Campaign to honor Ray Bradbury via HTTP error

[Jason]

This is great, a campaign to honor Ray Bradbury with an HTTP error code...451, of course, when trying to access censored content:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...

[Ulmer Ian]

According to Bradbury, 451 was about TV watching going out of control not about censorship. So instead of a inspired book about the threat of government censorship it was really a big "get off my lawn!" Thank goodness you don't have to enjoy books how the author wants you to enjoy them.

That said the idea of using 451 as a censorship error code makes some sense. The idea that we have censorship error codes is scary though. Government Internet censorship should look like China - it's a bit sneaky. It sits a bit outside the rule of law. For sure the great Chinese firewall isn't going to implement special error codes.

But now Britain is implementing censorship. It's disgusting. I hope this error code is not approved, it's just another step to normalize the actions of Britain.

[Rasnac]

Ian wrote: "According to Bradbury, 451 was about TV watching going out of control not about censorship. So instead of a inspired book about the threat of government censorship it was really a big "get off my l..."

I must respectfully disagree. It is not about Tv vs. Books or any other thing. It is about alienation of individual by modern media and how it creates a lack of empathy. It is a criticism of modern consumerist society. He clearly says in his prologue of the latest edition of 451 that any true work of art that bring people together and create empathy and understanding between individuals, whether it be a movie, a theatre play or a TV series, is very precious. It is about the content of the fiction, not the medium. (Of course, he put it much better than me, but I couldn't find the exact quote)

[Ulmer Ian]

well either way, it's not about censorship according to Bradbury. Some of his other comments he has made would lead you to think that he did have an opinion on the medium:
“Yahoo called me eight weeks ago,” he said, voice rising. “They wanted to put a book of mine on Yahoo! You know what I told them? ‘To hell with you. To hell with you and to hell with the Internet.’
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/us/...
(as quoted in many of the articles about this error code idea)

[Nathan]

To the points raised above, the idea seems less like honoring the man and more like honoring our idea of him, the image of him we have in our heads.

I hate to use the word "vanity" for something worthy, if a little naive, like this, but that is exactly what it is.

[Kevin]

Nathan wrote: "To the points raised above, the idea seems less like honoring the man and more like honoring our idea of him, the image of him we have in our heads.

I hate to use the word "vanity" for something ..."

That's always the case with public and/or historical figures. You never honor the actual person, only the idea of the person. From Abraham Lincoln to Kurt Cobain. It's the legend, the idolisation of the single idea of what people find he represents for them that they 'worship'.

[Joe Informatico]

Bradbury was a champion of public libraries his entire life, so he will always have my unending professional and personal gratitude and respect.

But having just read The Martian Chronicles, the "Usher II" chapter is full of allusions and references to Fahrenheit 451 or its earlier forms "Bright Phoenix/The Fireman". And if that chapter isn't about censorship--by the "Moral Climates" bureau, no less--I'll eat a book.

[Rasnac]

Joe wrote: "Bradbury was a champion of public libraries his entire life, so he will always have my unending professional and personal gratitude and respect.

But having just read The Martian Chronicles, the "U..."

I second that. People to oversimplify his views and subtexts. Fahrenheit 451, of course, is about censorship. There are people burning books in that book, for God's sake. It just is not only about censorship; there are also many other themes and criticism of post-modern society, which is mentioned earlier. That is what he's trying to say in those interviews. He just did not want people to only focus on censorship and miss his subtler and deeper subtexts. That does not mean censorship is not a central theme.