Censorship is a very real thing. The topic is particularly relevant in regard to the recent “reemergence” of North Korea — the lovechild of the overzealous dictatorial state and world news outlets. We, in the Western world, worry primarily about the potential nuclear threats to our safety — a valid fear. But does one ever stop to wonder how, exactly, North Korea gained its current reputation?

Arguably, the many obvious problems in North Korea were largely caused by censorship. The government of The “Democratic” People’s Republic of Korea is also, conveniently, the only cable and radio provider — all television sets and radios purchased are only capable of receiving frequencies from government propaganda stations. Internet access is illegal entirely. However, in the free world, we seem to ignore the dangers of this censorship, instead suggesting it as a valid option among our peers.

Lawmakers deal in absolutes, and they likely always will. If something is perceived as immoral or improper to one person, said person will likely insist that the activity should not be allowed. We observe this particularly in regard to marriage rights, abortion rights, etc. Some of the biggest social wars we wage on our own home front are fought over varying perceptions morality.

Now, however, since the boom of the technological age, the war has shifted to television and the Internet, and what exactly users are allowed to see. If having your marriage license denied because of your sexual orientation wasn’t bad enough, now men and women want to tell you what you can enjoy on your own computer. Because some believe pornography to be inappropriate, they believe it should be outlawed in the homes of all. Not only have you suddenly lost control of your choices in a public setting but in a private one as well.

Somehow this is not totally outrageous to us. We, as a general populace, are very conscious of the problems in North Korea. We are aware of the censorship and the propaganda. We know all this, and we speak of North Korea as a fascist country. We note its government’s flaws and the awful treatment of its citizens. And then, whether through inaction or ignorance, we allow the small claws of censorship to pinch into our lives and homes.

Rather than simply letting man do as he pleases in his own space, we accept rules aimed to turn our “private space” into a bland cubicle of gray nothingness. Are we not our own beings? Are we not as deserving as the North Koreans of freedom in personal choice? Instead of focusing our efforts on pointing out the massive flaws of other societies, perhaps we should note our own flaws and actively try to fix them.

Jeri Cosgrove is a third-year English student with a concentration in creative writing.