Censorship is sticking our heads in the sand

But censorship is not the way to go, whether in principle or on practical grounds. As former US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart noted, “Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself.”

Lord Buddha offered the following advice: “Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held ... Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.” How can we follow Lord Buddha’s advice if the government decides what we can see or read – especially if the government is unfavourably mentioned in the censored piece?

If something is false, incomplete or one-sided, then judicial remedies should be used, and the injured party can use the media or courts to present his side of the story, rather than ban the piece without giving the author an opportunity to defend himself.

Thai censorship can, of course, be applied only in Thailand. So the whole world except us can know what our junta doesn’t want us to know. We are closing our own eyes to what might be the truth, and shutting ourselves off from opportunities to correct what others think about us.

Practically, censorship is impossible to maintain because, for instance, banned books can be easily obtained from overseas sellers.

We should have more confidence in our ability to reason and act in our best interests, and thus stop censorship.

Burin Kantabutra