A 'ban' is, generally, any
decree that
prohibits something.
Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some see this as a negative act (equating it to a form of
censorship or
discrimination) and others see it as maintaining the "''
status quo''". Bans in commerce are referred to as
embargos.
Banning marriages
A
marriage ban is used to prevent certain categories of people from marrying each other. For much of the 1800s and 1900s there were bans on marriage between people of different races (
interracial marriage). However, the ban on interracial marriage was taken up by the
Supreme Court of the United States in
1967 in the landmark
civil rights case
Loving vs. Virginia, in which the Court ruled
Virginia's
miscegenation law an
unconstitutional violation of the fundamental right to marriage. This should not be confused with
banns of marriage.
Banned persons under Apartheid
During the
Apartheid régime in
South Africa, the
National Party government issued banning orders to individuals seen to be threats to its power — often black politicians or organisations — and acted as suppression orders. Individuals banned by the government could not communicate with more than one person at any time unless at home (thus removing them from partaking in political activities), travel to areas without government approval, or leave the country.
Banning in games and Internet Forums
In internet forums and
MMORPGs, the host sometimes has the power to ban players who do not follow the rules.
Banning (sometimes called 'blocking') is commonplace in internet culture.
The
banhammer is a metaphorical tool used in many of these games.
See also
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Export restriction
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List of banned books
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List of banned films
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List of banned computer and video games
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Television ban