on to list the numerous others non-government ways censorship works.

But honestly, did you really think when you saw the naughty bits covered with a black bar in some magazine or newspaper that it was being done by some government worker?

Or when the sex scenes are cut from movies broadcast on TV?

Or when dirty lyrics are blanked out from songs?

It is so hilarious that this junior high school debating point has survived, let alone thrived around here.

Explain to the moderators how they don't censor.


66 posted on 03/09/2007 6:56:23 PM PST by Sam Hill
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