Banning Books?   #208

By Hank Silverberg 

It is now a plague that is sweeping across the country. It's not as deadly as Covid-19, but in the long run it could be more damaging to the future of the United States as a nation.

When you read the next few lines you may say I'm exaggerating, but that's been said before when it comes to various scenarios that ban books.  

This past week the Mukileto School Board in the Seattle area voted to remove from the required reading list, one of the best fictional stories written about racism in the United States. They took "To Kill A Mockingbird" off the ninth grade reading list because of some parent concerns about the overt racism displayed in the novel. The Board did leave teachers the option of using Harper Lee's classic at their discretion.    

This comes just a few days after the McMinn County,  Tennessee, school board banned "Maus,"  the Pulitzer Price-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, from its curriculum and school libraries. It too, had been on the reading list for ninth graders. 

"To Kill A Mockingbird," if you haven't read it, centers on the trial of a Black man accused of raping a white woman in the Jim Crow south of the 1930's. Since it was published in 1960, more than 40 million copies, printed in 40 languages, have been sold world wide. 

(Title page of my wife's hardcover copy) 

The reasons for the bans are somewhat suspect. "To Kill A Mockingbird," according to the Board, raised concerns about "racism." That, of course, completely ignores that clearly practiced racism that actually existed in the 1930's and its more subtle remnants of today.    

The school board in Tennessee cited "inappropriate language" and a nude female as the reason for banning "Maus." In the book, Nazis are drawn as cats and Jews are drawn as mice. So the nude female was a nude mouse. Maus covers part of history that is often sanitized in history class. 

It appears that members of school boards in many areas have simply lost their main purpose -- to educate young people. 

These school board members are also apparently unaware of the existence of the internet.  

Anyone who has ever been in a ninth grade classroom recently, or anyone who is now raising a 14 or 15 year-old knows they can find pornography or hate speech on the net as fast as they can find this week's NFL playoff highlights or a YouTube video on how to change a flat tire.

Seattle school drops “To Kill a Mockingbird” over racism concerns - Deseret News

So what's the big deal with banning a few books to appease a minority of parents who find offense in literary classics? That's best explained by this tweet from the US Holocaust Museum. 

US Holocaust Museum

@HolocaustMuseum

2/2 Teaching about the Holocaust using books like Maus can inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today. For those looking to teach about the Holocaust, find lesson plans and resources here:

ushmm.org

Fundamentals of Teaching the Holocaust

Use these US Holocaust Memorial Museum resources to help develop your approach and to find lesson plans to use in your classroom.

9:26 PM · Jan 26, 2022·Twitter Web App

1,057

Retweets

38

Quote Tweets

3,293

Likes

Banning books or restricting them is among the first moves taken by authoritarian regimes and used to control the flow of information. Anyone who has ever read George Orwell's classic "1984" (one of the books most often banned in the past), will understand this. Or you can just read a history book about the rise of Stalin or Hitler. But you had better do that fast before all that information is banned.  

I could go into a long explanation here about the First Amendment and why these school boards are going to face ridicule and probably law suits. But instead, there is this encouraging news.    

As word spread about the banning of "Maus," the sale of Art Spiegelman's book skyrocketed. It has surged to the top ten on Amazon and is in high demand elsewhere.    

I also suspect a lot of parents and grandparents are now passing on their copies of "To Kill a Mockingbird" to their children and grandchildren. 

Irish Eyes On Moscow!

Here's an interesting fish story. Russia has blinked just a bit on it's massive buildup of forces and its threat to Ukraine. But it was not NATO, the U.S. or the E.U. that caused a change in plans. It was a threat from Irish fishermen. The fishermen said

Ireland

they would  disrupt Russia's planned live-fire naval exercise 150 miles off the Irish coast using their fishing boats. It seems that's a prime fishing area and naval barrages and missile launches would create havoc with the fish and their livelihood. That forced Moscow to back off a bit after the fishermen complained to the Russian Embassy. CNN reports that the exercises have been moved elsewhere. Russia is calling it a "gesture of good will."  It would have been fun to watch Vladimir Putin's reaction when he got word on this one. Everybody knows you don't mess with Irish fishermen. 

Turning In Extremists

Right-wing extremism continues to be a major 

threat in the United States. At present it may be more dangerous than external threats. But I am not sure we should be comfortable with Homeland Security's latest effort to deal with it. The new strategy is an extension of the "See Something, Say Something" tactic used since 9-11 to prevent terrorism. The FBI and DHS have published a new guide to help the public spot "ideologically motivated U.S.-based violent extremists."  They are asking Americans to report family members, friends or peers who show signs of extremist behavior and they are publishing a booklet that lists 42 indicators of  what to look for. It notes things like "unusual goodbyes or post-death instructions," or  someone who may be isolating themselves from family and  peers while citing "violent extremists doctrine or ideology."

This sounds practical after a two-decade spike in hate crimes and threats against public figures, including President Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci.  Family and friends of the January 6th insurrection participants have played a key role in getting them arrested and convicted.

But here's the difference. That information came AFTER the insurrectionists committed a crime. I see a potential with this new tactic for people to turn in friends and relatives just because they say something wacky, or for someone to use the tips  for revenge against people they don't like.  We need to be careful with this one. Sure, if you see them buying lots of guns or trying to build a bomb, call the police. But talking a bit wacky? Maybe not.  

How to spot U.S.-based violent extremists: U.S. officials release 42 indicators - CBS News

Dumbest Quote Of The Week!

This week's dumbest quote comes from another one of those annoying Fox News pundits who seem to get paid for being as ridiculous as possible. 

(Courtesy Disney)

 The quote is from Candace Owens, who apparently is outraged over Minnie Mouse's new wardrobe. Minnie has finally changed out of her very dated red dress in favor of a new, sporty blue pantsuit that she will displaying on some occasions. (see picture).

Here's what Owens said:   

"They're taking all of these things that nobody was offended by, and feel they have to get rid of them and destroy them. Because they are bored, and are absolutely bored, they are trying to destroy fabrics of our society, pretending that there's issues. This is so everybody looks over there, look at Minnie Mouse, don't look at inflation...." 

Well, golly gee, Ms. Owens. I'm not sure who "they" are, but most of us don't care what Minnie is wearing. We had no idea that she had even changed her clothes. But go ahead and rant about it because it uses up air time and it means Fox News has less time to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation. 

 (Your comments and suggestions are welcome) 

(Copies of  my latest book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:

HankSilverberg@gmail.com  for instructions on  how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature. )                       

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796