Top 7 Worrying Censorship Regressions, Long Live 2022
It’s 2022 and human civilization is in full decline, which usually happens when something has peaked and begins to fall out of favor. Without necessarily opening the debate with you on this question (since we can’t really talk to each other if you hadn’t noticed) we are going to discuss together (or rather me alone) a worrying aspect of our society: the quite surprising return of several types of censorship in some countries of the world.
1. Hungary, which prohibits the “promotion” of homosexuality
Everything is fine in Hungary, overall this country could be described as another country of human rights as everyone is respected there. Well, quite recently parliament passed a law to prevent the promotion of homosexuality and generally diminish the rights of LGBT+ people, but other than that it’s cool.
As a result, it involves stopping the broadcast of a package of films and series on television before a certain time in order to “protect the children”: no episodes of Friends or movies Harry Potter for young Hungarians, it could obviously give them bad ideas.
2. Missouri’s senate bill 775, or the censorship of many books
If you’ve never set foot in Missouri, know that it’s not the friendliest state in the country, especially because it’s governed by a few conservative politicians who find that two people of the same sex kiss it kills the appetite and that it was better when you only found white people on the golf courses.
Recently they made a splash by creating a list of books to be banned from school libraries. On the program we find for example “Blue does not suit all boys”, “The bluest eye” but also several comics such as “Batman: White Knight”, “Watchmen” or an adaptation of “The Handmaid’s Tale in comics. All these works represent a risk of “depravity” for young people since they approach homosexuality in one way or another.
3. A comic strip adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary in Texas’ sights
If Missouri stinks a bit in terms of benevolence, I’m not even talking about Texas. L’independent School District would have removed a good package of books from the libraries of its schools in this other state including a comic book adaptation of the infamous diary of Anne Frank.
It would be a few passages where the young girl described her sex education classes and broached the subject of prostitution which would have convinced the organization that the work was not intended for a young audience of schoolchildren who, moreover, the right to watch Chuck Norris films where the actor happily smacks foreign actors playing clichéd roles. What a beautiful country.
4. The little whims of Vincent Bolloré
There are a whole bunch of reasons to love Vincent Bolloré, but really hundreds if you look closely. However, the gentleman likes that we think like him and that we don’t joke too much with his name, as recently paid the price of the Honorable Guillaume Meurice who sees his book The Fin Mot of the history of France in 200 expressions whose publication has been suspended because the publishing house belongs to the Breton billionaire.
Certain passages would not have been appreciated by this formidable boss who is moreover not at his first attempt in terms of drastic censorship since we already owe him the end of the Giggles from the info or Zapping at Canal + while their audiences were still very high.
5. The movie “Buzz Lightyear” censored in several countries
The movie thing Buzz Lightning is that it’s an animated film aimed at children and that in it we see two female characters kissing, which was not really to the taste of the Chinese government, of Egypt , Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. As these countries asked to cut the famous scene but Disney did not accept the request, some simply banned it in theaters, because it was easier and everyone was happy. Well everyone, mainly them, not the kids who wanted to see the film.
6. Shanghai lockdown censored on the networks
Quite surprisingly, in April 2022, videos showing the streets of Shanghai empty due to the confinement in force in the city were quickly censored by the government. The problem for the leaders was to show an empty and stationary city which could have had a bad impact on the economy. Finally the city had been confined for several weeks but the government did not admit it internationally until much later. Another particular example of censored stuff in China, land of leniency and freedom.
7. The art of Russian disinformation about the war in Ukraine
It’s no secret but the war in Ukraine is largely misinformed in Russia, at least in the first months of the conflict. Prohibition to talk about it in the press or on television sets because of a law passed in March 2022 which promises a prison sentence of up to 15 years for anyone who would have the audacity to publish ” false information” about the Russian army (meaning the truth).
The result of this law was on the one hand the flight from the country of several hundred journalists but also heavy fines for certain press groups having circulated information which did not go in the direction of the Kremlin. Not a crazy atmosphere, like my cousin’s wedding when the groom didn’t come and the caterer made a mistake and served oyster juice instead of red wine.