If it is meant to sound real and incite fear and panic, like yelling "FIRE" in a theater, then it's wrong.
Not necessarily. My grandfather was one of those people who sat out on his porch with a loaded rifle to fend off the Martians the night Orson Welles made his historical radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.
These high school kids are no different than Welles. If they are censored for what they write, then we may find ourselves in a totalitarian society where writing is altogether banned, like the movie Fahrenheit 451.
So where does one draw the line? Encouragement to hate and kill? Surely, in today's modern society no one but the most bigoted individuals want to read literary tidbits about killing black people. But, wait a minute! That priest and pedophile Geoghan was killed in prison a couple of days ago. I didn't hear much public outcry about that. Now, hold on! What about stories encouraging the annihilation of Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network? Doesn't that count as encouragement to hate and kill? So, where does one draw the line?
My opinion? As long as we continue to live in a society where we can selectively decide who the "good guys" and who the "bad guys" are in kangaroo courts, then the issue of censorship is moot, because it is already in place. We are being told who to hate. Example: Hate the child who steals his father's gun and blows away his fellow students. OK to hate this murderer, right? Pity the poor innocent children who were killed by the gunfire, right? Let's look for a second at the killer. He was a victim of continuous bullying and teasing throughout his school years, sometimes viciously. His taunters? The "poor innocents" he blew away? Did he have a right to kill them? No. What were his alternatives, however? Suicide? Happens all too often. Therapy? A healthier choice, but does nothing to stop the cruelty of the bullies. We are taught to hate these teenaged murderers. By doing so, without knowing all the facts, we are in effect sending a message to the next generation that it is all right to bully others, because not only will you come out looking like a hero, but you may even become a martyr!
It all starts out with a cry for help which remains unheard, because it was censored by an insensitive, controlling society.
