This is exactly what the whole row over the Chinese government "banning puns" was about. The Daily Show did a pretty funny segment on it[1] but they sort of missed the point because something was lost in translation. The ban on puns is a ban on using puns / homophones to dodge keyword censorship in the media and online.

[1]http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/g4fquh/a-measured-discussi...