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Editor:
I am having a moral debate with myself at the moment. I was sitting waiting for a computer at the library when I noticed some "strange" activity going on at one of the computers. A guy was sitting there breathing kind of funny and squirming in his chair. I consider this very weird behavior. So I glanced up from the book I was reading and glanced at his screen. It was then that I figured out the strange behavior. He was looking at some photographs on some "adult" sites on the Internet. I'm not one to be embarrassed easily, but I was completely grossed out.
Well, I was wondering if the library, a completely public place, where ANYONE can come in and use a computer, had any "rules" on public masturbation and use of the computers to facilitate it. So I went and asked the librarian on duty at the time and she looked at me for a while, as if what am I supposed to do about it and then she informed me, "we do not censor any material in the library." Well good for them. I think censorship is a slippery slope and once people start making value judgments on other people's morals it can be a lot larger than a couple of books and some television lines.
But just how far can I go along with this argument. I mean I had to use this guy's computer after he was finished. Then it occurred to me that anyone can come in and use this computer (by anyone I include several little children that were running around). Do I just say, "Hey, it's his right to look up whatever he wants and get over it?" therefore supporting the right to free information without fear of censorship; or do I allow someone else to propose their ideas of censorship and hope for the best?
Right now there are NO restrictions on what can be viewed on the World Wide Web, and I don't have a problem with that. What I have the problem with is the ability to view extremely graphic pornography in a public forum without any restrictions on who else can view along. View the pornography in the privacy of your own homes, if you feel the need to view it. If you're an adult, go ahead and buy it. Watch a movie or something. But I was just an innocent bystander who happened to want to use a computer and frankly, it ruined my whole night.
Linda J. Jeffries
psychology sophomore
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