Recently SIUE put on a performance of the play "Quills" by Doug Wright. This play follows the final years of the life of the deviant Marquis who refused to abide by the rules of censorship established by the law. Instead, he used his talent of crafting words to tell sexually promiscuous tales. As a result, he spent a great deal of time in prison, eventually ending up in an insane asylum. There, he meets Madeleine LeClerc, a laundress, for whom he harbors legitimate and genuine feelings. His wife, Renee Pelagie, resents her husband for harming her status with his writing. Dr. Royer Collard wants to use whatever measures necessary to censor the Marquis, while Abbe de Coulmier is a man of God who does not want to fall to such cruelty.
Although "Quills"features historic characters, its message and topic are timely: Self-expression is, and should not be, met with censorship. However, often the measures taken to silence the expressors are more damaging than the expression itself. From football fields on the NFL to rocks at SIUE, oppressed groups are often rising up only to be shoved back down for speaking in the first place. Actions of hate directed towards a certain group are a different matter. Expressions intended to empower minorities do not harm individuals. Instead, they offer support to marginalized groups.
In addition to entire groups meeting the oppressing nature of censorship, expression of ideas is continuously bombarded with obstacles as well. From books to plays to movies, creators are forced to justify their choices before bringing anything debatable into the public sphere. Entire populations should not be protected from ideas. It should remain up to the individual. When Stephen Chbosky published "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," he was met with opposition and bans on his book for his exploitation of sexual themes and glorification of drug usage.
He brought up the point that you can tell your own child what they can and cannot read, but that does not mean you can tell everyone’s child what they can and cannot read. Censorship may protect one group or one person, but it may prohibit others from exposure to something that could revolutionize their world. Creating is an important way of documenting thoughts, historic events, and people. When it is censored, something timeless is lost.