Obsolete Should music/books/film/etc be banned if they are too offensive?

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I think we can all agree that Hitler was an evil person and his writings are horrible. However, I don't think Mein Kampf should ever be banned because it's still useful as a tool to society - to understand Hitler's train of thought, to understand antisemitism from a Nazi perspective. There will be people that will use Mein Kampf and other works to justify their abusive, extremist behavior, however I don't think banning a book because it can recite racial hatred is justifiable - people have the right to read it, but they don't have the right to infringe on other people's rights by implementing its ethos.

However, I think that their is some media that should be banned. A Serbian Film is a disgusting body-horror film, involving lots of murder, blood and rape. That's all fine, but it also took it to the extreme, allegedly there is a scene involving a newborn being sexually abused. When art plunges to such depravity, I think it should be banned. It takes artistic freedom too far and frankly has no place in modern society.

So, I think when controversial can be used to teach against it's work, such as using Mein Kampf as an example of right-wing extremism/antisemitism, we can learn from past generations mistakes. However, with A Serbian Film we can't learn anything from it, it's only entertainment and I think its fair to say that most people seeing it will be disgusted. Should a film of such exaggerated depravity be available to the public? I don't think so.

So what do you think? Should work be banned because it's hateful or disgusting or just too offensive? Or should people have the right to consumer the media they wish, irregardless of how offensive it is?
 
In 95% of cases, no. Back in the 70's the least little thing was banned under Thatcher's law and it was very ridiculous. I have to say that I disagree movies and tv shows should be held responsible for any act of law breaking/violence but that's another discussion really.

I don't think things like that will encourage people to do bad things but there are things i've seen in movies and on the internet which I wish I hadn't. Little things that stick with you, images of things etc. It's very rare these days but occassionally you do get content that is very disturbing but I guess it's a case by case basis. A movie involving rapists for example, if it involves the rapists being sensationalised and validated, yes that's sick, ban it. If it's a movie in which the rapists get their comeuppance which ultimately depicts them as dispicable characters then that's very different.

One of the big movies I remember growing up was Faces of Death. It was banned for years and very notorious. I never saw it and still wouldn't even now that's it's legal and readily available in shops. In a way I think making it accessible made the thought of it seem dull. When anything is banned it becomes like forbidden fruit to a lot of people. There's always ways to watch things anyway with the internet the way it is, I suspect the average banned content would make much less of an impact if it was legal in the first place.
 
I'm against a lot of things, but I'm not going to tell other people to not watch or listen to those things. That's their life, their business. There's certain things I don't like, and I choose to ignore it and move on to something else. If they(and by "they", I mean both the consumer and the company making said entertainment) end up having some sort of consequence because of their choice in entertainment, that's their own fault.
 
No. Never, under any circumstances, ever. I'm much more adamant on this topic than most, so I won't be going into detail to explain a complicated "on the fence" position, since that's not where I stand on this issue. I am very firmly on the side of the fence where nobody thinks that they're special enough that they can dictate who gets to share their perspective and who doesn't.
 
No. If it truly offends you, just don't watch or read it. It's simple as that. I'm not very adamant on the issue, but it is silly to bar it just because people find it offensive. If some like it, let them like it, even things like A Serbian Film, or whatever it is that was mentioned in the OP. Disgusting? Yes, beyond that. But it still should be allowed; just make sure to avoid it as best you can.
 
In general, no. I've read a few banned book lists, and those reasons are pretty ridiculous.
 
If the content is too offensive, it should be rated, not banned. If young kids happen to get their hands on it, make sure to teach them properly so they don't get the wrong idea.
 
Kyriaki said:
If the content is too offensive, it should be rated, not banned. If young kids happen to get their hands on it, make sure to teach them properly so they don't get the wrong idea.
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This ^

But also it depends on what it contains and when people are reading. If it is promoting violence and law breaking it should be banned but only for a while until society sees the very idea as horrible. Such as arranged marriage as most people in the modern world wouldn't dream of doing it but would be interested in why people used to do it.

