Banning books is one of the most common forms of censorship in the world today. Banned Books Week began in 1982 to highlight the issues surrounding this issue. Since the beginning of this event, more than 11,000 different titles have been challenged. the vast majority of challenging reading materials come from parents who disagree with a title’s inclusion on a curriculum list.
Public libraries, universities, K-12 schools, and businesses across the country frequently see attempts to ban books. The National Coalition Against Censorship reports that there is at least one attempt per week to create censorship on a specific title. the subject matter targeted by the ban process ranges from the classics to contemporary bestsellers. You’ll even find non-fiction biographical stories and fairy tales included in these lists.
You are reading: Cons of banning books
Most challenges never end in a ban because students, families, teachers, and librarians oppose censorship. when books get a ban, it’s usually because there are racial themes involved, an alternative lifestyle portrayed, or violence and sex that make people uncomfortable.
list of the advantages of banning books
1. Parents should have the right to what materials their children can read. Parents are the last line of defense when it comes to protecting their children from material that is inappropriate for their age group. a book with an adult theme can be totally enjoyable when people of the right age have a chance to read and discuss the narrative. that content may not be suitable for a child’s audience. wait until a child is mature enough to understand what vulgar, obscene, and sexually explicit content is often necessary to promote healthy development.
If this material is available in public or school libraries, parents may not even know that their children were exposed to this material. other students may still be talking about the book, but those discussions are very different from applying the narrative in a real-world way.
2. may contain inappropriate content for certain families. 40% of the most questioned books in 2017 contained explicit violence. that is the same percentage that also contained material from the lgbtqia+ community. 30% of the books were sexually explicit with their descriptions. When students receive exposure to graphic materials, there may be adverse psychological effects that occur afterward. this problem can lead to more casual sex partners, having sex at a younger age, and sensitivity issues.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that children who are exposed to violence in books at a young age can encourage them to act more aggressively. Proponents of the book ban say its goal is not to protect a child from specific content. it is about guiding them towards what is healthy for them to find.
3. Banning books from a forum does not remove the ability to access the content. Banning books in the past was an effective way to keep unwanted materials out of anyone’s reach because there were so few communication tools available to society. The world is a very different place in 2019. If parents want their public library to ban a book, then it could be made available online for reading. there are still places to buy the book as well. no one prevents them from being written or sold. what some people call a “book ban” is more of a responsible choice about what to make available to other people.
4. gives parents the opportunity to discuss challenging topics with children. parents want the opportunity to talk with their children about topics that make many people uncomfortable rather than letting one author shape the narrative with a personal opinion. Reading Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is an excellent example of this potential advantage of banning books. dealing with topics such as murder and euthanasia may be beyond the comprehension of some young children. other books deal with suicide, social pressure, and death on a grand scale.
Approving books for a school curriculum without parental guidance can shape a child’s perspective without having the opportunity to form their own opinion. stopping access at the community level can help kids have both sides of the conversation.
5. Banned books could prevent people from being inspired to take adverse action. The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J.D. Salinger, has had a lasting influence on society. It’s still a best-selling book, but it’s also one of the most frequently banned titles that people challenge. It has also been the inspiration for several shoots throughout the year. When John Hinckley, Jr. tried to assassinate ronald reagan, this book was in his collection in the hotel.
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robert john bardo was carrying the book when he murdered rebecca schaeffer. Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon, identified with the narrator to the point of wanting to change his name to Holden Caulfield. Chapman even read part of the book during his sentencing hearing.
6. censorship can reduce the impact of hate speech. Proponents of book bans say that the act of censorship is not a process that is supposed to ban all speech. hate speech is not created equal. the words that some people use to create feelings of personal superiority are harmful. even when a narrative attempts to righteously whitewash this problem, the potential adverse impact of student exposure could create numerous problems for schools, families, and students. Banning the book before it can inspire hate allows us to reduce the impact of this language on our society.
can also reduce the amount of conflict that occurs between two people or parties. limiting access to information does not prevent someone from producing work. It allows people who don’t want to get exposure to a specific concept an easier way to avoid it.
7. the creator’s rights are still protected even if the books are banned. nobody stops an author from writing a book that some people might find offensive. even if the response to a narrative is generally negative, there is always the opportunity to create something else. Although critics can make a valid argument that the act of banning can affect a writer’s income, there are still specific markets in which works can be considered acceptable.
list of cons of banning books
1. takes the book away from someone who wants to read it. The idea of the first amendment is pretty simple: if you don’t like something, then you don’t need to read the book in the first place. prohibiting the expression of an idea because society finds it distasteful or offensive goes against the will of the founding father. a single disagreement from one individual or a general dispute should not prevent others from having the opportunity to read a book that intrigues them. the role of prohibition must remain at the family level.
If you, as a parent or guardian, feel that the material is inappropriate, it is up to you to find an alternative solution. nor are children the ones who normally need protection; it is the books that receive guidance.
2. creates a false sense of reality for children. the reality of language, sex, and violence in literature is that most people get exposure to these elements much earlier in life than a literature class junior level in high school. kids learn to swear much earlier in life, and they probably know all the “bad” words, even if you don’t realize it. Violence in literature is not limited to stories like The Hunger Games. even the harry potter series has moments of violence, despite the fact that many people celebrate the stories.
