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BakaDino
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#1
Old 08-06-2010, 12:37 AM

Okay, so America and other countries ban/censor books because they possibly have found the content disturbing or other reason. I want to know your opinion about this. Do you think its fair to censor the text in the book? Or to ban them, preventing anyone to read it. At least until the ban is lift, which can be never? Frankly I don't like it. What do you think about it?

Bearzy
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#2
Old 08-06-2010, 09:56 AM

Hell no! Doesn't America have this thing called FREEDOM OF SPEECH? Everybody has the right to express their opinion, via book, blog or bullhorn. If it's good enough to publish it should have a chance to sell.

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#3
Old 08-07-2010, 03:22 AM

I dislike banning and censorship of books. People should be free to express their opinions, even if the majority disagree with them.

I can understand if parents don't want their children to read certain books and such, but I think they should enforce that themselves, rather than having the people in charge decide what everyone can and can't read.

I've never actually heard of books being totally banned from being read, though; at least, not in America. As far as I know, banning books usually just involves libraries and schools refusing to get them and things like that, but you can still buy them in most places. I've noticed that a lot of the best books actually tend to be ones that have been banned like that...

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#4
Old 08-08-2010, 03:08 AM

I think it's absolutely ridiculous. Books are a form of expression and are covered under freedom of speech. Censoring or banning a book just because a few people don't agree with it isn't just stupid, in my opinion, it's just wrong.

If you don't agree with the books views or subject matter, then don't read it! It's a matter of children the parents should be responsible enough to monitor what their children read. If it's an adult, then they should be mature enough to not read it and just go on their way.

Unfortunately, the people who bitch and moan about this are just to uppity and full of themselves to realize this.

I know a few books are banned in some schools, bookstores and libraries. The two that jump to mind first are To Kill A Mockingbird and His Dark Materials. People need to get off their high horses and realize that the world doesn't revolve around them.

Sorry, but being an aspiring author, I get really riled by stuff like this. It seriously irks me.

wrylilt
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#5
Old 08-08-2010, 09:38 AM

I think it's rather amusing that books that have been on the ban list (Such as bridge to terabithia) have gone on to become movies.

Book burning reminds me of 1984 by George Orwell.

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#6
Old 08-10-2010, 05:26 AM

Hasn't somewhere banned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because it used the word "nigger"?

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#7
Old 08-10-2010, 07:01 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by wrylilt View Post
Book burning reminds me of 1984 by George Orwell.
It really reminds me of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a book set on the future where all books have been burned.

I found a site that discusses reasons for book banning. They all seem rather ludicrous and narrow-minded IMO.
Quote:
Racial Issues are commonly cited as reasons to ban books. In a work like To Kill A Mockingbird, the discussion of racism is confused by some as an encouragement towards it. Though caucasians have rarely been subject to racism, they are the group who most often accuse others of it. Example: was banned in a New York private school for being ‘racist towards Whites’, despite the fact that the book was written for white children, so that they could better understand a different culture.

Encouragement of ‘Damaging’ Lifestyles such as homosexuality or co-habitation without marriage makes a lot of people very nervous! Books like Daddy’s Roomate, which encourage children to understand homosexual relationships and accept them, have been long under fire for ‘putting damaging ideas’ into children’s minds. (USABB feels that people who think that homosexuality is something unnatural or inappropriate, or think that their children’s sexuality can be changed by a 15 page book should, as the Beastie Boys say, check their heads.) Oliver Twist alludes to a woman being a prostitute and it shows her in an, ultimately, kind light. Because of this, Dickens’ masterpiece has long been attacked by religious fundamentalists.

Blasphemous Dialog such as the use of the words ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’ as swearing terms is the main cause for much literary censorship. This includes all words deemed by anyone to be offensive. It does not matter if the character appears sorry for saying such things, or if only a villain uses these words: their being in the novel is enough for many.

Sexual Situations or Dialog are almost always censored. Though sexuality is a normal part of human life, many feel that it has no place in literature. Whether the intercourse is within marriage does not seem to matter to those who wish to ban sexual situations in novels.
From angelfire.com

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#8
Old 08-11-2010, 03:46 AM

I look at writing as an art form. I do not believe that art should be censored. As mentioned, America has freedom of speech so books should not be edited just because they make some people uncomfortable.

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#9
Old 08-12-2010, 09:20 PM

haha this reminds me of Fahrenheit 451! Anyone read it? Hilf obviously has ;]

I am totally against the banning of books.

