The Difference Between Censorship in the US and Russia

•is that in the US the censors are far more numerous

Western societies are the censorship capitals of the world where public figures who run amok the extremely narrow confines of publicly permitted speech are required to conduct elaborate rituals of verbal self-flagellation

Lisa Marie White

Sergei Dorenko calls this horizontal censorship. In “The Geometry of Censorship,” Mark Ames analyzes Dorenko’s “vertical” censorship, of which he accuses the Kremlin of employing, and compares it to the “horizontal” censorship of the West:

“This was contrasted to our “horizontal” censorship in the West: rather than coming from a tyrannical top-down force, our censorship is carried out horizontally, between colleagues and peers and “society”; through public pressure and peer pressure; through morality-policing; and from within oneself, one’s fears for one’s career, and fears one can’t necessarily articulate, fears that feel natural rather than imposed upon.

“Under vertical censorship, you know exactly who you fear, and therefore, who and what to avoid or sneak around and oppose.

But horizontal censorship feels like it comes from everyone and anyone, depriving the censored of martyrdom status.

Which makes our “horizontal” censorship in many ways more effective and powerful than the cruder Kremlin “vertical” approach to censorship—according to Dorenko’s theory.”

I highlighted the main point, full article here

http://russia-insider.com/en/censorship-us-and-russia/ri8968