Censorship

This week I received a notice from Picasa web albums that I was in breach of their policy. What did I do wrong? I posted a collection of pictures that I had collected from the web. The pictures were mostly paintings of naked females but there were also pictures of Japanese and Indian art showing copulation. These paintings could not be considered erotica by today's standards.
And yet, I had inadvertently managed to offend somebody. Whether that somebody was an employee of Google (Picasa being one of the many free products offered by Google) or whether somebody had actually bothered to look at my web album I cannot say.
Censorship is indeed still alive and very much part of our liberal and free culture. Let's not forget that fact.
This week I also watched and interesting documentary titled Secret Museums.
The fact that the Vatican holds one of the largest collection of erotica is just one of many intriguing thoughts raised by this documentary.
I have to wonder about the mindset of the custodians of these secret museums. Obviously they feel compelled to safeguard these collections of erotica rather than destroy them. I can just imagine the difference in the Muslim mindset of the possibility of encountering such works of erotica. The Muslims wouldn't have any qualms in destroying whatever they found.

The fact that these secret museums are hidden from the public eye begs the question of what possible purpose do they serve?

Those people who are in power and who have access to such historical erotica do not feel threatened by the material in question. If they did at any time feel threatened then surely they would have directed that such material be destroyed.
So, people in power or of privelidged position must feel superior to the ordinary folk. They are aware of the existence of erotica, and no doubt have examined it and were not harmed or disturbed by viewing it. Yet, there is the unquestioning need to protect society.

In the same way that the administrators of Picasa web albums feel the need to protect the unwary public of any images of copulation no matter how much merit they may have as art.
The irony is that anybody who has the inclination can find enough pornography on the net to satisfy their curiosity many times over. In fact there is an endless stream of material that explores every possible and even every unimaginable pervesity that the human mind can conceive.

And here's an afterthought, who would have imagined that attractive women, well dressed and participating in food fight would be erotic? Anybody interested in viewing this stuff? Just send me a note.