Censorship on art: a STIFLING impact?

Slashdot covered a recent blog post claiming that censorship stifles artristry.

I disagree.

Although I am myself not an artist, I have professional experience with what I consider a very close analog: mandated development tools in an enterprise IT environment.

While no developer really likes being told what tools/languages to use, I have found that it is the younger and less-skilled that are most vocal. The more experienced programmers just expect such arbitrary restrictions, and the ensuing difficulties. The better programmers realize that most programming problems can be solved in almost any programming language. And both groups understand that the customer is always right.

How does this apply to art and censorship? Younger and less-capable artists whine and cry because they’re either unable to express themselves within censorship limits, or they’re accustomed to the unrealistic anything-goes environment of their art college and are balking at the real world of rules and restricted freedoms.

Childen growing up are constantly whining over the ever-increasing responsibilities thrust upon them as their abilities grow. I was quite disappointed to see the same whining in myself as I complained about the tools and coding standards being imposed upon me. While I haven’t quite grown past that phase of professional development, I at least am now aware of it and am working through it.

But my industry and training are of an engineering and problem-solving nature. I was able (evntually) to view the restrictions as a challenge to be solved. Art is a much more emotional and expressive industry. So I suspect that the artists are seeing this as a professional insult. I would not be surprised to find them complaining about any imposed restriction or limit, however sensible or low-impact.

I would encourage these artists to view these censorship rules as a challenge to be overcome, to help them grow professionally. I would also suggest that they learn to work within these new sensorship rules. In one form or another, whether imposed by goveremt of conservative corporate clients, this is the reality in which they will be expressing themselves. Crying about things you can’t change is totally non-productive, and makes you look like a child throwing a fit.