Banned Books

“The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame."
I completely agree with Oscar Wilde here.

The banning of books is an amazing archaic practice, especially in today's world where if someone was willing, they could order it online from elsewhere.

Interesting how most books that are up for "banning", are people who are following the strict rules of their religious-fiction books. And Tango Makes Three and The Kite Runner are banned, because the people who read ancient books which condone rape, murder, execution, incest, plague and genocide find the penguins and kites to be indecent.

I'm still waiting on the Harry Potter books to spark an Inquisition which will lead to the genocide of nearly five major religions across three continents.

I guess it must be hard for the bible-belt to just let their kids know that Harry Potter is all make-believe, because they're teaching their kids that burning bushes talk to people and you can live inside the belly of a whale.

Side note: Mien Kampf is an amazing book, and though filled with a fair share of propaganda, is also a direct insight into the mind of one of the most influential and important human beings to ever live. The men and women who changed the world, rarely left us their actual words to read, but rather historians and followers to do so. I wish Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Genghis Khan, Darius The Great, Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar, and a hundred others were able to have wrote books about their own lives and desires as well.

Spooky wrote:

I'm still waiting on the Harry Potter books to spark an Inquisition which will lead to the genocide of nearly five major religions across three continents.

I guess it must be hard for the bible-belt to just let their kids know that Harry Potter is all make-believe, because they're teaching their kids that burning bushes talk to people and you can live inside the belly of a whale.

Haha, have you met my mom yet?? (heck, head to my part of TN) She is one of those who HATES Harry Potter. (alot of 'em are) I was banned from anything Harry Potter for forever. (then I unbanned myself..lol) I guess it would be. Never thought of it that way. Almost every church down there just says that the books are evil and witchcraft and shouldn't be read (or watched). Especially the older generation. Talk about getting some hateful looks when you read those books during a sermon. Down south they ban alot of books from the schools too. One, Siddartha, was banned because it talked about breast feeding and some guy lusting after a woman or something stupid like that. That kinda just pissed me off, the older generation there is soooo conservative it is just nuts.

And I agree with you Nsane, ignorance is not bliss, it is annoyance.

SweetVervain wrote:

“The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame."
I completely agree with Oscar Wilde here.

Words of wisdom from the wonderful Mr Wilde who knew a thing or two about alleged immorality

My friends in high school sought the books that were removed from our library. My friend Clint bought a copy of "Catcher in the Rye" and we each took a week with it. Same with "As the Caged Bird Sings" and "Fight Club". We wrote on these books or presented them to the class for book reports. I highly recommend that the teenagers among us do the same. You guys are on the front lines- let 'em know you won't let your minds be chained!

^^ haha!

nsanelilmunky wrote:

*sigh* America, please quit trying to turn the country into a nation of ignorants. Regardless of what the saying is, ignorance is not bliss.

Exactly. Ignorance lays the groundwork for fearmongering. And from fear comes control of, and violence toward, the "different" ones.

nsanelilmunky wrote:

BWAHAHAHA!!!!!

Banning anything only serves to make people want to seek it out even more.

Ginger_Snaps wrote:

Banning anything only serves to make people want to seek it out even more.

I know! Being on the ALA's list of the most frequently challenged only increases a book's appeal for me!

^^ That's good to hear. Seeking out "forbidden" knowledge is an intellectually healthy pursuit. It also sets you apart from the kind of people who only accept the knowledge that's spoon-fed to them.

I'm a fan of learning what "they" don't want you to learn.

^Yeah, exactly!

Forbidden knowledge sets one free.

SweetVervain wrote:

Ginger_Snaps wrote:

Banning anything only serves to make people want to seek it out even more.

I know! Being on the ALA's list of the most frequently challenged only increases a book's appeal for me!

That's how my friends and I were! We never would have read "Catcher in the Rye" had it not been banned. You go girl!

^I love The Catcher in the Rye!

The more they do that the more I want to read it. That's what happened with American Psycho I heard about all these people trying to ban the book and I wanted to read it to see what was so bad about it.

Detracting somewhat from books but definitely on the banning front, I remember when "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood was released and banned by Radio 1 in the UK.

Oh yes it quite literally shot up the charts. I made my Daddy go and buy my copy

^Bwahaha! You naughty girl! You know what filth that danceable song speaks of!