Criminal Censorship

Res Ipsa Loquitur

This is just stupid.......

I just finished reading this article about how a fourteen year old girl was shocked over the content in her school assigned book she was reading. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” was written by Sherman Alexie, who is a Native American author.  The book contains graphic descriptions of masturbation and other sexual acts. The book has been banned by several school districts and the parents of this girl are demanding the book be banned within their district.  I find many problems with this.  I dislike any book being banned, even if I do not agree with it, as banning books will eventually lead to burning books and that frightens me because it reminds me of Nazi Germany.  As anyone who has read Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” can tell you, burning books is not a good idea and seems to strip a Soul of their compassionate humanity.  Even banning books can lead to violations of our inherent freedoms that young men and women have died overseas to protect.
  

The book should not be banned due to one family's protest.  If the girl is fourteen, she likely already knows how to masturbate and it is also very possible she or one of her friends have given a guy a blow-job. Maybe she has had sex with more than one guy and her parents do not know. It may be a distasteful book but young girls grow up very quickly in today's Society and Culture. Unless she is not allowed to listen to music, watch television, watch movies and her parents kept her locked away in isolation her whole life, then I am almost certain she has seen worse than what is written in this book. I reiterate that it is very possible she has done worse than what is described in this book. I remember being fourteen. I recount what my girlfriend Jennifer and I were doing back then and I can assure you that this book is completely P.G. rated when compared to our youthful transgressions. Some would likely consider our actions XXX and I thank The Gods everyday that I did not end up a teen-age father but I was blessed with a mother who taught me about sex education and protection early.  It is from her education and not from any schools Sex-Ed information that I managed to protect myself. I understand from kids I know that things have only gotten worse when it comes to the defilement of young women and sadly many of these sexual acts are instigated by the ignorant girls themselves.

Honestly, we as a society are responsible for the immature sexual situations children find themselves in because our sick culture seems to endorse that irresponsibility as a good thing. Of course parents are to blame but a parent cannot know what their children are up to twenty-four hours a day and even if they are the strictest parents in the World, even they must sleep. Children find ways to be bad and if two teenagers decide to have sex, it is almost impossible to stop them.  Instead of banning books because the content supposedly offends certain families’ morality, sexual education should be taught. I believe it best to teach children about sex as soon as they reach puberty. They are then old enough to understand the physical part of it and the consequences of their actions if they decide to have sexual intercourse. I also think condoms should be handed out in schools and other places where young people congregate. I understand the argument that by giving the youth information about sex and condoms at the same time is an open invitation to have sex with one another. While there may be a glimmer of ironic truth in that argument, the tragic fact is most teen-agers will have sex anyway and if they are going to do so, is it not better that they understand and have protection?  There are many young mothers out there that knew all about sex and how to do it but they had not an inkling how to go about it safely. 

If the Mainstream Mass Media machine refuses to alter the content of their movies, television shows, and music, then they must also allow the message of sexual safety to reach the youth. Maybe a book such as this one is what is needed. I have not read it and have no idea if safe sexual practices were occurring in it but from what I have read in reviews, the author goes out of her way to portray a life that some would say is a definition of loose morality but is truly the sad consequences of living life as a poor minority. This book is about an American Indian girl who experiences many negative actions due to her Indian heritage. If the book reads like the way I think it does, it should not be banned because maybe more light will be put on the horrible lives that some Native Americans live, due to poverty, alcoholism, racism, and a lack of education. White people have been abusing these people for hundreds of years and even today, there are tribes who live in areas that closely resemble Third World Countries. There have been a few tribes who have been lucky; these American Indians have learned from their years of torture and have established casinos on their reservations that generate vast sums of money for their people. 

That is great, wonderful news and the Mainstream Mass Media and the American Government, who of course work in tandem, would like the American Public to believe that all Indian Tribes are treated equally and sharing the profits with each other.  As nice as that sounds, it simply is not true. The Tribes do not support each other like that (please remember that there were many wars between the different tribes.) and with all the American Indian Tribes in The United States of America, there are only a few that are allowed to own and operate casinos.  The other Tribes are poor, existing on government rations and whatever work they can find. In rural America, as in the cities, employment can be very difficult to find.  My point is that American Indians, just like any American minority and the Poor, suffer in terrible conditions that are obviously alien to the folks who would like this book banned.  The book is titled “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” and I believe the author tried to write what she considered to be true so it does not surprise me that the book has graphic detail.  The lives of the Poor and disenfranchised are not pretty at all……

http://www.wlky.com/news/30264341/detail.html?source=htv

 

.A.N.F.