Magician Girl Mirani
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#10
Old 08-14-2010, 10:41 AM

Banning or censoring books is completely unfair to both the public and the authors! I mean, think about it! They've worked hard to get their novel published and they've taken the time to work on the characters, plot, scenes etc in the book and then what do the publishers do? They change it so taht half of the author's work is lost through censors! It's completely ridiculous!
I read through the reasons from the site posted by Hilf and my reaction was "Are these people right in the head?" Personally I don't think they are. It's completely and utterly ridiculous! It seems to me taht a lot of it boils down to narrow-mindedness on the part of a few who have too much power, that's my opinion at least.
Banning and censoring books should be banned!!!!! And it mentioned that in books sexual scenes are edited out. I can see why that would be done in case a younger reader was reading the book...that situation I can understand wanting to avoid but there are movies and things that include that sort of thing and TV programes (Sparticusl, blood and sand" is a good example of that so personally I don't see the harm as long as younger readers don't read it.

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#11
Old 08-14-2010, 04:50 PM

The banning and censoring of books is absolutely ridiculous! Many people have poured their heart and soul into their literary works, only to have them torn asunder by censorship. I know that A Thousand and One Nights is banned from a couple of countries just because it depicts women in a positive light/with stronger disposition/intelligence/etc. The most popular recorded version of it is spurned by the culture it pays homage to.

I agree with Mirani, what with the television shows and whatnot. However, I leave the responsibility to keep kids from reading 'inappropriate material' to the parental units.

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#12
Old 08-15-2010, 01:35 PM

Exactly! If kids are too you8ng to read/watch it then it's up to the parents to make sure that the kid in question doens't read it/watch it. It shouldn't be up to some organisation to decide what is and isn't apropriate for people to read, let them make their own decisions!

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#13
Old 08-15-2010, 11:12 PM

Agreed! There is a reason why there are separate sections for age groups. I know that even with the most vigilant parent things will slip through their grasp, but with what I have witnessed in real life repeatedly... Half the parents aren't even trying to protect their kid from questionable material. Er... I am compelled to rant about this on various levels including a connection to this, but I will withdraw with just this: These parents that aren't doing their duty help give such censorship agencies a foothold because, with what I have seen in life, they are also the ones that cry foul when something isn't their way.

Films for years (and you know full well that books went through it just as much, too,) were put through censorship boards that would deem certain content 'good' or 'bad'. One such thing is that on screen kisses could only last a certain number of seconds before it was scandalous and would have to be changed. In the famous movie, The Women (original 1939 one), there are several instances of censorship and opinionated men (as the boards were constructed of men) had their input. There is mention where a woman deserved to be beaten and throughout the entire movie, it is the woman's fault the marriage failed even though her husband messed around with another woman. If they did this to movies just THINK of what they did to the novels! You know full well that they mutilated them with the same kind of censorship.

Sorry, got a little carried away for that second bit... But one book that was banned for years was The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Taken from the back of said novel:
Quote:
First published in 1899, this beautiful, brief novel so disturbed critics and the public that it was banished for decades afterward. Now widely read and admired, The Awakening has been hailed as an early vision of woman's emancipation...

Magician Girl Mirani
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#14
Old 11-01-2010, 12:49 PM

Looks like everyone here agrees that banning books because of content is absolutely ridiculous. I just have something to ask. I am writing an essay on this for English (the banning and cencorship of books) and I was wondering if anyone would mind if I quoted them? If not then that's okay but I just wanna know that it's okay to do so.
Thanks guys!

PWEEP
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#15
Old 11-01-2010, 09:20 PM

I don't believe censoring or banning books on a massive level is okay, obviously that's too extreme. But if you were going to ban pornography books from elementary schools, I would think everyone would agree with me on that one. Stephen King books aren't banned in my school, but you may only check them out if you are a freshman or higher. (My high school combined grades 6-12 in one building). I could understand why, since many are graphic in either gore or sex, and are mature.

But if you're going to ban Harry Potter because it goes against your religion, don't read it. You shouldn't forbid others who want to read it though, simply because one person may be offended.

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#16
Old 11-06-2010, 02:12 AM

I think it's pretty unfair. I mean, what if you don't find the content disturbing? *shrug* I mean, for certain places, I can understand it, but for others it makes no sense.

