Why are so many of the books that were required reading when i was young banned now? I know, they may not be politically correct, but hey, that is the beauty of books, they say how things are, not how we pretend they are. Why do ultraconservative fanatics always have to get involved? Why do they want our children to see Mark Twain as an evil man and never read Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer? Do they want us to have a Nazi Book Burning day? Thoughts on this?
2006-10-16 06:44:46 · 11 answers · asked by Jon C 6 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Banning books is an attempt of a vocal minority to impose their will on the silent majority. It's a power game.
"I don't want MY child to read this, so your child can't either."
The funny thing is every struggling author out there would like to write a banned book because it would increase their sales. Who would have noticed The Satanic Verses if the Islamic world hadn't denounced it and put a price on Rushdie's head?
Yes, even I am contemplating which of my various plots are most likely to get banned. Maybe if I suggest Noah was trying to save a zoo....
2006-10-16 08:49:52 · answer #1 · answered by loryntoo 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Those books have not been banned in my sons school. I do have to sign a consent for him to read Harry potter or Narnia (and others) but they are not banned yet.
How do I feel about it? I feel it's a huge injustice. Some of the books I read when I was a kid made me absolutely love to read. We had a teacher who read us the hobbit in 4th grade after Math everyday until she was done with the book. We would put our heads on our desk and relax and just listen to the story. It was a great part of my education. It made me an avide reader today.
I think political correctness in this country has gotten majorly out of hand. Tom Sawyer is not a bad book nor does it have any bad lessons to teach us. He was a good friend and put his life on the line to save someone who know one else cared about because it was the right thing to do. Our kids need those lessons.
2006-10-16 06:59:34 · answer #2 · answered by hisgirl 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Single minded people. Mainly parents, and this isn't a stereotypical statement, that are very religious. It makes me angry when someone makes a judgment of a book without even reading it. At my library we have a family where the mother will not let her children read or watch Harry Potter. One day while they were in they had an argument about reading it then he went and picked out a adult science fiction book with a man with a dead dragon and people on the cover and she let him check it out. But oh no not little boy wizard Harry Potter.
By the way Where's Waldo was on the list this year.
2006-10-16 08:01:31 · answer #3 · answered by jgirl_meow 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes.My thoughts on this are: Why are you blaming only the ultraconservative fanatics? The political correctness banning comes from the left. There is, however, a great desire on the right to ban other things, like teaching evolution a science that is separate from religious cosmological explanations. Those misguided souls on the left who want to ban Twain or other authors who use "offensive" language had better learn that when you try to offend no one, ultimately you'll offend everyone.
2006-10-16 06:54:09 · answer #4 · answered by Rico Toasterman JPA 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I work in a library, and this month is "National Banned Books Month"...or is it week? Anyway, I hate it when they ban books... but then, whenever they ban a book, they just make it more popular.
There are some books where I can "understand" why they banned it, such as racially offensive language... but some books I'm thinking, "Why?!" If they went by these standards, the Bible should be banned as well!
So here's my thought:
Some books are "bad," but banning them is worse!
2006-10-16 06:57:17 · answer #5 · answered by willow oak 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
maximum banned books are banned because they offend the now and again puritanical perspectives of the repressed yet very vocal minority. i opt to snigger and cry when I see books like Harry Potter on ban lists because "they take care of witchcraft". provide me a damage. They prepare solid classes, and are not some anti-christian dogma.
2016-12-04 21:39:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My thoughts are that it is totally wrong for these people to feel they have the right to keep others from reading books that for some reason or another they don't want to read themselves. If they don't want to read them, fine, but they have no right to prevent other people from reading these books.
2006-10-16 06:54:29 · answer #7 · answered by BlueManticore 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Censorship is an ugly word!!! our minds are being policed by people who profess to know better than us, What happened to the freedom of speech and persuit of happiness. Yes there are some ugly things out there but pretending they don't excist doesn't make them go away, it robs us of the tolls to deal with it!!!
2006-10-16 07:30:52 · answer #8 · answered by Shiv 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, this is bad. I say just leave them in the school library, don't make them read it but let them do it for a book report if they want to. Decent compromise, no?
2006-10-16 08:33:36 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Banning Books is stupid and makes no sense... I mean why ban Harry Potter of To Kill a Mockingbird (yes it was 'banned')
2006-10-16 14:47:21 · answer #10 · answered by care 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