One of the curious things about censorship is that no one seems to believe in it for himself. We want censorship to protect someone else— the young, the unstable, the suggestible, the stupid. I have never heard of anyone who wanted a film or speaker banned because otherwise he himself might be harmed.
Interpretation
Censorship is often sought to protect others, but not for oneself.
This quote highlights the irony of censorship, suggesting that people typically advocate for restricting information or expression to safeguard others rather than out of self-interest. It questions the motivations behind censorship and implies that individuals rarely feel the need to censor content for their own protection, emphasizing a paradox in the way society approaches freedom of speech and protection from harmful ideas.
In practice
During a debate on freedom of speech, one could use this quote to illustrate the complexities of censorship.
No one can say just how long a message should be, but you rarely hear complaints about a speech being too short. The amateur worries about what he is going to put in his speech or article. The expert worries about what he should take out.
An individual, in promoting his own interest, may injure the public interest; a nation, in promoting the general welfare, may check the interest of a part of its members.
While we rejoice in the new possibilities open to humanity, we also see the dangers arising from these possibilities, and we must ask ourselves how we can overcome them.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Man is to become divine by realizing the divine. Idols or temples, or churches or books, are only the supports, the help of his spiritual childhood.
So much universe, and so little time.
Why should workers agree to be slaves in a basically authoritarian structure? They should have control over it themselves. Why shouldn't communities have a dominant voice in running the institutions that affect their lives?
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