President Biden keeps talking about "book bans," writes Andrew Rotherham on Eduwonk. It's become "a nervous tic" for Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. "The conventional wisdom . . . sees 'book banning' as an absolute gift to the Democrats."
Maybe, he writes. Maybe not.
Most people don't think books about racial issues should be removed from school libraries because they might make some students "uncomfortable." They think older students can handle difficult books. But they're also worried about what's appropriate for younger children, about "political overreach" and especially about gender and sexuality, writes Rotherham.
Some schools are teaching critical race theory or “CRT-light,” and "not as one way some people understand the world or as a theory but as inarguable fact," he writes.
On the other hand, "too many Republicans have turned into snowflakes about teaching the uglier parts of American history."
Schools have to make choices, writes Rotherham. There are "calls to change what is in or out of the ‘canon’," as well as time constraints. "Debating what’s essential knowledge can be contentious, but it’s a healthy activity for a society and schooling inherently requires choices."
Gender Queer, the "most challenged book," is a graphic memoir by a non-binary writer that shows two boys having oral sex. Many parents think that's inappropriate for a school library.
Claims that censorship is surging are "false," writes Jay Greene on Daily Signal. Seventy-four percent of books on PEN America's list of books banned by school districts are available to students, he writes.
PEN America's report listed school districts that had banned “Anne Frank’s Diary,” “Brave New World,” “Lord of the Flies,” “Of Mice and Men,” “The Color Purple,” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In every district, "we found copies listed as available in the online card catalogue." Some were checked out to students.
The report claims “The Hate U Give,” which was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, was removed from more than a dozen public school libraries in 2021-2022, Greene writes. Multiple copies of the book are available in every district listed.
Twenty-six percent of books on the list weren't found in school libraries, but it's not clear if they were "banned" or never purchased, writes Greene. Some "would strike most reasonable people" as inappropriate because of explicit sex scenes.
""Maybe a book with graphic depictions of blowjobs doesn't belong in an elementary school libaray."
Oh yeah, happens so frequently states need to pass laws.
As Alex said at the end of A Clockwork Orange, "I was cured alright!"
There's another smartphone factor that I suspect impacts kids' mental health adversely -- the unending doom and gloom posts that they assume to be true -- an assumption too often confirmed in school. It makes the world appear as an awful place to be, with them having no power over this pending (always pending) end of the world. Clinical depression would be a natural result from this continuing deluge of Cassandra postings.
What?
still teaching inPGCPS?
Not at Bowie High I see.
Book banning probably hasn’t increased much. Decades ago it was Diary Of Anne Frank, Forever, Blubber, My Darling My Hamburger, Dinky Hockey Shoots Smack, Sylvester And The Magic Pebble.
what has changed is that those wanting to ban books do so not because they are “off-ended” but rather they get to suck on the conservative “grassroots” money train and get their 15 minutes of fame on Fox/NewsMax/ONAN.
(Over in England, Rupert Murdoch tit-ilates with the buxom Page 3 young lady. Here in America he gins up with anger about this or that. )
You've got to give credit to the left for their ability to obscure reality with language (see also: pro-choice, gender-affirming care, medical marijuana, et al.). We don't provide Hustler (or whatever porn magazines are available today) in school libraries, but we're hardly "banning" such magazines.