Book Burnings: Yes they Still Exist and These People Dictate What You Read
Do you avoid letting your kids read certain books? I keep seeing kudos given to parents who allow their kids to read certain authors and topics when they were younger, and honestly it confounds me. It’s not a huge secret that I love to read, and it’s one of my favorite things. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a small kid, and while sure there were are few times where people found my choice of reading material questionable, it was never a ‘thing’ in my house (or anywhere else). I was given free rein of whatever I wanted to read, be it philosophy or horror or a million other topics in between.
Book rage is something that has always bothered me, when parents call for a book banning on anything in a school library I question them. Books aren’t dangerous, the ideas inside a good tale can transform the way you look at things yes- but not in any harmful way.
They can give you a new perspective, and to be honest I do wonder what is wrong with anyone who chooses to protest a book. Considering most books are pre-screened in some form or another, it’s highly unlikely that a middle-school library will be carrying the Kama Sutra, the books there that have been protested have more adult themes but adult themes doesn’t translate into porn, or anything else that will ‘corrupt the youth’.
Book burnings are still real, and the absolute ridiculous nature of these weak minded people are really something on their very own.
Think that was just an enraged blogger? Nope, here’s a quote (bolding mine):
The four plaintiffs — who describe themselves as “elderly” in their complaint — claim their “mental and emotional well-being was damaged by [the] book at the library.”
(Source)
The book that destroyed their psyche? The terror that threw the wrench in their mental health?
They are suing over this book here, and while I really wish this was a joke (what with psyches that fragile and all) it’s not.
The call for burning the book showed his passion, Braun, 74, said. “I don’t sit on the fence when I do these things. When I make a decision to speak up on something, I go for it.” [ed note: Translation; when I crazy: I go all the way crazy]
Continued:
The claim, unconnected to the Maziarkas, says the book “Baby Be-bop” — a fictional piece about a homosexual teenager — is “explicitly vulgar, racial and anti-Christian.”
(Source)
Due to my own love of reading, and me encouraging that with my own child, it really is unfathomable to me that book banning and things as completely ridiculous as book burnings really still exist. You can easily find a list of banned books out there, and heck here’s the latest list for your enjoyment (.PDF file). Or even a few other years of book bannings.Image via Wikipedia
