Burning Books in America…

By the way, I believe that I Godwin myself throughout this entire article…

Back in the early 1930s, a very scary image resonated throughout the world. Soldiers and civilians alike would goose step past piles of literature, toss on ‘offending’ books, and light them up. They would burn Torahs, books about sexuality, and books that were ‘insulting’ to the German people. This ceremony was used to unite the country and the people against the evil Jews, and also unite them behind Hitler. Of course, book burning was one of those things which would only happen over seas.

Or was it?

Throughout the 60s-90s, generations of Americans proposed banning, and sometimes burning, certain books and items. While a ton of Americans are all opposed to burning the flag, they have absolutely no issue burning pieces of literary history. There have been proposals to ban books simply because they have sexual themes, or because they happen to be of the wrong religion. Yes, throughout the history of America, we have tried to burn books, simply because we don’t like them – but, in the 00s, that is all over, right?

Click ‘continue reading’ to find out…

Nazi’s burned plenty of books

Well, apparently the 2000s doesn’t mean that the country has stopped their parade of burning. In Wisconsin, a series of books in the young adult section of the library are being protested. The topics in the books range from anti-Christianity, to homosexuality, to simple teen sexuality. Sure, one of the books deals with rape, but that doesn’t mean it deals with it badly. Now, a simple protest and removal is one thing, but somebody actually proposed burning the books…

Apparently, one couple decided that the books in the library are not kosher for their children, and they asked the library to remove them. Of course, the library refused to (rightly). The couple then appealed to the library board, who also refused. Though they are out of options, they have now started a petition (and might sue) to get the books removed. As a response, intelligent members of the town started a petition to keep the books, and several library board members resigned. It looks like it is time for a showdown.

Now, I have issues with the proposal for several reasons. Four of which, however, seem to take prominence:

The First Amendment
A long, long time ago, a bunch of men sat around a table, smoked some pipes, and started writing a document. That document became the Constitution of the United States of America, and it is the framework of our government today. The First Amendment states that, among other things, Americans have the right to a freedom of speech. Now, keep in mind, this is Freedom of speech, not Feeedom from speech. To me, this clearly means that the books are not to be banned by the government nor the people.

Clearly, any proposal, petition, or even request to remove books from the library, for any reason, violates this principle. It is even more of a violation when you consider that these are political reasons, which are granted the most protection under the 1st. I believe that any removal of these books would violate the Constitution, and thus shouldn’t happen.

Hey look, this is the first amendment

Trust me, the kids know more
Of all American kids under 15, 14% have had sex. Of all teens who just reached 19, 75% have had sex (http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/sexual-reproductive/2008/09/03/on-teens-and-sex-wheres-the-love.html) (fyi, these stats surprised even me). Now, I don’t know about you, but that indicates that teenagers are sexually active, and so they already know this stuff. Now, the parents are talking about having their kids exposed to brand new things, and they dont want that. Assuming their children are not in home school, odds are that they have already learned about all of this stuff. So, what is new about these books?

Trust me, these books are not exposing the kids to anything new, as evidenced above.
Anti-gay much?
Now, I have no issue with people being opposed to gays, straights, asexuals, or what-have-you – that is their right, as they are allowed to believe what they wish (see my first argument again). However, in this position, I see bigotry written throughout the proposal:

She and her husband also asked the library to obtain books about homosexuality that affirmed heterosexuality, such as titles written by “ex-gays,” Maziarka said.
“All the books in the young-adult zone that deal with homosexuality are gay-affirming. That’s not balance,” she said.

Obviously, the couple have a major issue with the fact that some books contain materials about gays. Well, I am sure that they have no issues reading about Alexander the Great, even though he was gay. Anyways, they have a major issue with the gay-affirming literature. Now, I don’t exactly know how a book that talks about gays is at all gay-affirming, just like a book talking about straight people isnt hetero-affirming. Instead, the book simply is talking about humans, on all ranges of the spectrum.
Oh, and I really don’t understand how ex-gays can write good novels that are not gay-affirming. It has been proven time and time again that ex-gays are just re-closeted gays, not that they have changed. As it is something you are born with, it is hard to argue that they can change it just cause they want to.

Always remember, the Nazi’s also targeted the gays.

Be Parents
Finally, I have a very short point, and something that I go over quite often. In this case, I am offended that the couple seriously are not acting like parents, and instead are asking the library to do it for them. If you don’t want your children reading a specific book, then don’t let them. It is not the libraries responsibility to police your children (trust me, they would get nailed quickly for that), but your own. Act like parents, and take some God-damned responsibility.