Banned
books should be made available
Austin,
Texas (U-Wire) -- Despite the Texas American
Civil Liberties Union's efforts over the
last seven years, the banning of books from
public schools across the state has increased
recently. This week, along with the Texas
Library Association, the Union has issued
its annual report detailing the titles of
books banned, restricted or challenged by
parents and school districts -- a list that
includes 56 titles.
However,
those seeking to censor the reading material
of young people ought to realize how appealing
the forbidden fruit really is. Banning books
in public schools isn't going to stop an
inquisitive child from reading them. In
fact, it's just the opposite: More kids
will want to snatch these enigmas right
off the shelf. And if a student can't find
a banned book at his or her own school library,
there's always the public library.
Austin's
own independent bookstore, BookPeople, has
erected a display featuring the banned books,
and employees have already noticed a peaking
interest in the censored titles.
Clearly,
if the ideology behind banning books seeks
to keep them away from prying eyes, the
plan is failing.
Granted,
Stephen King's novels may not be appropriate
for elementary schoolers. But the answer
to this problem doesn't lie in an outright
exclusion of the books from elementary schools
and junior highs, but rather a closer monitoring
by parents and librarians of what kids are
reading. There's no reason why a student
shouldn't be able to check out a restricted
book with his parents' permission -- just
as a child can see an R-rated movie if accompanied
by a legal guardian.
Book
banning also goes too far in its scope of
what it deems inappropriate. Most notably,
Harry Potter books, stories that feature
no pretensions of realism and are firmly
grounded in fantasy have come under fire
because of their examples of sorcery, witchcraft
and paganism. Classics such as "Brave
New World" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
have also been kept out of the hands of
curious children in certain school districts.
The list of reasons for banning books goes
on and on, but, with a few exceptions the
censorship over content is absurd. These
restrictions stomp out important ideas,
restrict children's fantasies and can even
keep young people isolated from the realities
of the world.
Maybe
it'd be better if kids focused strictly
on the sex and violence pervading television
instead of fostering their imaginations
with a book. But, on second thought, probably
not. So to celebrate Banned Book Week, we
encourage everybody to open a juicy banned
book and read what you're missing.
This
editorial first appeared in the Daily Texan
at University of Texas, Austin.
|
