Censorship of artists

When a dictator takes over a country, often the first to be killed are the intellectuals and artists (writers, artists, etc.). The reason for this is that they make people think, they express things that are sometimes taboo but need to be expressed. They are the social conscience, they comment on society and culture, they can delight us and shock us, make us question. This is dangerous for anyone who wants to keep people under strict control. Questioning, non-conformity, individuality are all things that don't do well under a dictatorship.

This leads me to my concern about the continuing censorship of our social commentators. In London, plays have been closed due to Muslim pressure, Jerry Springer the Opera has received violent critism and threats from Christians, and now most recently, an exhibition of one of India's greatest artists at has closed due to pressure of the Hindu Human Rights Organisation because some of his paintings depict the Hindu gods without clothes.

The pressure that religious groups are placing on artists and intellectuals to not be offensive defeats the purpose of artistic and intellectual endevour. Read this interesting article why religious groups should be expected to respect the law and the freedom of expression of artists like the rest of us.