Mein Kampf is ok to release now as there is no threat from Nazis, 50 years ago it should not be shown to the public as people may have joined them.
Same with anything that could promote ISIS should currently be banned until the threat is gone so we don't need to worry about people reading it the wrong way.

Plus you have a choice to listen to music, watch the film or read the book so if you don't want to be offended then don't watch/listen/read it.
 
No, because people might want to access them for research purposes. If you're writing an article about vulgar content in films, music, etc., you'll need access to such material because of it.

For example, it would be hard for anyone with half a brain to sit through The Birth of a Nation, a film about the KKK that is offensive even by the standards of its day, but banning it would not be good because it's important to the history of film. I saw it myself, and it was hard for me to stomach the horrifying racism present in the film.

Also, being a Muslim, I am aware that a lot of old travel accounts from Europeans contain derogatory descriptions of our beliefs, but a lot of those accounts are of historical value too. (These accounts tend to call us Mohammedans, fail to acknowledge the diversity of sects and cultures within Islam, or give misinformation about our practices.) Banning them would be impractical because first-hand accounts are important for history, even if they're biased.

A lot of old works contain unsettling content. I have a book of Turkish fairy tales that contains quite a bit of vulgar content, including racism (many of the villains are black slaves, Jews, or Arabs, drawn caricatured too). I still enjoy reading it. Even the Narnia books are considered racist by some people due to one of Narnia's enemies being Calormen, a Middle Eastern-inspired country where slavery is common, prepubescent girls are forced to marry old men, everyone is mean to animals, and the people speak poetically. I read the Narnia books and wasn't too bothered by it. A lot of parents would hesitate to read it to their children these days. The last book is especially reviled because of the description of Susan as a stuck-up, promiscuous airhead. Honestly, I don't think The Last Battle is appropriate for kids, but I wouldn't advocate banning it.
 
Pardon my ignorance, but what does 'banned' even mean in these cases? Illegal to own? Illegal to distribute? Very limited and regulated distribution? Taboo and frowned upon?

I'm curious because I've heard this question many times, but never actually considered what 'banned' meant before.
 
Stuntology said:
Pardon my ignorance, but what does 'banned' even mean in these cases? Illegal to own? Illegal to distribute? Very limited and regulated distribution? Taboo and frowned upon?

I'm curious because I've heard this question many times, but never actually considered what 'banned' meant before.
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I'm assuming illegal to own and distribute. We can frown upon it all we want, but the government would have the final say on whether something is actually allowed or not.
 
Stuntology said:
Pardon my ignorance, but what does 'banned' even mean in these cases? Illegal to own? Illegal to distribute? Very limited and regulated distribution? Taboo and frowned upon?

I'm curious because I've heard this question many times, but never actually considered what 'banned' meant before.
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That's a good point, when I created the thread I was thinking illegal to own.
 
I find the notion of disallowing something for being "too offensive" a disgusting concept that does nothing but promote the censorship of artwork. I am always against censorship 100%.
 
I actually hate it when they ban things in fear of offending someone. While not technically banned, per se, I remember the old Tom and Jerry shorts having some content that was deemed too offensive because of some racist content. They either cut out the offensive parts or stopped airing them completely. There's also the Censored Eleven shorts that have yet to see the light of day on television, though you can easily find them across the net. I wish they would just release the banned cartoons on a DVD and market it for those who are genuinely interested in the history of animation. They don't have to be marketed towards kids. As awful and stereotypical as their caricatures of many ethnic groups were, that was the unfortunate mindset at the time. Banning stuff is not going to change history. Really, there is no point in it.

Don't get me wrong, I am not going to sugarcoat my beliefs and defend offensive works of art. I personally despise stuff that makes it its life goal to put down a group of people and I certainly would not give these works the time of day. I just wouldn't censor them. It's not my place to do so. Just my two cents.
 
Even as a very sensitive person I'm against censorship. No exceptions.

In regards to A Serbian Film, even though what is depicted is disgusting, there's no actual rape or murder going on. I know I'd be disgusted by A Serbian Film, so I'm just not ever going to watch it.
 
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