Postless perhaps but angry still. An eventful few months have passed since last I wrote anything, though to speak of certain events is tantamount to treason so perhaps I’ll just complain about something obscure for now.
Jokes. They’re supposed to make people laugh. To lighten moods and turn frowns upside down or whatever. Sure, they can often be crude, risque, stupid, pointless, racist, mean or just shit, but should they be illegal? Because here in the sunny, free, gloriously democratic and wonderfully self-referential Kingdom of Bahrain, they practically are. Type ‘jokes’ into google. The majority of the first several pages of returns all transport us magically to the site blocked screen of doom.
Why? Because by protecting our children and children's children from the vagaries of humour we can build a better, more serious Bahrain. Obviously. A more serious Bahrain is a more productive Bahrain. A more devout Bahrain. A better Bahrain. Probably.
By casually dismissing censorship we’ve allowed it to run rampant. First the subjectively offensive was deemed blockworthy. Then the ridiculously obscure was put in an idiotic cage. Opinion is and will continue to be illegal. Translating stuff is still somehow wrong, for some reason far to imbecilic to comprehend. Nothing is safe because of the argument that nothing is safe. And so the vicious cycle of censorship will continue, plodding along pointlessly under the guise of protecting our populace from the evils of porn, politics and prognostication.
Anyway... we all know censorship is bad and if you disagree your opinion matters about as much as mouldy cheese as far as I am concerned. But be warned... next time you tell a joke, or you hear a joke, or even dare to think about a joke, remember.. that shit is illegal. There’s probably a secret undercover humour cop lurking about nearby, ready to pounce at the first hint of laughter. What’s ironic is that making jokes illegal, whatever the reasoning may be, is utterly hilarious.
More soon. Hopefully.
Jokes. They’re supposed to make people laugh. To lighten moods and turn frowns upside down or whatever. Sure, they can often be crude, risque, stupid, pointless, racist, mean or just shit, but should they be illegal? Because here in the sunny, free, gloriously democratic and wonderfully self-referential Kingdom of Bahrain, they practically are. Type ‘jokes’ into google. The majority of the first several pages of returns all transport us magically to the site blocked screen of doom.
Why? Because by protecting our children and children's children from the vagaries of humour we can build a better, more serious Bahrain. Obviously. A more serious Bahrain is a more productive Bahrain. A more devout Bahrain. A better Bahrain. Probably.
By casually dismissing censorship we’ve allowed it to run rampant. First the subjectively offensive was deemed blockworthy. Then the ridiculously obscure was put in an idiotic cage. Opinion is and will continue to be illegal. Translating stuff is still somehow wrong, for some reason far to imbecilic to comprehend. Nothing is safe because of the argument that nothing is safe. And so the vicious cycle of censorship will continue, plodding along pointlessly under the guise of protecting our populace from the evils of porn, politics and prognostication.
Anyway... we all know censorship is bad and if you disagree your opinion matters about as much as mouldy cheese as far as I am concerned. But be warned... next time you tell a joke, or you hear a joke, or even dare to think about a joke, remember.. that shit is illegal. There’s probably a secret undercover humour cop lurking about nearby, ready to pounce at the first hint of laughter. What’s ironic is that making jokes illegal, whatever the reasoning may be, is utterly hilarious.
More soon. Hopefully.
