Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A teenager's take

My high school doesn't ban books. In fact, we've got 'Read a banned book' posters ALL over the walls at school. Now, I live in a town with probably less than 30,000 people. I think the little census signs say 12,000. (But that's way, way off.) Regardless, we're kind of small, and my town probably does have some close minded people. In fact, we weren't allowed to watch the president's speech a couple weeks ago because so many people complained.
Yet we don't ban books. Why? Quite frankly?
It's stupid and pointless. Yet it happens.
Ever read this series?

(It's the old cover.)
This series used to be pretty popular. I've read them. They're good.
Ahem. 'The book was pulled from the middle school library recommended list because of concerns that the book deals with the occult.'
It's not funny, yet I find myself laughing . . .
It is called FICTION. I'm a teenager and I'm writing a story about demons. Does that make me a witch? No. (Do I want to be a witch? Most definitely. I mean, just look;
Sigh. Don't I wish. Those books were banned-or at least challenged-too. What a crime . . .)
Anyway, back to the point. If I write about demons, that doesn't make me a demon worshiper. If it deals with the supernatural, it isn't the occult; at least not the creepy, let's kill the world and drink blood kind.
Yes, I do feel the urge to put a picture of a vampire. I'm abstaining. This is how serious I am. You have no idea how much it hurts.
Then there's this book.

Banned because: 'objected to the novel’s depiction of how blacks are treated by members of a racist white community.'
Um, that's the point of the book. It's American culture, as sad as that is. It just makes no sense. This happens in schools. Primarily high schools. As a kid, my take on it is a little different. Yes, it's terrible that it infringes our rights. However, I think the hypocrisy is worse.
Banning a high school student from reading insinuates that we're idiots. It is as if we can't handle what we are reading. If you can trust us with a car, then you can trust us with a book. If you can trust us to get up, go to school, make our dinner, feed the dog, do all of that and more, then I just don't see the point in banning a book. I promise--even if we read stories about the occult, it will not be nearly as traumatizing as some of the movies I've seen, or the jokes made by some of my guy friends.
Ugh. Yeah, I think some of those jokes are about twelve hundred times worse than anything I've ever read.
Now, because I refrained earlier, because my mind is now scarred from remembering those strange and terrible jokes, and because these books are ALSO banned . . .

Yup. Banned for pornographic images.
Come on, America. Just get over it.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You are so right. "Of course we can't trust them with books! Just look at what happened with the Bible!" *locks library door* Who knows, we might not be allowed to tie our own shoes from now on. Of course, that will happen in the future anyway- robots will run the world. ;) I still want to be a witch, though. I mean, who wouldn't? Love charms, making things float, explode, burn...*rubs hands* ohh, the ideas! (Disclaimer: My class was actually forced to read To Kill a Mockingbird[underline isn't working] last year)

Sam said...

Hah, I had to read it in class too. But still, that doesn't mean it's a bad book. (Well, depending on the teacher.)
A witch would be awesome. Hogwarts totally should have been real. (And possibly American. Though, I would have been okay with being British, myself.) :D