Censorship

Ben Allison, Peter Huene, David Paroulek, Robert Rossman, and Mark Shapiro

German Response

There shall be no censorship (Article 5 - German Constitution).

These rights are limited by the provisions of the general lays, the provisions of law for the protection of you and by the right to inviolability of personal honor.

Freedom of teaching does not absolve from loyalty to the constitution.

This law would not have the same effect in Germany as it would in the United States.

Sexually explicit material is viewed differently in Germany.

The law would not effect the academic freedom in German school systems.

If a law that prohibits state employees from accessing sexually explicit material on the internet were proposed in Germany, it would not be opposed for the same reason as it may curtail academic freedom in the process. Prohibiting the employees to look at such material goes directly against the German Constitution since it says there will be no censorship. The example in the scenario about "denying teachers, librarians, and researchers the right to view material the stat has deemed to be inappropriate for juveniles is an insult to academic freedom and a dangerous precedent." One main point deals with the having to remove some paintings and works of literature from museum Internet sites. According to German laws, such paintings that contain nudity are not deemed unsuitable for the youth. Since the subjects of most popular works of art do not include acts of "inhumane sex" they are not classified as pornography. In the United States, we view all "sexually explicit material" as being pornography, this same law in Germany would take on a whole other meaning; only restricting the viewing to about one half or less of the material that the United States law would block. According to the German Constitution and it's definitions of "pornography" and what is "unsuitable for you", this law in Germany would in no way effect the academic freedom in school systems.

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