Censorship does not trigger real change
By Daniela Sirtori Cortina
Published as a part of Maneater v. 80, Issue 14
The opinions expressed by The Maneater columnists do not represent the opinions of The Maneater editorial board.
I have a confession.
While strolling through Walmart a couple days ago, a friend and I noticed a gigantic pile of T-shirts bearing the message, Cool story babe, now go make a sandwich. Motivated by our natural feminist dislike of such demeaning language, we engaged in an unusual act of rebellion and hid all the shirts all over the mens clothing section.
It was our feminist deed of the day, and we were proud. We thought we were fighting the patriarchy, one T-shirt at a time. Later, however, I realized our act was nothing to be proud of. It was immature and inconsequential.
Yes, we made some sort of statement about our disagreement with the message on the T-shirts, but it is a statement no one will ever see. Sure, it was a funny manner of displaying our views, but it was one that might be perceived as radical and will not succeed in convincing anyone that equality is worth the fight. Our actions, while not harming anybody, did not have a real positive effect either.
But most of all, we engaged in a practice which is a nightmare for journalists, activists and all those who seek the truth and advocate for noble causes: censorship.
To be clear, I think and I believe most feminists will have a similar opinion, the message displayed in those T-shirts was offensive. It implies that womens sole purpose is to please others and that our words do not deserve to be taken seriously. Yet, the fact that such idea makes me cringe does not constitute free license for me, or for anyone, to actively place obstacles on someone elses freedom of expression. Hiding the T-shirts, without triggering real change, is equivalent to hiding the problem.
Lets think about it this way: We may not hear it, but that doesnt mean it isnt there. Banning all T-shirts, symbols and behaviors we might find offensive does not constitute an epiphany from the part of those who truly believe women are worthless or inferior. Its simply a desperate act to protect our values from opinions that threaten them. Censorship does not elevate our ideals to a point of worthiness. Rather, it portrays them as indefensible rants that would cease to exist in the face of opposing views.
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Censorship does not trigger real change