America Uber Alles?
I've previously discussed my love of books (see here and here), so when I ran across an article discussing the banning of books right here in the USA the other day, I was shocked. Not totally surprised, though. A lot of people in this country go ballistic when you even mention the word "homosexuality," and after the behavior of people like Fred Phelps and his minions of hate at Matthew Shepard's funeral and his murderer's trial (not to mention many, many other examples of intolerance and violence), I can't be too surprised that something like this would happen.
Looking at the list in the article, though, it puzzles me. Banning Shakespeare? Banning Tennessee Williams? What next? These are stories, narratives, histories, dramas, comedies, and all kinds of creative works. The more freedom writers have, the more wonderfully creative they can be, and the richer we all are for it. In the schools, there's always a number of books that parents and community members try to have banned, like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, etc. Banned Books Week is in
September; I'm half tempted this year to check out and read all of the books on the list. My grandmother used to tell me her grandfather, a nominal Catholic, would spite the Church by giving her for her birthday every year a book from the banned list. I'm delighted to report my grandmother is knowledgeable, well-read, and definitely not corrupted or defiled. It's pretty hard to see how romances by Alexandre Dumas would make one a pervert. It's equally implausible to see how reading or seeing "A Streetcar Named Desire" would turn one into a flaming homo.
As the note at the bottom of the article indicated, the bill thankfully died. But who's to say that this won't happen again? After all, in Germany in 1933, Berlin witnessed a massive book-burning, with Goebbels overseeing the carnage. It wasn't too long after that that the Nuremburg Laws were passed, and a few years after that invasions took place, camps were running full tilt, and the world descended into madness and evil.
While the U.S. isn't quite on track to be the next fascist dictatorship, the parallels are uncomfortable thus far. This incident is just one in a number of attempts at censorship over the last few years. In Germany, the initial focus was on Jewish authors, writers with either actual or supposed Communist leanings or ideologies, and writers who contributed to moral decline and compromise. The latter category is what this bill that's just appeared is about. Homosexuality is an abomination, morally unacceptable, etc., etc., so therefore it's time to ban books that even hint at homosexuality in any form. This puts us all on a slippery slope.
I'm glad the bill was defeated, but it troubles me. What will happen next? Where will the fire next time be?
Looking at the list in the article, though, it puzzles me. Banning Shakespeare? Banning Tennessee Williams? What next? These are stories, narratives, histories, dramas, comedies, and all kinds of creative works. The more freedom writers have, the more wonderfully creative they can be, and the richer we all are for it. In the schools, there's always a number of books that parents and community members try to have banned, like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, etc. Banned Books Week is in
September; I'm half tempted this year to check out and read all of the books on the list. My grandmother used to tell me her grandfather, a nominal Catholic, would spite the Church by giving her for her birthday every year a book from the banned list. I'm delighted to report my grandmother is knowledgeable, well-read, and definitely not corrupted or defiled. It's pretty hard to see how romances by Alexandre Dumas would make one a pervert. It's equally implausible to see how reading or seeing "A Streetcar Named Desire" would turn one into a flaming homo.
As the note at the bottom of the article indicated, the bill thankfully died. But who's to say that this won't happen again? After all, in Germany in 1933, Berlin witnessed a massive book-burning, with Goebbels overseeing the carnage. It wasn't too long after that that the Nuremburg Laws were passed, and a few years after that invasions took place, camps were running full tilt, and the world descended into madness and evil.
While the U.S. isn't quite on track to be the next fascist dictatorship, the parallels are uncomfortable thus far. This incident is just one in a number of attempts at censorship over the last few years. In Germany, the initial focus was on Jewish authors, writers with either actual or supposed Communist leanings or ideologies, and writers who contributed to moral decline and compromise. The latter category is what this bill that's just appeared is about. Homosexuality is an abomination, morally unacceptable, etc., etc., so therefore it's time to ban books that even hint at homosexuality in any form. This puts us all on a slippery slope.
I'm glad the bill was defeated, but it troubles me. What will happen next? Where will the fire next time be?
posted by Mr. Sandman | 9:38 PM
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