Here here PKO. Nicely said.

Censorship = Ignorance = Dictatorship

I agree with Bill.
I disagree with posters who seem to think that public (& private) behavior has little or no effect upon others. The 'keep your morals off my freedoms' mindset has simply not thought this through properly.

So anyone can do whatever they like as long as it doesn't affect me?
Can they just? No censorship at all, hey?
That sort of logic just never adds up. Thoughts issue in actions.
Little things influence people's behavior.

John Donne had it right - no man [or woman], is an island.

External features of an inane voyeuristic culture, often do badly affect the internal workings of a person's mind, and then in turn, their external actions. Flick back through a recent newspaper or two. Ask a few victims of crime.

Many criminals locked away for years, are the product of our own culture's demons.
They did not just 'turn up' out of the blue. Ultimately, it is "we" who breed them. Without some community regulation (even self-regulation), any society of so-called 'freedoms' will soon degenerate into a breeding ground for trouble.

Should we feed people with garbage, until they begin to act out of unreality?
Should any community feed people with stuff that demeans what it means to be human?

If showing this stuff to teenagers, (and others) - is a sign of freedom.... I say, 'pah! keep your so-called "freedoms", off our nation's hard-won, culturally-noble ways of relating'. Get rid of Big Brothel.

Good on you, Bill. Great article! I can't understand what some people are griping about, claiming that `if you don't like it, turn it off' and claiming you are somehow trying to stop them watching their smut.

In this country, if people really want to watch smut, they can buy it from a sex shop or somewhere similar. There's also graphic pornography available in most newsagents.

If Big Brother were canned, all this other pornography would still be available.

What this debate about is whether or not our young people and children (who would not normally have legal access to pornography) should be exposed to this demeaning and trashy show. Are we to deny our children and young people the opportunity to have a happy and well-adjusted upbringing without exposure to sexual depravity, or are we going to sacrifice it so that some adults can get a few kicks and some big companies can make further excessive profits?

The sooner Big Brother is taken off the air, the better. In the meantime, I shall just keep on boycotting Channel 10 and all sponsors of the show such as 3 (Hutchinson), Masterfoods and Proctor Gamble and Pizza Hut.

I agree that the episode was unsavoury - which is just what I expect of that show anyway. So I don't watch. BB is one of the reasons I happily pay for Foxtel.

The chorus of demands for its banning is ridiculous though. The episode just gave government leaders the chance to play the righteous role and thus shore up favour with Family First and their cohorts -- as is their response to same-sex marriage. And all this is for is to take our minds off the real issues in the country.

"Censorship = Ignorance = Dictatorship

Posted by Kipp, Thursday, 6 July 2006 1:10:15 PM"

Commercial TV = profits = Big Brother

To claim that Big Brother helps overcome ignorance is a pretty big call, and to say that all censorship leads to ignorance and dictatorship is damned stupid.

So Kipp, are you saying that TV networks should be free to show commercials for phone-in sex lines and brothels during the Wiggles and Hi-5? Surely not showing them at that time is a form of censorship?

If someone was willing to pay for the commercial broadcasting time to promote child prostitution surely it would be wrong to censor that, according to your definition?

If I want to watch documentaries on commercial television during prime time that had images of people being killed or tortured, you would also think that is okay? Nothing wrong with children seeing that?

Or are you just against censorship when it seems to effect what you enjoy watching?

I originally said in a previous post nothing about censorship of BB, I just commented on making those whose puerile minds are fascinated by watching it pay for it up front. As far as I am concerned BB is just like a soap opera, and indeed there is no reason why it should not be allowed to go absolutely hard core, after all, that is what people are watching it for, isn't it? Just make people pay and we shall see who continues to watch it.