Censorship? I think not.

Has censorship ever done this world any good? Maybe the initial reason to censor is good. The Americans, for example, probably banned SH11 to maintain the positive morale of their people during the Vietnam war. Nonetheless, censorship has almost always led to problems. What begins as a good intention can quickly be manipulated by the people in charge. Take China, for instance. It may be for the country's sake, but its media and internet censorship has stirred a whole vat of problems concerning freedom of speeches and human rights. This brings me to my second point.

Another reason to reconsider censoring objectionable materials is that people should have the right to voice their thoughts, no matter how controversial or perverse they may be. Censoring is no solution. It`d be better if people could evaluate diverse opinions, and then come to a conclusion by themselves whether each opinion is right or wrong. Censoring only breeds ignorance, as people become unaware of new ideas and become too narrow-sighted.

SH5 definitely poses the risk of offending people. It presents a very pessimistic, degrading, if not slightly scornful, view on Americans. I don`t think, however, that people should ban it for that reason. People should be allowed to read his novel, contemplate why he writes so negatively on Americans, and then make their own judgment from there. Even if one does find Vonnegut`s book to be offensive, he or she should still have the integrity to respect Vonnegut`s stance, even though he or she may disagree with it.

If censorship existed, where would we be? The Nazis censored the true nature of the Jewish massacre in WW2 from their own German people. China, to this day, still filters online results of the Tienanmen Massacre from its people. So don`t suppress truth or ideas. Offensive or not, it is still good to let people reflect on controversial materials, such as SH5. Let the world think.