Written By: Owen Weems, Staff Writer
CENSORSHIP: Active attempts by adults and “concerned” groups across the United States to ban reading material they deem inappropriate divide the nation.
The word censorship brings to mind the autocratic regimes of tyrannical governments throughout history. The National Socialists of Germany and the People’s Republic of China are but a couple of examples. We, as Americans, are inclined to believe that censorship is a non-threat in our nation thanks to the protections outlined by the 1st Amendment. These democratic values are something that many fought hard to protect. That is why it is hard for many to believe that, even as you sit here reading this, there is a movement spread throughout the United States of organized attempts to ban books from school libraries. Maybe the future hypothesized by Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451 (a dystopian novel on the dangers of the fanatic destruction of information), isn’t so far off from the truth in store for us if something doesn’t change.
Many students look to their school library for information. For those who may not have access to many books at home, it can offer one of the only places to find a book to read and enjoy. So when students walk into their school’s library and discover that the book they were looking for is no longer offered by their district this can prove discouraging and detrimental to their learning.
First, one must understand how and why this censorship occurs. This is a crisis appearing all over the United States, but some of the most notable instances of its effects can be found within the state of Florida. This is partly due to the strict control that the state government puts over education. School boards across the state have, through their meetings and councils, removed many books from the school libraries. This can include a variety of new and existing literature, ranging from classics such as Slaughterhouse 5 and The Handmaid’s Tale to new publications such as All Boys Aren’t Blue, a book covering the struggles of being a member of the LGBTQ+ community in modern society. South Florida school districts alone have banned more than 300 books since the beginning of the 2022 school year. Though Florida is on the extreme when it comes to this issue, it isn’t the only place where this occurs. Districts and school boards in nearly every state spanning the nation have come into contention with those who would have a myriad of the books in libraries taken off the shelves.
Now I’m sure many of you still have one question in your mind. Why is this all happening? In the end, it comes down to the power of information. Information has the power to shatter worldviews and change a person’s mind. That is what these school boards and parents are so scared of. Statistics show that a majority of the books banned cover the African-American or LGBTQ+ experience. Many people, dogmatic in their worldviews, cling to what they believe with incredible tenacity. Although this determination and stubbornness can be good at times, it can also be a detriment as can be seen here. If one holds onto their perspective too tightly it can lead to fear of people and things that they themselves disagree with. This leads to the hysteria around banning books especially when it comes to novels on the queer experience in mainly conservative districts. In the name of “protecting” their children, parents have voiced their concern about these ideas for being too inappropriate for young readers or in some cases saying that they are going to be used to brainwash the young. What the real issue at hand seems to be is that these parents want their children to think just like them. They want them to believe the same things and follow the same religion. They want them to side with the same political party and act in a similar way. Although these groups may defend by saying it protects their children, what it actually does is leave them unprepared for the future that they will inhabit. If students are unable to learn more about different people, they will never learn empathy. Reading these books may even help them find who they truly are. Taking that away from them is unconstitutional and unfair to these growing minds. In an attempt to protect strict beliefs, they divide this country and leave many minority groups feeling as though they are unheard of in their schools and communities.
This does not just happen in conservative areas. Left-leaning states have also been known to ban books or other forms of media as well. Attempts have been made to ban To Kill a Mockingbird with claims that it includes derogatory terms for African Americans and has Atticus Finch portrayed as a white savior. All sides will have their reasons to ban information, but I think that the quest for knowledge requires that all perspectives be heard. If we don’t learn about the mistakes of the past, we are much more likely to repeat them. The censorship of material should never be an option. It is foolish and nearsighted to ban materials indefinitely just to protect what you perceive to be your short-term interests.
Now why does this matter for us at Poly? Although California has recently pushed through legislation to restrict the ability of schools to ban books from their libraries, it is the underlying issue that is the area of greatest concern. Politics in the United States has become a divisive topic, leaving many angry or unsure. The act of censoring material illustrates the schism between the two parties and how people vie for control in all aspects of their lives, including primary education. The banning of books, if it were to spread to our school, would limit our ability to learn and spread distinct ideas. Thankfully there haven’t been any instances of this in the RUSD school district, but it has permeated into nearby school districts. To protect our children’s future, we must protect the books that they use to build their future.