Banning books for the majority population
A relative few far right-wingers are trying to decide what all can read.
Issue #289 Education March 29, 2023
PEN America, an organization dedicated to expressing free expression in literature, states that during the 2021-2022 school year, more than 1,600 books in 138 school districts in 32 states, were banned from school libraries.
In most “red states,” led by the Republicans in Texas and Florida, book bannings not only affect choices for adults and children but include threats to educators at all levels. Teachers, college instructors, and administrators are in fear of losing their jobs and even having their teaching licenses revoked if they do not remove the books far right-wing advocates have decided they do not like.
In some communities, those same far right-wing advocates are also targeting public libraries and threatening the lives and careers of the librarians who work in those libraries.
Instead of deciding that a particular book is not right for their children, the far right wing has decided that they, and only they, have the right to deny all children access to certain books.
The most-often banned books are about Black and other non-white topics and subjects. The banned books also include LGBT+ topics and stories, the histories of Black Americans and other non-white Americans, anything on race and racism, biographies and autobiographies of non-white people, and stories about non-Christian religions and members of those religions.
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Book bans are the natural extension of the historic book burnings
Book burnings have a long and dark history, stretching back to the earliest days of recorded civilization. The first recorded instance of mass book burning took place in 213 BCE (Before the Common Era) when Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered numerous books burned in an effort to suppress dissenting opinions.
Perhaps the most infamous book burnings were those staged by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis during World War II. On May 10, 1933, Nazi-dominated student groups carried out public burnings of books they deemed “un-German” in 34 university towns across Germany. These included works that were written by Jewish authors such as Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, as well as any other books which were seen to be politically or culturally subversive. The Nazis also burned thousands of books belonging to libraries across Europe in an effort to erase any trace of what they saw as “degenerate” ideas or beliefs.
Book burning has often been tied to conquest and imperial governing. In 1559, Spanish conquistadors burned thousands of Aztec codices in an attempt to eradicate native beliefs and traditions from the region.
In 1731, French missionaries burned hundreds of Iroquois manuscripts in order to suppress their culture and religion.
In 1814, British troops destroyed all copies of the American Declaration of Independence that they could find during their occupation of Washington D.C., in an effort to erase any trace of America's independence from Britain.
Books bans are only increasing in frequency
In more recent times, book burning has been used as a form of protest against oppressive regimes or ideologies.
In 1989, Chinese students protesting against their government's policies set fire to piles of banned books in Tiananmen Square.
In 2003, protesters against the Iraq War gathered outside the White House with signs reading “Burn Bush Not Books”.
Book bans are just part of the Republican “culture wars” on our rights and freedoms
Photo Credit: Reuters
Recently, the MAGA Republicans in charge of the U.S. House of Representatives proposed a “Parents’ Rights” bill that would give (only some) parents complete authority over what is taught in schools and which books and other media are appropriate.
The bill, introduced by Louisiana Republican Rep. Julia Letlow, requires schools to notify parents that they have the right to review the curriculum and school budget, inspect books and other library materials, and prevent students in grades 5-8 from using their preferred pronouns or gender identity.
This bill is another attempt by far right-wing politicians and organizations to decide not only what is appropriate for their own children but what they deem is “right” for all children.
What about the rights of parents of Black, other non-white, non-Christian, or LGBT+ children?
Acts of book burning and book bans are still seen today as powerful symbols of censorship, minority control, and oppression; one which serves as a reminder that freedom of speech must always be defended.
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