(no subject)

[leia131]

Please don't ask why, at 1:30am, I am 1. Awake and 2. Reading lists of banned books, but I am.

Books get banned from schools because they "promote" something (sex, violence, drugs, drinking, profanity, homosexuality, murder, suicide, rape, racism, withcraft, the occult, political dissent, evolution, disobedience, religion contrary to the predominant religion of the area, etc.) that some parent/group of parents doesn't wan their precious child to read. As if keeping it away from them in literary form is going to make it go away in real life.

And this goes back to what I was saying last post about Disney movies: kids are not stupid. Let me say that again: kids are not stupid. It's ok to challenge them with big words and concepts. They're going to learn this stuff, and probably sooner than you expect. You can't shelter your child from everything, forever. To a certain extent, yes. I'm not advocating letting 3rd graders read 1984 or anything (though I doubt they'd understand it. I read it in 12th grade and didn't fully understand it. Mostly because of what I know about Russian history and politics. Which is nothing.) but some of the things that have been banned are just ridiculous. They were on the case of Shel Silverstein and James and the Giant Peach. Come on. It's ludicrous.

Anyways, my point at the end of this rambling is that when they present me with a list of books that have been banned, I want to read every single one of them. Both to defy the stupid people, and to find out what makes them so bad. Maybe it's just me, but I doubt it. I bet that feeling happens a lot. And it's ironic and makes me happy.




P.S. Where were these people when I was in middle and high school? The Outsiders, Flowers for Algernon, Animal Farm, Great Expectations, Romeo and Juliet, The Iliad, the Odyssey, Lord of the Flies, Antigone, Julius Ceasar, A Farewell to Arms, A  Tale of Two Cities, A Separate Peace, The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, Othello, Macbeth, The Canterbury Tales, Brave New World, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, Their Eyes Were Watching God, every single one of those books/plays has at least on of the objectionable things in it. Most have several. (And couldn't someone PLEASE object to Great Expectations so we can stop forcing kids to suffer through that book?) If I hadn't read any of them, I'd never have had an English class. Oh no, I tell a lie. I could still have read Pride and Prejudice. Oh joy.

Comments

[bunyipflip.livejournal.com]

The sad fact of reality is that in today's "everybody wins" world you just need one asshole to dissent to fuck everyone over. It's like the kid in class who was the only one who never got the permission slip signed, so nobody gets to go to the zoo. Oh, it happens. And everyone hates that kid, but we suffer for their needs because that's what our society holds valuable.

Does nobody remember Captain Kirk saying, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?" Of course, it's up for debate who those needs are, but in this case, personally, it's the need to read whatever the hell they damn well please.

[btwnluvnhate.livejournal.com]

it's crazy what books have been banned. or what in general has been banned from the general public.
I did a report on censorship recently, and frequently came across books that have been banned.

[puckingright23.livejournal.com]

My favorite is that every book Judy Bloom eve wrote is banned because they show that middle schoolers are mean to each other. The point is to show the consequences of this, but instead it is presented like it is some dirty secret. Kids being mean to each other, never! It makes me angry the things people feel kids need to be protected from, namely the truth.

[whatsername99.livejournal.com]

I know that South Park said that only 25% of Americans are retarded, but I'm pretty sure it's a lot more.

[basslyoon.livejournal.com]

I agree as far as banning books goes, I mean people write this stuff for a reason, and I'm sure almost every book ever has an influence to make and it should be made, however, it's up to these kids parents to make sure they get the right materials, and educate their children to make sure they know right from wrong. Blaming books is just shirking responsibility, and I can't stand that.

I agree about some of the Disney stuff, as far as big words and concepts, they seem to be replaced nowadays by thinly vieled innuendo for the adults. Although, some new movies are scary...as in, I know the kids will love it, but it scares the crap out of me. Monster House? Terrified me...seriously.

Ok, I'm done.