 

Drew Kazinsky

January 23, 2012

West Stockton, California

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree with your thoughts. Banning books is the first step in control. If the school don't want the book. Don't place the book in their school. Last year the Government wanted to control the internet. Somewhere there are people storing away all our e-mails and use of the internet for 7 years. Freedom is a good word. One day we will lose freedom and most folks won't know it is gone. Thank you for your thoughts. A excellent story.
Coyote

[quinfinn]

sounds as if someone has done his research and is quite well read on the literary guild. you project yourself in your profile as a mercenary type bad boy vigilante who mocks tradition and is breaking out with his own brand of reality. so bohemian, but you betray that with this particular write. you come across as such in this because you are well read, skilled and very well informed on your subject matter, so i am impressed and quite ready to accept your "nom de plume" image
even though...i think we both know...that you are toying with your audience on a very basic level. hooray for veiled intelligence

[Andrew N. Farrens]

As I was reading this, I had my flaming lighter to the "fish-head" pipe and I choked on the acrid smoke as I laughed and laughed and laughed......
I suppose you are right but I never really thought of myself in the way you described. It just comes so naturally. Thanks for the enlightening review. It was a great one on so many levels. SELAH.
ANF

[quinfinn]

welcome

[Ees]

I remember being fourteen too. I didn't know anything about masturbation, but I wouldn't have been bothered to read about it and my parents wouldn't have cared either. Of course my mom and I read To Kill A Mockingbird when I was in second grade and my sixth grade homeroom teacher was disturbed when she caught me reading Angela's Ashes. Haha. What are people so afraid of!?

I don't remember that much sex going on when I was fourteen. Maybe I was just missing something, but I didn't see any. I went to parties, I did drugs... I made out with everybody everywhere, but the idea of sex didn't even occur to me!

We were taught sex education in 5th grade, again in seventh grade and one more refresher in tenth grade. So it depends on where you live when it comes sex education in schools. I live in upstate western new york... they've got that covered up here, to an extreme it felt like. I was always like, who the f**k doesn't know this stuff?! But I have heard of places that don't cover it at all. I also have friends who went to Catholic schools that did not cover sexual education. They knew the deal, too, because it's out there, their parents told them, there are places to read these things...

If you think about it, though, teenagers are made for having sex. The teenager is a fairly new creation in the history of man. In the past a teenager would have been close enough to an adult and they'd be getting married and having babies and working. So maybe we are denying biology by trying to say that teenagers shouldn't be having sex.

Books are there for you to see into different lives and to educate. It is ridiculous that people think that reading something will then make you do those things. I read a book about a vietnam vet once, who liked to have sex with his cousin, let me tell you, when my cousin got home from Iraq I didn't jump on that. I remember that book being fucked up and what a sad, pathetic creature that guy was... It didn't make me behave in the same way. There are schools that have started banning the classics.
But sometimes a teacher chooses a book that just plain isn't appropriate for a high school class. The town I come from is made up of almost half Irish, almost have Italians and the rest filled in with Jews, so basically everyone is either Catholic or Jewish. In 11th grade the teacher made us read this super-anti catholic book that encouraged being born again. That was kind of messed up. I was offended by that! there was some sex and some drug use in that book, I could have eaten that up all day, but the moral of the story was that traditional religions are wrong and you should join some wacko-jesus-yay church. That's one some parents should hav gotten mad about.

Thanks for sharing! Important topics covered!

[Mr Dunne Poetry]

My poetry was censored by Crown court in England for five years 2009-2014, why you may ask? For using 'truthful' poetry to fight back against family racism towards my mixed race Daughter. Censorship is for the weak.

[Andrew N. Farrens]

My dead cousin Jason (SHADOW .S.S.S.X.I.V.) was half black and half white so neither group accepted and called him awful names so he became a norte XIVer in CYA. The Mexicans accepted him. Such is the logic of the 209 Stocktonian streets.

