Blog #2: Censorship

I tend to think I have a radical view: censorship of any kind by any government or legal entity should outlawed. Straight up, I don’t have any “If this…”, “What if that…”. The government should never have the ability to tell you what you can and cannot read. I understand there is a lot if inappropriate stuff out there, stuff kids should not really be exposed to, but that is up to the kids parents on whether or not their kid can take it, because some might be able to deal with a mature text, and other can’t. For me it comes down to, like the articles said, educating kids on the background. A kid might read Huckleberry Finn, a book known for its use of the N-word, but if along with the text the teacher properly educated the kid on the background of the word and why it is not a good one, the kid won’t use it and be negatively affected by the text (You would hope anyway). I was actually a little surprised with some of the books on that list and in the articles. I have read Huck Finn, which I guess in some ways I get it, language and racist themes throughout, but the point is it was a realistic novel about that time period. “A Curious Case of a dog in the Nighttime” is a fantastic book, and I have no idea why anyone would challenge it. In schools, where you might be more careful to what you read to students, I honestly am ok with kids being read books with offensive language as long as they are properly educated about that language. Although, I don’t think books should ever be “banned”, every book from “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” to “Mein Kampf” should be available to those with the inclination to be educated. In terms of the chart, I think it makes sense, because sex and language are for some reason the things  that people think should be censored the most (Despite being two of the most fundamental aspects of human society), it is easier to agree that eight year olds shouldn’t be watching porn and swearing like sailors…more so than seemingly obvious things…like racism and sexism. Which don’t seem to be as agreed upon as “Bad”, because in some areas and cultures uses of the N-word for instance, are not nearly as offensive. Also, sexism and racism are subjects of historical teachings and debate, we learn about how they affected people and culture in the past, so people are more likely to want to use those texts to educate. I get that parents want to protect their kids, and i’m fine with a parent telling a kid they can’t read something they think is inappropriate, if you don’t like them reading Huck Finn in class, sign a form saying they can’t, that should be allowed, I just don’t want government involved. With censorship, that’s what it comes down to for me: leave government out of it. Parents, teachers, authority figures with a personal understanding of a child’s mental capacity should be the ones responsible for the texts and information students are allowed to absorb, the government or any other public entity should not have the right to say what can and cannot be read. If we start down that road where does it stop? As much as I love Ray Bradbury and “Fahrenheit 451”, I don’t want it to become a reality.