List: '5 reasons you shouldn't take your kids to the zoo...'

Today’s ‘List Friday’. In Australia at least, what used to be called censorship is now called a more polite (i.e. sanitised) word: classification. Within the National Classification Scheme, the process of classification’s undertaken by a Classification Board [1] – an independent statutory body that assigns films, computer games and publications to one of six classifications (pictured) [2]. If a Board classification’s challenged, the Board’s decision’s reviewed by – you’ve guessed it – the Classification Review Board [3]. All of which may be irrelevant because, I think, the National Classification Scheme doesn’t apply to non-game internet content. But hypothetically if it did, I’d be keen to see how the Board would classify today’s list. It’s titled ‘5 reasons you shouldn't take your kids to the zoo…’ [4]. Darling Emily sent it to me last Monday, in an email asking ‘A blog list perhaps?’ How could a father refuse his daughter? It is, by my reckoning, my first pictorial list. On one level it’s pretty funny; but on another level it’s just what animals do. We Homo sapiens animals have no claim whatever to the least skerrick of wisdom, judgement, or classification, in relation to what non Homo sapiens animals do. So why the list’s titled ‘5 reasons you shouldn't take your kids to the zoo…’ is totally beyond my ken.

P.S. Thanks, Em. xx

farmdoc's blog post number 274

It’s strange how once I get a thought in my mind, it somehow sticks there. For a while. Two days ago I wrote of censorship. Today I do it again. Seeing as censorship’s a recurring theme here, looking at a definition’s worthwhile. Here are some [1,2,3,4] which show it involves suppressing, excluding, restraining, inhibiting, and distorting. Thus it has negative, and pejorative, connotations. Twelve days ago, the Age apparently published an op-ed piece by Khalid Meshaal, the official leader of Hamas – which is on the Australian government’s list of terrorist organisations. Therefore should Meshaal be afforded space in a newspaper in a nation that lists Hamas as a terrorist organisation? Yuval Rotem, the Israeli ambassador to Australia, in a piece published last Friday, pointedly in the same newspaper, argues he shouldn’t. I'm less sure. Free speech is important – nay, paramount – in a vibrant, robust democracy. And media censorship, whether self-administered or imposed, clearly limits free speech. Because censorship is negative and pejorative, it’d be nice if it wasn’t needed. My inclination is that the Age was correct in publishing Meshaal's piece, so its readers can judge him for what he is and what he stands for. However this runs counter to my view that terrorists must be denied the media coverage they yearn for. In short, censorship's not an easy issue. And the closer you look, the harder it gets.

farmdoc's blog post number 272

As I’ve written, I’ve never taken kindly to authority figures. Therefore, naturally, I object to the pathetic attempt by the government of my country, to censor the internet. It plans to filter all Australian internet traffic, and blocking material it deems ‘inappropriate’. Under the plan, the government can add any ‘unwanted’ site to a secret blacklist. Testing has already begun on systems that’ll slow our internet by up to 87%, make it more expensive, miss the vast majority of inappropriate content, and accidentally block up to 1 in 12 legitimate sites. Due to these factors (especially the internet slowing), and because I have no respect for politicians and therefore their judgement vis-à-vis what is ‘inappropriate’, I’ve joined the nearly 100,000 Australians who’ve signed GetUp!’s online petition. You can too, if you wish (see below). Talking of censorship, last week Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to prohibit Arab political parties running in the 10 February national election. I can understand why many Israelis are increasingly suspicious about the loyalties of Israeli Arabs. But to me, anything less than full democracy is no democracy. So I'm pleased Israel’s Supreme Court is likely to overturn the decision. Because it’s critical that Israel maintains her vast moral superiority over her enemies. Incidentally, I've learned all this via my internet connection. Which is fast. Until now, anyway.