Taken to an extreme, freedom of speech can be a breach of people's own privacy. For example if swearing were permitted in school on the basis that children are expressing their freedom of speech, then some parents would be outraged that their children were being exposed to it.
Likewise when you see porn on the shelves with the covers err... covered. That's because people acknowledge that while some people want to buy them, not everybody wants to see ladies' breasts as they look for their weekly fishing magazine while their little kids are buying comics.
So I agree some degree of censorship is logical and reasonable.
I also definitely agree it can, and has in many cases, gone too far.
I think a very striking example of this was recently on a radio discussion. It concerned the police stopping people with offensive T-Shirts in a shopping centre and asking them not to wear them.
Some people thought this was ridiculous and blatant nanny-state stuff. Others thought it was quite right people should not be able to blatantly express extreme views, jokes that are probably considered bad taste, and other potentially offensive material in a public area.
Even on the one issue of T-Shirts, I wouldn't be sure where to draw a line. I don't want to spoil anyones fun, but on the other hand I don't want my kids asking me what all these mean (
warning, may offend some):
Click here Click here Click here
I am sure there are worse, I found those with one very quick google in about 2 minutes. I'm no prude, but there is a time and place for that sort of issue with children, and in the middle of a busy shopping centre at a randomly chosen age is not the time. I also appreciate that many adults don't really want to see that sort of thing, some may be upsetting to them.
I have no innate problem with joke or offensive T-Shirts - but they should be worn in places where people can make their own mind up about whether they are funny/offensive/whatever e.g. nightclubs, pubs late at night, rock concerts, etc. Where those people you are exposing to your particular brand of humour are most likely of a type who can choose to ignore, laugh, punch you or whatever. Not on the high street at 1pm, with little children and old grannies alike being exposed to them without any consent at all.
To summarise, I think censorship has its place. I want to see certain things censored in certain circumstances. But I also agree sometimes, maybe very often, it goes too far.