By Anthony Jauregui
Senior Staff Writer

In today’s society we are faced with a myriad of strict guidelines imposed by the government and caused by the ignorance and lack of open-mindedness from different people.
We are constantly plagued with rules that are put into place to protect people from getting “butt hurt” which eventually leads to the constriction of expression in society. In other words, people cannot fully express their love for something without offending anyone.
Recently, a play entitled “Deathtrap” was shown at a theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah. The play is about two murderers and to spice up the plot with a twist, the director included a homosexual kiss between two men. One parent was extremely dissatisfied with the play or rather the kiss.
According to Cavan Sieczkowski of The Huffington Post, “The unnamed woman wrote an angry letter complaining to Chris Lino, the managing director of the Pioneer Theatre Company on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, after she and her son attended a recent performance of ‘Deathtrap.’ She apparently thought Lino’s playbill should have provided a content advisory about the same sex kiss.”
People find something to complain about in every nook and cranny of content. With the title being “Deathtrap”, I can see how the woman expected to walk into a tear-jerking wholesome comedy. I’ve heard misleading titles to plays, but “Deathtrap” is pretty self-explanatory. Rather than focusing on the fact that the play is entitled “Deathtrap” the woman focused on the innocuous plot enhancing twist. Nonetheless, the theatre company responded with the fact that there are far worse and more violent plays in existence such as Romeo and Juliet.
At California State University, Bakersfield there is an opportunity to submit to “Orpheus”, an annual literary journal produced by our school. Any creative work is welcomed, but, use of profanity must be crucial in understanding the work. If I am writing creatively, I shouldn’t be held down and forced to withhold my language. If I want to use profanity to further the tone of my work, I should be able to. I can’t write a script for a play without feeling guilty for including a four letter word rhyming with duck and sit.
As a society we should not feel guilty about expressing ourselves. I want to live in a world where I shouldn’t have to censor myself just because someone doesn’t like what they may see. And this idea goes beyond the spectrum of art, it includes every day conversation. I shouldn’t have to limit my language and ideals just because someone may get offended.
I suggest everyone realize we live don’t live in 1940. Times have changed and we should embrace tolerance in movies, ideals, and every day conversation. Let us not forget we live in a country that promotes freedom of speech. And if I want to use four letter words or have homosexual kissing in my play to enhance the plot, so be it. Get off your high horse, this is the 21 century.