5 ms·

You basically describe Soviet "obkoms". The commitee of people who decided what is ok to say/sing/write, and what is not. Needless to say, they became corrupt

• TuringTest 6y ago
  > You basically describe Soviet "obkoms". Not really. That would assume that the only existing channels are official channels. My description works as well for self-organised, distributed, unofficial channels.
• j-c-hewitt 6y ago
  Having an obkom would be helpful -- it's really hard to tell what you are allowed to say. It'd be nice also to have a grace period so there is some fair warning when certain ideas or words will become banned. Orderly authoritarianism is preferable to random, chaotic outbursts of censorious violence. But even just an official obkom rather than unofficial 'volunteer' versions of it would really reduce confusion here. The Saudi Arabian religious police enforcing public edicts are preferable to ISIS pulling you out of a truck, giving you a theology pop quiz, and then shooting you when you get some answers wrong. The Anglican sacramental Test Act is preferable to a fake regime of toleration.