Some governments have realized that returning to more moral oversight is necessary to promote economic health. Unlike in many countries, the Chinese government outlaws pornography. They have a government agency devoted to censoring and cleaning up the internet. The Chinese government understands that pornography addiction saps into the incentive to work. If it is easy to access sexual gratification, men lose the desire to compete and find an interesting partner. Women no longer want to be interesting, because they know that they cannot compete with the skinny models in the fashion magazine. Marriage rates get lower, and divorce rates skyrocket.
Why Censorship?
A lot of people confuse the terms liberty and libertine. Liberty is the freedom to choose how we will live our lives under law. Libertine is getting to do whatever we want to do without legal restraint. Those who oppose government censorship of pornography are often doing so under the cover of preserving liberty. What really happens when teens and working people have access to X-rated content is they lose interest in getting normal marital privileges through economic performance.
History
It used to be that civilized governments had laws in place that made it hard to access obscene content. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission still claims to regulate obscene, indecent, or profane material on the media. However, since a 1964 Supreme Court Decision, the definition of such material has become much vaguer. That is why a lot of material on cable TV is arguably questionable in value.
Personal Application
Even though the United States and European governments do not regulate obscene material as strongly as they used to, there is still a personal choice that can be made. As someone who wants to leave a cleaner and more productive life, we can personally choose to censor from our lives material that lowers our moral character and concentration. Ways to do that include canceling a satellite TV subscription and adding filters to an internet enabled device.
Benefits of More Personal Censorship
Unlike the United States, which continues to struggle with recovering from the Great Recession of 2008, China’s economy is still doing fairly well. Part of the reason is probably due to their renewed commitment to fighting government corruption and public obscenity. If the United States is to remain competitive, it is necessary that private citizens cut out moral distractions from our work life.
Conclusion
Personal censorship is a choice. When we live in a country that does not have firm government monitoring of private media, it is easier to get distracted. There are many lives that have been ruined because of refusal to be accountable and honest with their friends. There are lots of good tools available to make it easier to regulate private media behavior. If you still like to use movies, think of buying only movies that you feel comfortable letting your 11-year-old watch. Many parents have a dual policy on media entertainment at home, and this causes confusion with the children who are not allowed to watch the adult movies.
