The Danger of Book Banning In America
Book banning has been a tactic used throughout history to suppress knowledge and keep minorities from having access to information. This is happening again as several schools have made national headlines over the course of the last month after several books were banned across multiple school districts. States like Virginia, Florida, Texas and Tennessee have garnered attention for their irrespective banning.
These heinous bans are targeted at books concerning ideas of racial justice and books that have LGBTQ+ storylines. Many of the radical republicans trying to move forward with these bans are insisting that books containing LGBTQ+ characters are pushing themes of sexuality onto children. These opinions are ignorant and perpetuate harmful homophobic stereotypes.
As these bans have emerged, pushback, especially from liberal media outlets, has erupted. In response to this outrage, many conservative news sources have cited attempts throughout history by left leaning influences to remove certain books from the curriculum. Books like Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men and many more have notoriously been deemed not fit to teach in school by liberals. Regardless of what conservatives may say, these situations are very different. Recent conservative efforts to ban books have focused on banning humane books that discuss prevalent topics in a blunt way. Books like Huckleberry Finn have been viewed as racist and immoral since their release, and for a good reason. Huckleberry Finn portrays violent examples of racism and bigotry, as one of the novels primary themes is slavery. Throughout the book, white characters use the n-word in a derogatory way. A book written in the 1800s’ that discusses racism in an insensitive way is bound to be pulled from shelves. Suggesting that a book that frequently uses demeaning racial slurs is just as bad as a book that talks about the black experience in America is dumbfoundingly stupid.
These ludicrous ideas are a part of a larger effort by conservatives to suppress media with narratives about marginalization in America, very similar to Florida’s recent bigoted legsilation. Florida governor Ron DeSantis recently banned 54 math textbooks for pushing an agenda of “critical race theory.”
These acts of censorship come as debates about America’s teaching of critical race theory heat up. These school board members believe teaching books that handle racism is promoting this teaching. Obviously, that’s absolutely horrific. Republicans, along with suppressing minority votes, are now also trying to suppress minority voices. This movement is a shameless attempt to limit students’ access to knowledge. As more knowledge becomes available to students, conservatives' fears grow. Since the Republican Party is entirely built on lies and misinformation, the thought of youths having access to real knowledge is terrifying to them
Recently, the new wave of book bans began gaining headway when Maus, a graphic novel that depicts the Holocaust, was banned following uproar over the book’s inappropriate imagery and profanity. The author, Art Spiegelman, acknowledged the uncomfortable imagery in the book but also said that he believes the imagery was necessary since the Holocaust should be an uncomftorable topic to discuss. Maus has seen its sales skyrocket following the publicity its banning received. This showcases the persistent effort by the general public to keep access to books open.
Since the vast majority of public opinion disagrees with radical conservative views, you would think that book bans wouldn’t gain much traction. But Republicans have found ways to gain power and abuse that power to achieve their goals despite wide opposition from the public. Sounds familiar. Other novels such as Ghost Boys, a book about racially charged police brutality, and Drama, a graphic novel about teens struggling with sexuality, have also been banned. Many of the bans targeting racial justice books have been stripped from schools for having themes of “reverse racism.” Even a biography about Michelle Obama was called to be slashed for allegedly promoting “anti-white” ideas. The fact that people who genuinely believe that reverse racism exists are dictating what children can and cannot read is absolutely ridiculous.
I find it ridiculous that a party that yells about censorship is stripping children of their right to learn. The efforts to ban books have been met with much backlash. Librarians and students alike seem to agree that banning books is a slippery slope that can escalate to a much more dangerous situation. Amidst Republican efforts to suppress minority votes, books bans are yet another example of conservatives limiting the basic human rights of Americans. If the Republican party continues to abuse the democratic system to enforce their political beliefs on Americans, I have serious concerns about the future of our country.
By Sawyer Sugarman