Judging from the memoirs of Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Denmark wasn't exactly the home of the free when she lived there. She moved all the way to Africa to enjoy more freedom.Quote:
Originally Posted by mousemouse
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Judging from the memoirs of Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Denmark wasn't exactly the home of the free when she lived there. She moved all the way to Africa to enjoy more freedom.Quote:
Originally Posted by mousemouse
Maybe mousemouse was born "recently".
I don't even have nbanned books, but the concept is disgusting...
Freedom is ideas. Period.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Libraries need not stock publications deemed unseemly, evil, or whatever the criteria may be. Promoting access to such accused material need not happen. But ideas, ideas deemed 'bad', must also be free. A free people accept this inequity in order to preserve the very foundation of freedom. Some bad will always surface, but it is usually only the good that has any staying power other than as a curiosity......
Long live freedom brothers and sisters.........................art needs no shackles.....
Some people already alluded to it, or said it straight out. I'll just mindlessly repeat it in slightly different words :)
The reason for banning books is all about power and the fear of losing it. Books can change people's minds and cause revolutions, or so the banning authorities think. My view is: if you are an authority and you are so convinced that what you are saying and doing is the truth and the best for mankind, then nothing should be able to change that, especially not some eccentric author who only a small handful of people are going to read. If you fear losing your power, then it means that you never held the truth or the best for mankind to begin with, and that you should accept that sooner or later you will either lose your power, or something will have to change drastically, with or without an author.
Rather simplistic, I realize, but I believe that is what it all comes down to.
As for age restrictions on books for children that some people seem to favor, I say: if the book is written for an adult, then even the smartest child will not understand it. Hence, nothing to worry about. Give the book to your child and see them throw it away after the first sentence, saying: "BORING!". If your child does happen to understand the book as well as an adult, then I say: your child is ready for that book, just like you are. In other words: no need for banning, and no need for restrictions.
Some books just need to be banned. We don't need little kids running around reading books about how to make crystal meth now do we?
I can find the information on Crystal Meth right here on the internet. Banning a book will not bannish the idea inherent in any suspect book.
A federal minister here in Canada is trying to get the government to ban entry into this country by rap singer, 50 cent. the Minister believes the rapper has bad morals, glorifies crime, and generally disrupts lives with his sing-song messages. Years ago they tried to ban rock' n' roll because it made teenagers 'hysterical', governments around the world use demonization of an identifiable group as ammunition to quiet fresh ideas, to bury new ways of doing things. NOne of this is a good thing. In fact, when the government starts telling you what to read, think, express......you had better rebel.....or get buried under the thumb .......
Age restrictions are there because many people want to shelter their children from things they deem immoral, which are nevertheless an integral part of society in general and thus depicted freely in fiction.
Do I agree with it? I'll not go into that, but I sure do understand the reasoning behind them.
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Originally Posted by EAP
hmmm.....EAP..................long time since you shared your wonderful wisdom............still rational I see.....
I don't think any book should be banned. If someone wants to learn, we shouldn't stop them. And yes, there's the argument that there are a lot of books out there that the younger and more innocent minds would do better without seeing. But the same goes with TV, and magazines they pick up while Mom's looking for the newest Oprah issue, and of course there are always random people who swear, arrogant to the fact that there are virgin ears in the room. You can't protect youth from all the world's faults, because they will always be there. And it's better for them to learn to know how to deal with bad news, the guilty pleasure of gossip in tabloids, the wrong doings of society, and other sinful media that everyone is bound to be exposed to eventually. And I know it's not just the youth they are trying to "protect" from these books, but honestly, the world is a dangerous place, and if we can't simply handle our reactions to a book...there's no way we can hold our own in life.
I really agree! It is true! Especially since the fact that we have freedom of press, freedom of speech, and the fact that someday we will hear SOMETHING bad... like, it's not like in high school you won't ever hear your peer say a swear. In high school, the TEACHER'S swear more than the STUDENTS do! So, it doesn't make sense to ban books? Right!
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Originally Posted by CrashCourse08
So, are you saying it's ok to learn how to make crystal meth and how to build a bomb big enough for a building like Oklahoma (book or internet)?
When does it stop people. When do we stand up and say child this book has bad language in it and you don't need to read (or hear) such words? Teachers (and people) when are you going to stand up and say that language is not necessary in public, keep it at home (if those are the values of your home)?
People, where is the accountability? Crashcourse08 states "the world is a dangerous place", and this is so true. Compare the value of books (their content not price) from 1900's, 1950, and today, to the morals in each of those eras. Crime has risen, swearing is now on TV and radio (yes, I know they didn't have TV in the 1900's), and disrespect from people are getting younger and younger. Children are not learning to respect their elders and they don't care of the consequenses of their actions. Why? Do mom and dad not care about their actions? Monkey see monkey do.
When do we take back our world?
IMO it's all right to publish books about making drugs and bombs because actually making them is already against the law. Outlawing knowledge of any kind is the first step toward totalitarianism. The road to hell is paved with good intentions like yours.Quote:
Originally Posted by adm
It's the parents' responsibility to decide what their children read or see on TV. Parents shouldn't expect society to do their job.Quote:
Originally Posted by adm
Who do you mean by "we"? Conservatives only? The world doesn't belong to one group. Live and let live.Quote:
Originally Posted by adm
A group of parents in a local school district are trying to ban "This Boy's life" from the school curriculm. They cited fould language, violence and sexual content as the reasons. Have they turned on a TV lately?
So it's ok to have porn on the net/video stores/magazines when it is detremental to socity that WE ALL live in.Quote:
Originally Posted by starrwriter
At what point in time did I say society? How responsible are when you think that society is doing the job, what job are you doing? If so, then we need to take it back and, what is this Conservative stuff? CrashCourse08 was complaining about it being a dangerous world out there. Why aren't we doing something about it instead of complaining about it?Quote:
It's the parents' responsibility to decide what their children read or see on TV. Parents shouldn't expect society to do their job.
Live and let live got us the world we are in now. Are you happy, not content, but happy with what you see? If it begins with banning books, then so be it, however, it is I who dictates what MY children read, not you, not society, and not the government. I will put in my library weapons of information for my children to make well informed decisions on any step that they may need to take. They will know the good and evil of books, intranet, TV, and radio and what ever else feeds info. into our house, because I am raising my children, your not. I want them to be armed with knowledge and not to be ignorant and accept things for as they are. I want them to challenge anything and everything. I want them to ask why and then figure it out and make changes if need be. People, do not be complaincent in this world. Make a difference. If you believe that a book should not be banded from a school, that's fine, but if they do ban it, quit fussing, get the book, read it, and then make your OWN decision and keep it in your house if you want. Take charge of your life because it's your life, not mine. I've got enough troubles of my own that I don't need yours.Quote:
Who do you mean by "we"? Conservatives only? The world doesn't belong to one group. Live and let live.