{"id":4887,"date":"2009-09-28T18:51:36","date_gmt":"2009-09-29T01:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/?p=4887"},"modified":"2009-10-03T17:10:26","modified_gmt":"2009-10-04T00:10:26","slug":"burnt-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/archives\/4887","title":{"rendered":"National Banned Books Week"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBebel Platz’s Berlin memorial to Nazi book burning; even the font<\/a> used in the memorial used to piss off the Nazis<\/em><\/p>\n

This week is The American Library Association\u2019s Banned Books Week<\/a>. Here’s a link to the 11 Most Ironically Banned Books of All Time<\/a><\/em>. Go read something that might change your view of the world. Something you shouldn’t be allowed to read.<\/em> <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

revenge of the puritans<\/strong>
\nCensorship hasn’t gone away. It’s become a way of life, post-Janet Jackson<\/a>. (Even the video I’m linking to is hidden behind a warning – you’re kidding, right??) Today, I can’t watch a talk show without both<\/em> the naughty word and<\/em> the mouths blurred out. Wonder why seeing a mouth silently form a naughty word<\/em> was ever acceptable??<\/p>\n

censorship in berkeley?<\/strong>
\nMany years ago I had a comic strip in Berkeley’s Daily Californian<\/a><\/em>. It was censored repeatedly by the editorial staff – I came to see their (my term for it) ‘neo liberal behavior’ as, ‘We will fight to our dying breath to support your right to free speech – but – what do you have there? No, we can’t have any of that. Pull it.’<\/em><\/p>\n

Would routinely find – three weeks later when the subscription copy showed up – they kept running this same stock strip over and over (And at the time, SPY<\/em> magazine<\/a> – probably the strip’s main influence – was doing so much more).<\/p>\n

thinking<\/strong>
\nMost of it were ideas. They were actually cool with profanity (hardly used any). But  . . .  ideas are dangerous. Ideas change culture, challenge established systems, frighten a lot of people who have their world already figured out<\/em>. People will die to keep others from changing what they believe is unquestionably true<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Sorry, in my world – things aren’t so black and white. Absolutes  . . .  not so absolute. And I like surprises. They’re fun. <\/p>\n

And I like to be able to read whatever I wish to. <\/p>\n

I know – it’s really a lot to ask.<\/p>\n

book banning today: the map<\/strong>
\nHere’s a link to a Google map showing book bans and challenges throughout the United States<\/a>. It is estimated that around 75-80% of actual incidents are not reported.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nGoogle map: Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-09<\/em><\/p>\n

Berlin memorial photo by flickr user gabesk<\/a>, found via the Sophisticated Dorkiness blog<\/a>; book stack photo found via USAToday<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\r\n\t

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