Writer Explaining Censorship and Free Speech

 

This is a new category on the Magnum Arts blog dedicated to cultural and artistic freedom.

Phillip Pullman is an English author who wrote a book called The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, a controversial title, to say the least. At a book signing he is asked about the potential offensive nature of the title, and his response is brilliant, and captures what a lot of people in society may not want to hear:

"It was a shocking thing to say and I knew it was a shocking thing to say. But no one has the right to live without being shocked. No one has the right to spend their life without being offended. Nobody has to read this book. Nobody has to pick it up. Nobody has to open it. And if you open it and read it, you don't have to like it. And if you read it and you dislike it, you don't have to remain silent about it. You can write to me, you can complain about it, you can write to the publisher, you can write to the papers, you can write your own book. You can do all those things, but there your rights stop. No one has the right to stop me writing this book. No one has the right to stop it being published, or bought, or sold or read. That's all I have to say on that subject." source: BoingBoing

Check out the video of his response below. All I have to say is AMEN.