With heat rising from the recent controversy of the spicy posters put up by the Cal Poly Salsa Club, censorship has once again forced itself into the limelight.
The huge uproar thus far stands on the side against censoring the posters due to a fair right to view whatever we want, which is granted in the First Amendment. Now with that said, let us discuss the issue at hand. Some of the Cal Poly faculty so callously demonstrated in their censoring of our right, and for some, a need for free speech.
Regardless of the fact that our campus is conservative for a public university, did the faculty really think that college students would stand for a sticker covering one side of one breast of an attractive woman? I don’t think so.
The argument from CPSalsa is that the posters are to promote the picante nature of salsa dancing. Now I don’t raise the ethical dilemma of using sex to promote anything, but nevertheless, CPSalsa is getting more advertising due to the controversy than most clubs get all year. After all, there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Despite my personal thoughts on the nature of the posters, (yes Charlie Roberts is attractive), I do not agree with any type of censorship concerning this issue. That is not say that we should vibrantly flaunt our nakedness everywhere all the time. I argue that censoring our right to free speech is ignorant, and should not be tolerated in most instances. Being a journalist, I have discussed the ethical dilemma concerning the public’s need-to-know versus a want-to-know. Personally, I do not want anyone to tell me what I can or cannot see despite if I agree with the content or not.
As mentioned above, all that was “shown” was one side of one breast. A person can see much more than that just walking to class on a warm day, as mentioned in a recent letter to the editor. I wholeheartedly agree with this observation, but would like to take it one step further. If the faculty is appalled by sexuality that much, why don’t they take their big censor stickers and cover the girls who wear short, frilly skirts and Ugg boots, who offend me more than a silly poster does.
Censorship is a state of ignorance used as a tool to “shield” our otherwise virgin eyes from the cruel world in which we live. Teach your own kids what is right and wrong, and leave the oogling of attractive girls to the fraternity boys.
Nick Coury is a journalism senior and a Mustang Daily staff writer.