Government Censorship

February 22, 2010
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Can you think of a nightmare in America that needs to stop? I can. Book censoring is what we need to stop doing. Why do people censor? People censor because they don't want children to see the wrong in the books. If there is some belief too strong, then the book will very likely be banned.

Why are books censored? People don't want children to see the all the bad things in there. Give it up! Kids are able to find out all the bad things other places; why not let them find out now? Books are censored for many reasons, here are a few: Racism, sexuality, violence, and religion. There are some side reasons too: inappropriate language and inappropriate humor. Some of the best books people have read have been highly debated.

You may not believe this, but the #1 most debated book/series over whether or not they should be banned was the Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling because of witchcraft. Another famous book that actually was banned was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Famous books can be censored too, no matter how great they seem.

I'll bet you want to know; who censors these books? If you thought the F.C.C, then you are wrong. They only censor television. The A.L.A. (American Library Association) are the people to blame. In any case, the A.L.A. is even breaking the first amendment by censoring books. The first line is: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof… but censoring still happens. The A.L.A. isn’t congress, but what they are doing is still wrong.

So, how does censorship get started? This is an interesting question, but I can give an example. Let's say Bob is a fifth grader. They are reading Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Bob tells his mom about the great book that they're reading, so his mom decides to read it. The mom is so surprised by what she sees, that she decides that she doesn't want her son to read the book.

The next step is when she calls the principal of the school. The principal talks to the teacher and asks to stop teaching it, and says that he/she will take the issue further if his/her needs are not met. At this point, the book is about ready to be censored and banned. This can take as little as a week to happen, but the debates about whether it should or shouldn't be banned can last a very long time.

How often are books censored? According to the A.L.A, "More than a book a day faces removal from free and open public access in U.S. schools and libraries." More books are being banned each year. In 2006, 546 books were censored. How many more will be censored this year?

Book censoring is a nightmare in America that needs to be stopped. Kids are going to find out what all the bad things are anyways! Stop trying to take things away from people. "Books are dangerous. They make you think…. Feel…. Wonder…. They make you ask questions." I think this is a good quote about why the A.L.A. thinks they should censor books. Questions are how you learn! This epidemic needs to stop, and it needs to stop now! We need to do something make a stand, even go on strike! If you like a book, would you want it to be censored? No! Everyone will just say, “Oh, I’m just one person, I can’t really change anything.” This isn’t true, everyone can make a difference!

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This article has 3 comments. Post your own now!

Librarian said...
Sep. 25 at 10:31 am
I just want to correct you about something: the ALA doesn't censor books. On the contrary, the ALA fights *against* censoring books.
Katja said...
Sept. 23, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Don't blame the American Library Association for banning or censorship; they are against censorship and do not ban books. They have an Office for Intellectual Freedom and keep track of reports of banned or challenged books.  When a book is challenged, you can ask the ALA for help in NOT having it banned.
sknopik said...
Feb. 27, 2010 at 8:07 am
Great work highlighting an important topic!
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