I wanted to start this blog by saying schools banning book is completely ridiculous! Maybe the school hasn’t heard but there is a new thing out there called the internet. So, even if the school has a very good reason (although I can’t think of any) to ban a book, the student who wants to read it can turn use their smart phone to find the book in a matter of seconds. Oh and by the way, since they are banning books, they should ban the internet. Actually, if they are going to ban the internet they really should start with TV since their is much worse content on many prime time TV shows than there is in a dictionary. Anyone who has watched a prime time TV show (The Office, Parks and Rec, Modern family, to name a few) has probably learned about SEX, heard hundreds of foul words, and been exposed to extreme violence or adult situations. But, the fact that a student can find the book anyways isn’t really the main topic of discussion here so i’ll save that for another day.
That felt more like a rant then a blog post but hey, someone needed to say it :)
To provide you with a little bit of information on why books are banned, here is what the Office of Intellectual Freedom has listed for the 3 primary reasons for ban requests:
Quote:
Often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from “inappropriate” sexual content or “offensive” language. The following were the top three reasons cited for challenging materials as reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom:
- the material was considered to be "sexually explicit"
- the material contained "offensive language"
- the materials was "unsuited to any age group"
I actually don’t disagree with the concept. Its good to want to protect our children. I have 2 children and its a continuous effort to ensure that they don’t learn anything too adult until they are old enough.
My concern lies in the reasoning and motives of the people asking to have the books banned and then the schools who agree to do the banning. If its a book about Karma sutra, lets ban that thing. But the dictionary??!! hmmm. seems kinda silly.
If its really that much of a concern, a modified version of the book needs to be produced and distributed in lieu the original.
That would be my suggestion.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI think you offer a great alternative that people don't even care to think about. Why not take out the offensive content and allow the children to read that. I haven't read "50 Shades of Gray" but I have heard it is very pornographic. I feel that children shouldn't be reading books like that. But I have to say that every book ever written isn't featured in every library. In this case there are thousands of books appropriate for a child's age in Elementary, High School, and Middle School. I think that if they are controversial for valid reasons then they shouldn't be featured in the library at the school but if the parent is okay with the child reading it then they can always check it out at the public library. But I agree it is a little ridiculous.
Sincerely,
Jade Parker
Jade, thanks for the comment. It's good to see there are a few like minded people in the class!!
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