View Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2011 in a larger map
According to Dictionary.com, the word "ban" means "to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict" and a "censor" is "an official who examines books, plays, news reports, motion pictures, radio and television programs,letters, cablegrams,
etc., for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral,political, military, or other grounds." These two forces act together to repress knowledge on certain questionable subjects in society. As evident in the map above, many books have been banned all over the United States, and, if you look, there are even books banned in Belgium, Azerbaijan, India, Russia, Australia, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. There are probably many more but this is all going to be based on the map. Banning books seems to be more common in the United States than any other country it seems. This is interesting since the United States has given its' people the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the press.
etc., for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral,political, military, or other grounds." These two forces act together to repress knowledge on certain questionable subjects in society. As evident in the map above, many books have been banned all over the United States, and, if you look, there are even books banned in Belgium, Azerbaijan, India, Russia, Australia, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. There are probably many more but this is all going to be based on the map. Banning books seems to be more common in the United States than any other country it seems. This is interesting since the United States has given its' people the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the press.
For how often books are banned, the reasons never seem very strong. According to this chart from the ALA's banned books website, books are most frequently banned for being sexually explicit. Some reasons, like Cultural Sensitivity, Racism, Drugs/Alcohol/Smoking, Gambling, Gangs, Offensive Language, and Violence are easily disputed since, most frequently, those types of ideas or actions are portrayed as wrong. For example, in Huckleberry Finn, the "n" word appears many times. This is because "Twain’s goal was to show the ugliness an evilness of slavery and to do that he had to use the rawest racist language of his day." (Why the n-word should stay in 'Huck Finn'). Sometimes there is negative content in books but frequently it is used to teach kids about why it is wrong. It is better learned in a book, at school, or with parents, than from negative influences who say it is okay. Why is it okay for kids to learn sex education or not to do drugs in classes but not from a book?
In the case of Homosexuality, Sex Education, and Sexually Explicit, it should be okay for kids to learn from a book. In Bad, the readers learns the difference between rape and consent. In Eight Seconds, the reader, if homosexual, can relate to the protagonist's self-discovery of his sexuality. In the case of sexually explicit material, it really depends on the age appropriateness. There is a reason books, movies, tv shows, video games, etc. are sorted by age group. This does not mean a book should be banned, just moved to an age group. Sometimes, sexually explicit material can also be a sort of teaching or relating tool for people. The Bluest Eye has been banned many times for being pornographic, but "To call The Bluest Eye pornographic is simply wrong. Accusing Morrison’s work of containing child pornography both ignores the very important distinction between pornography and rape and displays the weakness of the arguments against the book." (Beauty is Truth: The Case Against Banning The Bluest Eye). This book portrays a poor young girl being attacked by her father and it is banned for being pornographic. This is sad because accidents like that do happen as much as people want to ignore it. The argument against this book is wrong because it denies the important difference and lesson learned there.
In the case of Homosexuality, Sex Education, and Sexually Explicit, it should be okay for kids to learn from a book. In Bad, the readers learns the difference between rape and consent. In Eight Seconds, the reader, if homosexual, can relate to the protagonist's self-discovery of his sexuality. In the case of sexually explicit material, it really depends on the age appropriateness. There is a reason books, movies, tv shows, video games, etc. are sorted by age group. This does not mean a book should be banned, just moved to an age group. Sometimes, sexually explicit material can also be a sort of teaching or relating tool for people. The Bluest Eye has been banned many times for being pornographic, but "To call The Bluest Eye pornographic is simply wrong. Accusing Morrison’s work of containing child pornography both ignores the very important distinction between pornography and rape and displays the weakness of the arguments against the book." (Beauty is Truth: The Case Against Banning The Bluest Eye). This book portrays a poor young girl being attacked by her father and it is banned for being pornographic. This is sad because accidents like that do happen as much as people want to ignore it. The argument against this book is wrong because it denies the important difference and lesson learned there.
As seen in this graph, most frequently, the decision to ban a book is caused by a parent. Teachers are much farther down on the scale. There is a distinct difference between parents and teachers. Parents have a right to control what occurs in their own home, if a parent does not like their child reading Twilight, then they can tell their child not to. Teachers are trained to teach children. They know right from wrong and they know how to teach children how to read and process a book correctly. Parents have a say, but they should not control their child's education when there is something they need to learn. If a parent fears that a book would be a negative influence on their child, then they should talk to them about it while their child is reading it. Most likely, their teacher has already made it clear that the character is wrong but it helps kids to discuss things with their parents rather than walk around with blinkers over their eyes like horses do.
Even though it is the third most frequent institution for a book to be banned, in the words of Angela Adams "it is ridiculous to have books hidden in a PRIVATE collection at a PUBLIC library". There is a reason that public libraries are public. They are ways for people to access a whole collection of books but if books are being banned from there, and people cannot afford the real thing, then how will they gain access to that knowledge? It is disappointing to see that the Public library is on there at all, let alone be the third highest.
"censor." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/censor>.
"ban." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
<Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ban>.
"Challenges by reason, initiator & institution for 1990-99 and 2000-09", American Library Association, March 26, 2013.
Hutchinson, Earl O. "Why the N-word Should Stay in 'Huck Finn'" TheGrio. N.p., 5 Jan. 2011. Web.
McKinney, Kelsey. "Beauty Is Truth: The Case Against Banning The Bluest Eye." The Millions. N.p., 24 Sept. 2013. Web.
Adams, Angela
This is a Google map but I got it from this website - http://wiu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=217701&sid=1809284 on the bottom of the page. I am not sure how to reference that but I will leave this.
"Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2011." Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2011 - Google Maps. Google, n.d. Web.
"ban." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
<Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ban>.
"Challenges by reason, initiator & institution for 1990-99 and 2000-09", American Library Association, March 26, 2013.
Hutchinson, Earl O. "Why the N-word Should Stay in 'Huck Finn'" TheGrio. N.p., 5 Jan. 2011. Web.
McKinney, Kelsey. "Beauty Is Truth: The Case Against Banning The Bluest Eye." The Millions. N.p., 24 Sept. 2013. Web.
Adams, Angela
This is a Google map but I got it from this website - http://wiu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=217701&sid=1809284 on the bottom of the page. I am not sure how to reference that but I will leave this.
"Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2011." Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2011 - Google Maps. Google, n.d. Web.