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#17
Old 11-12-2010, 04:43 PM

I think that parents should be the ones deciding what their children read, not teachers and adminsitrators. The parents, if they don't want their children exposed to certain things, should take it upon themselves to keep their children away from those influences. Writing is an art form, and it's also protectedunder freedom of speeck in the Constitution. It's not right for public schools to ban books.

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#18
Old 11-21-2010, 04:17 AM

If a school bans a book, kids are just gonna want to read it even more, and they will find ways to read it.

You can't tell someone not to read something, as a parent or a teacher, beacuse it's not your choice.

What you CAN do, is talk to your kids or students about what they are reading.

Someone is reading a book that has Racism as a theme, including violent depictions of expressing that kind of hate, then you should talk to the one reading it about why Racism is wrong. They'll benefit more from the book by talking about it, rather than just reading it alone.

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#19
Old 02-17-2011, 08:42 PM

I don't believe its right, or anyone's place to decide that books should be banned. After all its been said we have freedom of speech, the first amendment adheres to that. If subject is sensitive to a certain individual, then the simple matter would be not to read it. Same goes when it comes to a child reading, something that a parent doesn't wish them to. There's no reason to ban a book, when all it does is open our eyes to certain subjects. The fact is I think mostly why, books are banned is, because a refusal to see reality of the way something was, or even the reality of a harsh nature. Other than that literature is a creation that someone worked so hard on, in order to get published. Obviously if the publishing companies thought it was good enough to publish, there's no reason for it to be banned. I suppose ignorance is one of man's many follies as sad as that is.

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#20
Old 02-17-2011, 09:48 PM

Books being banned for stupid reasons~ God how I hate it so. Mainly I hate how they get banned over the stupidest things. The only reason they get banned is because some people get butt-hurt over the littlest things. I mean really is a book going to harm you or subject you to being treated differently?

So yeah for the most part I really disagree banning ANY books. Just because someone doesn't like it doesn't mean it should be pulled from the shelves and never read. :/

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#21
Old 02-17-2011, 10:09 PM

Everyone seems to be against the banning or censorship of books because they feel it infringes upon free speech.

While I do agree that the banning of books because the material they contain might be offensive, I do feel it is justified in some cases.

For example, does anyone remember the controversy about Amazon a few months ago? A pedophile had written and published a book detailing how to coax children into being comfortable with sex for pedophiles' enjoyment, etc., and Amazon was hosting it on their website. Naturally this caused outrage. Books like this should not be allowed to be published, no matter how you look at it.

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#22
Old 02-18-2011, 07:40 AM

It reminds me of fahrenheit 451 and I don't like it. I should be able to read whatever the hell I want as long as it's not a "how to kill people" (or something as equally terrible) book. :/

Last edited by QueenPeppermint; 02-18-2011 at 11:02 PM..

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#23
Old 02-18-2011, 01:03 PM

Some aspects of book banning and censorship are definitely like Fahrenheit 451. I've just finished reading it with my English class and frankly I'm not sure of Bradbury wasn't a little too optimistic at the end with the whole phoenix thing. Human beings tend to be ridiculously stupid at the best of times after all.

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#24
Old 02-19-2011, 05:47 AM

I don't believe in banning or censoring books.
Writing is an art form, and art shouldn't be censored.

That said, if it's plagiarized, it should be removed from the shelves.

----------

Quote:
Originally Posted by Magician Girl Mirani View Post
Exactly! If kids are too you8ng to read/watch it then it's up to the parents to make sure that the kid in question doens't read it/watch it. It shouldn't be up to some organisation to decide what is and isn't apropriate for people to read, let them make their own decisions!
I also completely agree with this.
Some parents are so lazy these days.
The government shouldn't have to do the babysitting of YOUR kids themselves.
Like I say about the internet, if you aren't monitoring what they're looking at yourself, it's not their fault, or the person posting/publishing the content to blame, its YOUR fault for not watching what the fuck your kids are up to.

Your as in the general "you" aimed at those types of parents. XP

Shiverpass
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#25
Old 02-19-2011, 11:36 PM

My opinion would be hell no. I've read aphrodisiac books and to be honest, they're more appropriate than porn is. Even though people say that it's porn-in-a-book. Books are books. If they find it disturbing, then they do. But that gives them no right to band stuff because of that. There are a lot of things religions finds disturbing. Does that mean they get to ban it? I just think it unjust and fairly unfair. Whatever happened to Freedom of Writing?

 


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