Some foreign countries censor or ban the television show, Game of Thrones, because of the intense violence and sex and they fear it will incite...

First, we have to realize that we do not have any facts that directly support the idea that countries should not ban or censor Game of Thrones.  There are no studies that look at whether viewing violence and/or sex on TV makes people more likely to rebel against their government.  Therefore, we will have to try to approach this question in a more roundabout way.

We also have to admit that psychological research shows that there is some reason to think that it is bad for people to watch violent acts in the media.  While there is no reason to think that every person who watches a violent show will go out and engage in violence, there seems to be a clear connection between viewing fictional violence and actually being violent in the real world.  Studies have found that people who watch more violent TV are more likely to act aggressively in real life and they are less likely to be concerned and disturbed when they see violence.  From that perspective, then, it may be that countries like China are justified in censoring the show.

So how can we argue that countries should not censor this show?  The easiest way is by saying that freedom of speech and expression are very important things.  We can say that all human beings have the right to say what they want to say (“saying” things can include making TV shows as both are types of communication).  We can say that the corollary of this is that people also have the right to listen/watch whatever they want to watch.  The idea of freedom of expression is important enough that it is enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.   If a country takes this right away from its people, it is denying them one of their basic human rights.

This is, in my mind, a very important argument.  However, it is not one that can be backed up by actual facts.  There is no way to factually prove that all human beings have the right to freedom of speech and expression.  We can assert that this is so and we can point to philosophers like John Locke who have said that it is so, but this does not constitute factual proof.

The strongest factual argument I can think of for this is that countries actually make rebellion more likely if they infringe upon things like their citizens’ rights to freedom of speech.  In recent history, we can see that countries with oppressive regimes are much more likely to suffer from rebellions than open, democratic countries.  We can see, for instance, rebellions like those of the “Arab Spring” that targeted autocratic and undemocratic rulers.  We saw rebellions of sorts against communist governments at the end of the Cold War.  We do not, by contrast, see rebellions in places like the United States or France where governments guarantee their citizens’ personal rights. 

This is a strong argument because it appeals to the self-interest of the governments of the countries you mention.  This argument does not rely on their sense of morality.  Instead, it relies on their desire to avoid trouble. 

So, I would answer this question by saying that censoring violent shows like Game of Thrones might decrease the likelihood of individual acts of violence.  However, it will also increase the likelihood of outright rebellion against the government because oppressive governments are much more likely to face rebellion than open, democratic governments are.