From Paul Tavener
So why, you ask, are people alarmed or even angered by the fact that on-screen violence is bad for us (21 April, p 5)? The answer has nothing to do with evidence but everything to do with the consequences of accepting such a proof. We should be able to agree that on-screen violence is harmful while also agreeing that allowing it is the price we must pay for freedom. Unfortunately this is very unlikely: in the current political climate, proof of harm will lead to loss of freedom, and this is what alarms people.
I can hear the government statements now – “I don’t believe in censorship… but… something must be done!”
In times of war it is accepted that a few must die to protect the freedoms of the many. Yet, strangely, in times of peace, freedom is always the first victim in any argument over harm. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in censorship… but…
Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
