Chapter 11. Censoring Information
Russian poet
There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.
Who gets the right to decide what you can see, read, or do? The answer is always the same—the people who have the power to punish you. Governments can punish you physically (with the death penalty) or financially (with jail time or fines). Churches can excommunicate you. Your boss can fire you, and your parents can send you to your room without dessert.
Of course, telling people what to do is one thing. Getting them to obey is an entirely different thing. As long as people have the freedom to disobey, some will. To ensure compliance, censors have to eliminate all opportunities for disobedience, and frighten their ...
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