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Banning Books I truly believe that the idea of banning books is wrong. Censoring books takes away a vital part of the infrastructure upon which this country was built upon, the freedom of speech and press. This country’s morals are built upon the freedom to choose. Parents have their own rights. They can decide what their child can and cannot read. The idea of banning books however usually reaches out to a whole community. The suppression of materials on a wide basis result in a conformity that slows any further progress of the intellect. Throughout history, we have seen that people have achieved breakthroughs by "travelling the path less taken." If this path is destroyed, it results only in a stagnation of ideas that cause the human mind to rot. My teachers have always encouraged me to look at an idea from as many different angles as possible. The more ways you have of looking at a problem the more solutions you are likely to have. Different ideas are the fuel that propels the world forward. Every time a book is challenged or banned, an author gets scared. Every time one book contains even a slightly provocative idea it is removed from the shelves, an author writing another possibly controversial work gets scared. He fears that his book will not sell if it is challenged or banned and removes all controversial ideas. Another path is now destroyed; another idea banished from the world. Books that are banned can usually be found somewhere else, but a muted idea remains only in the author’s mind. Imagine what could have happened in Edison was afraid that the light bulb would be scorned at and decided against making it. A revolutionary idea would have then been lost. Another shameful practice is censoring. In my mind, censoring is worse than banning books. Books when banned are whole, but censored books have been fixed. This is what I consider raping a book. You are spoiling the very heart and soul of the book by removing lines and words that you do not like. Altering the content of an author’s idea is an act that cannot be excused. This is an act that should be associated with barbarians, not civilized people. Books meant for students in Junior High have been banned for the use of obscene language. I find this reason to be laughable as it is hopeless to try to go even a year in Junior High without hearing words like f - - k, bi - - h, or bas - - - d . If these words aren’t heard in schools, then they are heard on TV, or radio. These words are impossible to dodge after a certain point in life. While reading some articles on the Internet about book banning, I found out that Little Red Riding Hood had been banned in California in kindergarten classes since 1989. The reason for this? Because Riding Hood is carrying wine to her sick grandma, and this desensitizes kids to alcohol. The reasons previously used to be only material things, but now book banning is spreading into idealism. Books are being challenged and banned because they have characters that are Satanic, and promote Satanism. How can people be so insensitive to the needs of children? For they too grew up watching movies and reading books. And all good movies and books had villains in the plot. And now, they are working to remove their once favorite books from finding the curious eyes of their children. Parents are encouraging all children to read as much as they can, but put limitations on the reading of the child. "Oh! Say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave," concludes that national anthem, "o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave." Free people read freely. Date posted: September 5, 1999. What do you think
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