So, to start out banned books week posts, link roundup:
The ALA Banned Books website. Where better to go for info on banned books than the American Library Association, people?
How well do you know your banned books? Turns out I only know it 6/12 questions well. More reading for me.
A vlog on book banning by the ever-amusing Jackson Pearce. Love her videos. She’s hilarious.
Banning books irritates the crap out of me. Not the I want to grind my teeth and try to pretend it’s not happening kind of way, but the I want to throttle people and shout kind of way. Even more than I hate being told what I *must* read, I LOATHE being told what I cannot read. Not only do I generally find book banners to be ridiculous, repugnant little people, but I have yet to meet a book banner whose reasons for having a book banned I agree with in any way.
The closest I’ve come is ‘I don’t want my kids reading this.’ Great. So don’t let your kids read it. I think you’re probably making a mistake. I personally love Lilith Saintcrow’s policy for her children.
We have a reach-and-read-it policy in our household. “If you can reach it, you can read it, and if you cannot reach it, get a stool!” I am not in the habit of censoring books for my children. If I find something objectionable, I discuss it with the child reading it. We talk about how I feel, how the kid feels about it, and the kid is free to read it as long as we’ve discussed it.
The entirety of that post can be found here. Suffice it to say, if/when I become a parent, that will be my policy. But, regardless of whether or not I think you’re just not letting your kid read it because you’re too lazy to talk about the content with them (though not too busy to make a fuss and get the book banned) what gives you the right to take away another parent’s right to let their children read it? What makes you, you book burning piece of trash (yes, I’m a little touchy on the subject) the end all of what’s good and right and should be allowed for other people?
I think that’s my biggest problem with book banners and burners. Aside from generally being pretty dumb (and Jackson Pearce is right, who doesn’t hate dumb people) they are so arrogant and conceited that they believe their beliefs and ideas are right to the exclusion of letting anyone else choose for themselves or their children. If you disagree with them, you just don’t know any better and they must protect you and your children. And that, folks, makes me want to throttle people. It boils down to book banners being arrogant, conceited ass-wipes so full of themselves they believe they should get to decide what you can and cannot do because they know the truth and you do not. Not. Cool.
More thoughts on book banning tomorrow. But focusing on the banned books instead of the book-banners.
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