When action is taken to ban books, this behavior is a reflection of having a closed mind. It speaks to the idea that there is a perspective that contains the truth in our world. if your opinion is left out of that thought, too bad: your literature will be hidden from everyone, whether they like it or not.
3. books are some of our best teachers. books allow us to put life’s stories in their proper context. storytelling teaches us to speak from an early age. we can learn some of our social skills from the process of reading. it can even be a way to engage new ways of thinking. the last question is usually why people want to deposit books in the first place. people often fear the unknown, which means reading something that feels uncomfortable is a threat that needs to be stopped.
The reality of books is that they are our best teachers. For a reason, titles such as Brave New World or To Kill a Mockingbird are usually the ones that teachers choose for their classes on a repetitive basis. Instead of constantly challenging these titles by trying to get them banned, it might be more helpful to sit back, have a cocktail, and read the book yourself before trying to stop others.
4. many banned books become celebrated classics of literature. Nearly every classic we read in various literature classes says something the human race needs to hear. Even the Library of Congress has compiled lists of titles that have helped shape our heritage, each offering something unique of extraordinary merit. these stories are already designed to deal with the various issues of their time, including moral, social, and political issues. trying to ban the book won’t stop the idea from unleashing itself on the rest of the culture. if anything, the act of banning a book makes the general public more willing to read the narrative rather than ignore it.
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5. books have the power to change the world. there are some books that people have read that have changed their lives. Many people can remember where they were when they read Anne Frank’s diary, and that is one example of many. books give us the opportunity to face our problems instead of running away from them by watching television or being so busy that we don’t take the time to enjoy creative storytelling.
When there is a restriction of free thought, we find ourselves with the most dangerous subversion of all. From an American perspective, the idea that one offended person can prevent everyone else from enjoying the right to read is as un-American as it sounds.
6. impedes the process of exploring others. the challenged books contain topics that are designed to be challenging for the average reader. the goal of the narration is to make you think as you read the book. you want to know the reasons why the characters choose to perform the actions that happen. readers want the opportunity to question, explore, or even be offended by what they find in the narrative. can this be something bad? critics say that even the decision to act violently is a personal choice that occurs rather than something that inspires the book.
7. Many efforts to ban books involve personal opinion rather than fact. In 1983, the Alabama State Textbook Committee called for a ban on Anne Frank because the book was “depressing.” There have been efforts where parents have found that there are sexually offensive passages in this young woman’s diary. although there may be passages in the books that can be explicit, there are times when the real world works the same way. when someone decides to bring a gun to a shopping mall to commit a mass shooting, that behavior is a response to specific stimuli. we must look beyond the action to the big picture to understand what is happening.
Instead of getting lost in the small moments of a passage, we should take a look at the whole story as a whole. even controversial books can foster important learning opportunities for many of today’s teens. people tend to make the right decision if you give them a chance to review all of their options. banning books stops that process.
8. Tastes and preferences change over the years. Fox’s television show, The Simpsons, is a prime example of how society changes over the years. when it was first introduced in the 1980s, most evangelicals brushed aside the content, encouraging others on the far right to avoid it altogether because it was direct. Even First Lady Barbara Bush once called the cartoon “dumb.” Then attitudes began to change in the early 1990s. Bible studies were developed to complement the series. people began to turn the corner to enjoy their new yellow friends on television.
Banning books, like most forms of criticism, tends to be a knee-jerk reaction to an emotional response. when people take the time to review the content of a narrative, there is always something to get out of it. Some people don’t like The Simpsons because it’s animated, which means it’s geared towards their kids. this may not always be the case.
9. Banning a book makes kids crave narrative. Kids want to read books that are realistic. when a narrative is timely and current, then you have an excellent chance of having a successful experience. many of the banned books have characters going through circumstances similar to what they have in their lives at the time. if you ban that material, then kids (especially teens) will go to great lengths to get the product anyway.
There are some uncomfortable issues that many people may not want to address when taking on something controversial. characters may be dealing with issues of sexual assault, divorce, or prejudice. A great example of this theme is the book called The Outsiders. is banned from many middle schools, but this narrative is also one of the most cited books that students say turned them into reading.
verdict on the pros and cons of banning books
The American Library Association tracks book-related challenges each year. Their data goes back to 1990. In 2017, 354 book challenges were reported in the United States, which was an increase of 9.6% over figures reported the previous year. in most years, around 10% of reported challenges result in a ban or removal from the institution in question. in 2016, half of the ten most challenging books were removed.
Parents are responsible for a third of the challenges presented to books. 56% of incidents occur in public libraries. students are responsible for only 1% of the ban requests that occur each year.
The top three reasons for a takedown request are offensive language, “inappropriate” narrative for any age group, or sexually explicit content. When considering the pros and cons of banning books, we must approach the subject with common sense. Isn’t it interesting that society cares about how people will behave after reading a book, but doesn’t share that perspective when it comes to something like gun ownership?
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