Censorship

Well-known and well-beloved author Ray Bradbury passed away this week at the age of 91. His name has become synonymous with readable, enjoyable, yet thought-provoking literature- a defining voice in SciFi. Who can forget "The Martian Chronicles?"

Or, better yet, who can forget the following:

A book so iconic that it has become standardized literature in many public schools?

I certainly haven't, and it's been a little over 10 years since I read it in my Honors English class... which was in a private Christian school.

For those who haven't read the book, or who need somewhat of a refresher, the synopsis is this:  "Set in the 24th century, Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of the protagonist, Guy Montag. At first, Montag takes pleasure in his profession as a fireman, burning illegally owned books and the homes of their owners. However, Montag soon begins to question the value of his profession and, in turn, his life. Throughout the novel Montag struggles with his existence, eventually fleeing his oppressive, censored society and joining an underground network of intellectuals. With his newfound friends, Montag witnesses the atomic destruction if his former city and dedicates himself to rebuilding a literate and cultural society."

Bradbury tackled on the banning (and burning) of books, the pitfalls of adopting technological advancement in a society in such a way that the mind is no longer stimulated, intellectually-sound, the type becoming numb (perhaps by too many episodes of watching the Kardashians and re-runs of "Teen Mom").  But most importantly, Bradbury took on Censorship.

The Book has since turned into an e-Book, or a Kindle and a Nook. The Book is more accessible on the internet. Major bookstores, such as Border's Books and Music, have become defunct, and Barnes and Noble is losing money. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

In terms of censorship, First Amendment Rights have come under fire in 2012. On January 18, 2012, a series of websites "blacked out" their own words in lieu of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) has gained attention and controversy as well. The NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) was signed by President Obama last January, and appeared to be a worsened version of the USA Patriot Act. It appeared to restrict free speech and automatically view any citizen as a terrorist- that is, until a federal judge suspended the NDAA provisions attacking free speech.

Memorizing all these restrictive acronyms can be a pain, but for your reference these links can help:

1) SOPA Explained: What It Is and Why It Matters

2) PIPA is the New SOPA

3) What is ACTA?

4) NDAA

5) Federal Judge Suspends NDAA Detention Provision 

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In the midst of all this First Amendment-Attacking Chaos, I would like to end with this quote:

"The sun burnt every day. It burnt Time. The world rushed in a circle and turned on its axis and time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burnt things with the firemen and the sun burnt Time, that meant that everything burnt!"
- Guy Montag, Fahrenheit 451, pg. 141