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Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
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gorehound
09/29/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
instead of banning heinlein why don't they just ban themselves the fools they are.
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franklinshepard
09/28/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
You know what would cut down on the banned books and complaints? Good parents, who take the time to actually review things that their children are reading. I can't imagine any parent who actually reads The Giver would complain about their children reading it.
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Aidan_
09/28/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
After reading the article that Analee posted today, I am making it my life's work to obtain and read copies of all three Lord Horror books.
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♠ Final ♠
09/28/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
I really need to get around to finishing His Dark Materials, I read the first 2 and never got around to Amber Spyglass. That and Slaughter House 5.
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AmabelleKabma
09/28/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
The amusing thing about "Banned Books Week" is that, while parents have requested some books not be made available in school libraries (about 80% of all complaints), all the other "challenges" are merely citizens concerned with some book or other and who lodge a complaint.

Is there even one book in the past 30 or 40 years that the state or federal government has "banned"? A challenge from a concerned citizen is not a ban on books and never has been, unless you want to revise the meaning of the word.
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Bill-Lee
09/29/09

@AmabelleKabma: "The argument goes thusly. Most books on the annual ALA list of banned and challenged books were "only" challenged, never banned. Even if some were removed from libraries, they are still available for purchase in book stores. Therefore, censorship hasn’t really happened because the government hasn’t banned the books. Sounds to me as if these folks are second cousins to the young man who gave new meaning to the word chutzpah. When charged with murdering his parents he asked for leniency because he was an orphan! Chutzpah! Hey, since folks were unsuccessful in their efforts to get these books banned, you can’t use them as examples of the threat of censorship. We failed therefore you’re being dishonest. Chutzpah! Run that by me again? Just because libraries and librarians have been so good at defending the freedom of the public to read as they choose, means that we’re being dishonest? No, it just means were doing our job."

-- Doug Archer, librarian and past chair of the ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee
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Bill-Lee
09/29/09

@Bill-Lee: According to the ALA a "Challenge" is defined as an attempt by a person or group of people to have materials such as books removed from a library or from a school curriculum or otherwise restricted. Merely objecting to material is not a challenge without the attempt to remove or restrict access to those materials.
[www.ala.org]
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Klebert L. Hall
09/29/09

@Bill-Lee: "Therefore, censorship hasn’t really happened because the government hasn’t banned the books."

That is actually the case, however. It's only censorship if the gov't. does it, by definition.

Otherwise, it would be censorship whenever a parent doesn't let their kid watch a movie.
-Kle.
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PlaidNinja
09/29/09

@AmabelleKabma: I don't think the word is being revised. I think there's an assumption that this context has to do with the government. Banning can be private. For example, I have a ban on any Monster Ballads compilation in my car or living space. (really) I didn't need the government for that.

Is it reaching a bit? Yes. Is it hamming up what could otherwise be called 'controversial books'? Yeah, probably. Still, any time someone makes a decision that a book is not allowed to be in a certain area, then in my mind that's considered to be a banned book. Sure its not a government ban, but the fact that someone or a group of people made it their mission to disallow that book from being made available to another group counts as banning in my mind.

The other part is this is an attempt to raise awareness with regards to the very real threats to free speech that are out there. Just because the government hasn't banned anything in the past few decades doesn't mean they won't do so in the future, especially if people just let it happen.
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snaboobaly
09/29/09

@Klebert L. Hall: It IS censorship when a parent doesn't let their child watch a movie.
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Klebert L. Hall
09/30/09

@snaboobaly:

No, it is not. Censorship applies only to a government. Perhaps you should check a dictionary.
-Kle.
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Klebert L. Hall
09/30/09

@PlaidNinja:
"Still, any time someone makes a decision that a book is not allowed to be in a certain area, then in my mind that's considered to be a banned book. Sure its not a government ban, but the fact that someone or a group of people made it their mission to disallow that book from being made available to another group counts as banning in my mind."

That's like saying that any time someone is murdered, it's a death squad, or ethnic cleansing, or any time that someone goes to church it's a violation of separate church and state. Actually, the latter is a stronger case.
-Kle.
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PlaidNinja
09/30/09

@Klebert L. Hall: The word 'ban' just means a decree that prohibits something, sometimes a form of censorship. Yes, the common understanding is that it would originate from the government, but it can also be private.
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Klebert L. Hall
10/01/09

@PlaidNinja: The reason for that is that only government decrees matter.

If I decree something, who the hell cares?
-Kle.
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ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
09/28/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
All hail banned books!
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Dr Emilio Lizardo
09/28/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
As the Center for Inquiry put it so well, those who want to ban books are more concerned with advancing there own world view than in protecting anybody.

Please support free thinking.

[www.centerforinquiry.net]
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Anekanta - Go Play!
09/28/09

@Dr Emilio Lizardo: I'm all for free thinking. I just don't think it has to be secular to be considered free.
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Dr Emilio Lizardo
09/28/09

@Anekanta: Well, I agree with you. I think they go a bit far there. I have nothing against religion till religion has something against me.
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Anekanta - Go Play!
09/29/09

@Dr Emilio Lizardo: That's fair. It's all about the freedom to weigh the arguments and make up one's own mind.
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ThisDudeRufus
09/28/09

In reply to Celebrate Controversial Science Fiction — Read a Banned Book
For all of seventh grade, I read exclusively books that were regularly banned, on account of I figured it would make me cool. It didn't, but I was the first one of my friends to read Cuckoo's Nest. I also got along better with my dad after reading Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land.
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wanion
09/28/09

@ThisDudeRufus: Incidentally, when I'm here I only read banned comments. I don't remember there being much hoo-ha about banning books when I was in school, but I do remember my mom didn't think I should read Tolkein because he was a satanist.
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taiki24
09/28/09

@wanion: I'm assuming she didn't realize he was actually a devout Christian?
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franklinshepard
09/28/09

@ThisDudeRufus: I did this too. Not because I thought it would make me look cool, but because I was hoping I'd get to read some mildly-worded sex scenes!
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wanion
09/30/09

@taiki24: Apparently someone in her Sunday School class (not actually what they called it for adults, but same idea) said that Tolkein's son was in some Satanic cult where you could only be a member if your father was a member which meant that Tolkein had to have been a member, which actually makes you wonder how this cult would have started in the first place, just long enough to distract you from the specious reasoning and lack of factual basis.
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