Censorship

I cried not because he singled that website out to block, but because of what blocking that particular website represented. Censorship. Censorship of the genre of writing that website represented. For the first time in my short 18 years, they deemed certain books inappropriate. That had never happened before. Ever.

     You see, it was an erotic literature website. A place for erotic authors to submit their work, have it read by the general public even if it was never published into a hardcopy. But then there was the one thing that made this website different from the other trash, the site actually publishes a book, a collection of short stories submitted by authors from the site. I am an erotic writer. I dreamed of submitting my stories and not only having the other members like my writing, but just maybe, if I was extremely lucky, having something published in the Literotica anthology.

     I waited until I was 18 to join the website and submit. I wanted everything to be perfectly legal. So, on my 18th birthday, December 28th, I joined, submitted three of my stories and waited for them to be approved. Four days later and they still have not been approved. I agreed to check back in the evening to see if they would have been approved by then. But of course, my meddling father logged onto the computer and, as an administrator, downloaded yet another anti-virus/web blocker. I couldn't even log into my yahoo mail! All the home pages for all the social websites like myspace were disarranged and wouldn't straighten out, and try as I might, I could not pull up the www.literotica.com website. I couldn't even hack into it.

     I am 18. I do not sneak out of the house anymore. I am not having wild sex on every weekend, or during the week. I am not a chain smoker. I am not an alcoholic, I only took two sips of the champagne Mom offered me to toast in the New Year. I do not get into trouble at school. I have never gotten into a fight on or off school grounds. I never yelled at, cussed out or threatened any of my teachers. I never once cussed out, hit or fought with any member of my family, other than Morgan, but we fogave each other for our transgressions that day.

     Yes. I have snuck out in the middle of the night. Yes. I did have wild sex every weekend for almost 7 months, and even on the week day, too, sometimes. I used to smoke. I used to drink all the damn time. I do have the world's worst temper and I can't stand stupid people and their s**t. Them being family doesn't change that fact.

     I am 18. Old enough to drive (though they do not allow me to even have my learners permit, old enough to legally buy cigarettes, old enough to get tattoos and/or piercings without parental consent, old enough to have a job, old enough to work in the porn industry, old enough to vote, old enough to die for my country. But I am not old enough to read the kind of stuff that I, myself, write?! What is this country coming to?

     America, the home of the free? The biggest lie fed to us from almost the beginning of our educations. But the truth is this. America, the home of the censored. Don't believe me? Take a closer look at the events or occurrences surrounding our government, even of the lives around you. They say we have the right of free speech. They lie.

Reviews

[Ron B]

Very well written and too much of it is true. Censorship and misinformation have threatened the Constitution for the past seven years but I believe better days are just around the corner. Keep writing.