Self & Private Censorship Quotes
In September of 2005 a Danish Newspaper published some political cartoons showing the hypocrisy of some Muslims who use Islam to justify murder of innocents and terrorism. Months later, in January of 2006 many in the Middle East protested vehemently and Muslim riots broke out because the Prophet Muhammad's visage was depicted against Islamic tradition. Many Muslim nations started a boycott against Denmark. Many Muslim leaders claimed that insulting religion was an “abuse” of freedom of speech including those from nations which regularly publish material that is virulent against Christians and Jews. In the United States a debate raged over whether or not news organizations should show the cartoons. Some did; most did not.
The speech was an attempt to justify the Dirty War and the kidnappings, tortures, and killing of many citizens.
This quotation shows us that Ancient historians knew well, that rulers and governments could intimidate contemporary historians and even after rulers died hatreds from previous periods also often distort history. The hatred and resentment of the American Southerners after the Civil War warped most history books in America and especially history text books for over 100 years before histories of the Civil War and Reconstruction could be written with more reasonable accuracy.
This quotation is fascinating because it illustrates the degree to which the Southern people censored themselves on what in most cultures would be morale issues. In many ways the ability to ignore reality made it easier for the Confederate government to operate, but distorted the decisions that were made. Arguably, in most other cultures, public opinion on the reality of the situation would have brought the war to an end sooner and ironically on far better terms than they ended up with. Eggleston was an accomplished writer who had served in the Confederate army of the Civil War. 20 year after the war he wrote a series of articles for the prestigious Northern Atlantic Monthly trying to convey the war from the Southerner’s point of view.
There were complaints about political correctness in earlier times as well as modern.
This was a description of the post WWII censorship in East Germany under the communists, but it applies to most political censorship in any country. The same dynamics functioned in the United States during both World Wars and during the red scare of McCarthyism.
