> I can understand the thinking that goes into censoring things considered "obscene," but the concept of censoring words like "shotgun" to reduce violence is not only just plain dumb, it's somewhat offensive. It presupposes that people are so utterly malleable that if they hear mention of the word "shotgun" they will go on wild killing sprees. I think that people in general are more intelligent, rational, and sensible than that.

It's not quite the same thing, but liquor laws in many states (including Indiana, which is what I have experience with) are based on ideas similar to this mentality that any exposure will corupt.

In Indiana, a waitress under 21 years of age can be encouraged to push alcohol to her customers. She can tell the bar that her customer has ordered a drink. But, she cannot carry that drink from the bar to the table. The only explination for this I have been able to come up with is that she will be overcome on the way to the table, and in a blind alcohol-induced fit of madness, drink all the alcohol available.

Instead, after encouraging her customers to order lots and lots of alcohol, she must convince an older co-worker to ignore whatever else they might be doing (such as waiting on other customers) to carry a stupid drink from the bar for her. Grrrrr.

Luisa