Today's conspiracy

[michika]

I think the whole Harry Potter thing was silly as well. Then again I'm very liberal when it comes to things like books.

Does anyone know anything about Groupthink? When I hear things about books being banned I always think about Groupthink. The the idea behind it is that there is a tendancy for all members in a small, close-know group to think alike, an to discourage dissent or disagreement among themselves and from outsiders.

Should I fear your mother? I wonder if she is like my Mum?

What other books have recently been banned? I remember Payton Place was once banned, but that was in the 50s or 60s I believe.

[mark]

One of the clips I seen on the issue wasn't so much the book itself but the author was an atheist so on that alone the book should be banned from schools and the movie boycotted.

[Delphinus]

I would imagine Davinci Code was probably banned too. I don't remember. If it wasn't banned I'm sure they wanted to.

[pandafishowner]

They're banning all the good books.

To Kill A Mockingbird - due to the N word I believe (though back when the book was based, the N word was common)
Of Mice and Men - same issue I believe


IIRC, most Stephen King and Anne Rice books have been removed, I remember hearing about R L Stine books (Goosebumps) being removed. Too bad too, because I used to love Goosebumps books as a kid. SK and AR write good books too!

here's a good site with a downloadable PDF of banned/challenged books. I'm 22 and I've read the majority of the books on the list, some of them even when I was in school.

*ETA* Not all the banned books are listed. It's not the list I read through awhile ago, but it has plenty from the list I'm thinking of.

here's another list

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Originally Posted by michika

Should I fear your mother? I wonder if she is like my Mum?

She puts the "C" in Conservative!

But here's the rub: books that contain magic or evil characters are often banned and/or protested. But J.R.R. Tolkien's books have been widely accepted, despite the fact that his depictions of evil and magic are as intense and graphic as anyone's. Same with C.S. Lewis' children's fiction. Why? Simply because they were both Christians.

I hope this doesn't turn into a religious discussion, because I'm pretty sure that's not allowed...lol. But I just think it's interesting.

[michika]

Even though I have never met your mother I already have a fear. The C in conservative is a frightening though.

Its all about the politics I guess. It doesn't matter how far things are from reality, or how good the story really is, it often seems to be about who wrote it as being the deciding factor more so then what the book actually contains.

Some of the reasons for people wanting to challenge or ban a book come off as a bit odd...

[pandafishowner]

JRR Tolkeins books have been banned in some places.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Originally Posted by pandafishowner

JRR Tolkeins books have been banned in some places.

Yes, sure. But more *widely accepted*....

[skylord]

I dont see the problem with this. Its a private school and they have decided that it wont be offered in their library. They havent said that parents cant allow their children to read this book. They havent said they will be excomunicated if they read it and condemed to an eternity in the bowels of earth and all that other mumbo jumbo crap. The funny part...Im against all organised religion and Im defending them......never mind.

Scott

[Der_Iron_Chef]

I guess since I grew up surrounded by that mentality, I have a big problem with it. It's the type of thinking that doesn't allow people the choice to decide what is right or wrong for them. Granted, we shouldn't let kids run around with crack pipes and whiskey....just so they can decide. But, literature that presents some contrasting ideas is fairly innocuous. Or should be.