Censorship is one of those ever-present issues on campus that seem to only accentuate the disparity between the student body and the administration. Let’s be honest: who here has not received one of those obnoxious “web filter violation” notifications? The worst part is reading the category in which it throws those websites you always thought were innocent before coming to Houghton. The bright side is that we all get a kick out of it when a professor tries to pull up an educational site that is classified under pornographic material. The question, however, that we need to grapple with is not simply whether or not fart-sounds.net should be blocked, but should anything be censored?
Censorship is a tricky issue due to the fact that most items fall into a fairly large grey area. With drugs and alcohol it is fairly easy to regulate. Don’t drink. Don’t use illegal substances. But how do you legitimize not watching South Park? Is its content more objectionable than that of some of the DVDs in the library’s collection?
The issue of censorship inevitably comes down to how much is too much. We ban pornography, but what about movies and shows whose entire premise revolves around sex? And honestly, what show on American prime-time TV does not revolve around casual sex? Friends? How I Met Your Mother? New Girl? The Mindy Project? The innocence of Leave it to Beaver is long gone. Yet I can guarantee that most of the student body and a significant chunk of the faculty watch these very shows, if not similar ones.
As far as the usage of language is concerned, Houghton College attempts to maintain appropriate standards. In the student guide for the 2012-2013 year it is written, “Houghton College students are expected to honor God in both speech and lifestyle. The taking of God’s name in vain or the use of offensive, abusive, profane, crude, racist, sexist, or obscene language is prohibited and may result in disciplinary action.”
We, the editorial staff, are disturbed by the threat of disciplinary action for an area of life with such ambiguous standards. Define any one of their descriptors for inappropriate language. For some there are few words in the English language that they would deem inappropriate. For others, however, that list may span quite a significant chunk of Webster’s dictionary.
The fact is that it varies from person to person. The issue with censorship is that it inevitably limits a large group for the sake of the comfort of a few.
2011-2012 Star Opinions Editor Elisa Shearer wrote an editorial a year ago in which she was grappling with the issue of sexuality. The reason we think it is so important and relates to censorship is that it isn’t clear cut. Yes, sex can be scientifically explained; but what about all the other ways in which our bodies and minds are stimulated? As a Christian should we feel guilty for hugging someone of the opposite sex? How about kissing them? Or making out? Now cuddling? Even without going into more detail, it is clear that the line, for some, dividing sin and not-sin does not reside in intercourse alone. Where does the loss of virginity then occur, from a moralistic point of view? It is decided by the conscience of the individuals involved.
This same reasoning can be applied to almost anything (besides maybe murder). What constitutes offensive language varies greatly. What constitutes adult material varies significantly. What defines appropriate dress attire? if you’re an international student from Asia Minor or North Africa you might see a bunch of loose promiscuous women walking around campus; on the flip side, if you’re from southern California you may see a bunch of conservative odd balls. The fact is that some things cannot be defined by a general overarching statement; and this is exactly what censorship does.
There are too many grey areas in life to be able to regulate in such seemingly clear cut ways. Ban sex, alcohol and drugs, but once you begin disciplining adults for what they wear, say and look at, it becomes much too difficult to maintain appropriate standards.