[Chris]

I don't believe that "this thing speaks for itself" in any way at all. I looked up the "source" and without delving still deeper...

The poorly written or perhaps purposely "slanted" source set the tone and provided (while provoking) the forum. Quite the "slanted" Op-Ed piece and perhaps use of a sly editor's tongue-in-cheek empowerment to provide a slap to the face of parents the reporter publicly perceived as less-enlightened, under-educated, and dim-witted.

I have no doubt the base details of the "story" have factual roots, But, the reporter's lack of writing ability or the intentional guiding slant and tone of the piece are a sad commentary of a lack of journalistic neutrality and personal responsibility.

THAT said - Censorship is inherently wrong. But what IS censorship? And in this piece - what was censored? Actual "law" is a strange and convoluted animal. The legalese of individual consent is predicated on many factors including age and the rights of individual State's Legislatures to legally define their statutes and modifying parameters and to empower the penalizing of individuals based on actions taken.

As for this essay... a lot of supposition, unveiled personal private opinion, well considered innuendo, and you played both the sexist and rascist cards while demonizing "society" and "the Mainstream Mass Media". You defined your slanted personal diatribe well while effectively "harpooning" any that may disagree.. Overall you set up and delivered a nice piece of "reasoned" propaganda.

[Andrew N. Farrens]

Man, I do not have the time to give this the consideration it so richly deserves so please understand that I will get back to you. Quickly, I would like to thank-you for the constructive criticism. I sincerely appreciate and I hope you critique some of my other stuff, only keep in mind I am a high-school drop-out with a GED. It has been many a moon since I last sat in a classroom, due to unfortunate circumstances. Please check out "We Are All Oscar Grant" and "The Mind of an Addict", which has a music video on You-Tube to go along with it. I am interested in what you might think of them. Again, thank-you for the interest.....Selah.
ANF

[Chris]

I'm sorry you had to postpone the classic education, you have some sweet skills that would have served you well as you polished them. The ability to bring people along to where you are is what an author really seeks.

[mandy]

Andrew. that was a very comprehensible read,,, and i agree,,,,as i was reading the other views,,,i could just say ditto,,,to mark's review, i agree totally with what he said. you seem to understand all aspects of the issues and presented them concisely, thank you.

[Andrew N. Farrens]

thank-you very much

[bob, small b. aka invs]

i'm think you've over-reacted a bit to the initial story. the issue in that case was not that the book existed within the district, the issue was that it was ASSIGNED reading. i think that assigning a book with explicit scenes is simply bad judgement on the part of the teacher. there are plenty of books that are much safer and of equal value that could be on the assigned reading lists. to jump from this case to farenheit 451 and nazi germany is a leap that defies logic. i am not in favor of censorship, but i am in favor of common sense. you do not assign d.h. lawrence, or james joyce, or william burroughs, or anais nin to students. that's not censorship, it's wisdom. the books still exist. they can still be read for pleasure or as independent reading. they just cannot be assigned. that's a far cry from gathering up copies to make a bonfire.

[Mark]

I truly believe that we bring into our lives what we think and feel about. Feeling so strongly about this book to ban it only gives the book power. How many people now know and will read this book because it's been banned? Many more than if the parents had simply talked to their daughter about the contents of the book in a rational, adult manner.

I totally agree with your sentiments here. Banning books is not the answer, understanding, dialog are the ways to combat what parents might see as wrong behavior.

I don't agree with that moralistic point of view, but I do agree that everyone has a right to choose and to raise their children with the beliefs of their parents. Lets just try and be adults!

[Yheela]

This is so foreign to me (as a Swede), we just don't have these issues!
I think it's messed up to ban books, to be afraid of teens reading about sex ... it's not like they've SEEN worse things online!
I haven't read the book, but this makes me curious. I might try to find it.

[MoriartyMesa]

Well I hold no stock in the current main stream theory of Politics, Social this that or the other. I am someone who thinks, "well it aint Nazi Germany yet". You gave this more thought than I and I respect that. But people will think and do silly things in order to keep the laces of the shoes of humanity tied and not loose. Never read the book, but I know if you ban a book. People will go out of there way to find it, it is sort of a credit to the writer or writings.