Should ANY books be banned in schools?

Libraries are meant to be a place for people to explore a wider array of material, than they would typically see, even in a bookstore, for people who, unlike yourself, cannot necessarily afford to purchase their own personal library. A lot of times, especially for kids, readers don't know of the existence of the particular book they are interested in, before they come across it.

 

My own school district which led me to moving my two youngers to private school. Specifically the strap on blow job book.

 

If that library is in a school with 8 year olds, i dont think we should be providing them explicit materials. Parents can do that on their own time if they truly find it that important.

 

Founded on seperate state/religion. I think you have to present all or none in public schools. I prefer catholic material, so i send my children to catholic school.

 

But do you not appreciate, while many might agree with those sensibilities, that does not make them, the correct ones? Surely, you understand that many parents, also, would have no problem with their preteens seeing legitimate artwork, by master painters (for example), depicting nudity? This would not make those parents "groomers," or sickos, or perverts, or bad parents: it would only represent another, valid, parental perspective.

Presumably, by the age of 10 or 12, a child has seen their own naked body; those with siblings might well have the memory of seeing their naked brothers or sisters, during bath time. To treat the body as something forbidden to be seen, sends a powerfully influential message, to young minds. Parents certainly have the right to do this, with their own children. But if something is absent from general access, all are deprived of it, unless they are pre-aware of its existence, have seen it, know that they want to own it, and have parents who can afford to buy it.

Why could the default, not be to have the material reasonably easy to access, but with some option available for parents who oppose their own children's exposure to it (beyond, of course, the parent instructing the child to avoid looking at such things)? With computer involvement in everything, these days, it would be a simple matter, to put students not allowed to check out certain books, into their system, under those titles, so that any attempts would be blocked.

There would not even need be only the one standard. That is, all books that any parent may have an objection to, do not garner the same degree of agreement, from other parents. With some books, there might be 10% of parents who want them off the shelves. For others, it could be 40%. The question, is why should everyone be restricted to the limitations of the most restrictive parent/citizen? If more than half of parents approve of a text, I think it should be available to the general access, but with restricted loan privileges, for those whose parents choose to do so. If a text is seen as objectionable by say, a third or more of parents, then it could be kept in a more secure location (the way pharmacies put more expensive OTC meds, behind a clear, but locked, plastic door). That is known as compromise.

 

No, I don't think so. But there are some books that seem unlikely to have enough educational value to be worth the space, like playboy magazines, for example. The internet does a better job at showing the anatomy.

I think the closest to an exception would be something like the anarchists cookbook - teaching immature kids how to build dangerous improvised weapons. Anything sexual is just whatever. Americans act like sex is a bigger deal than violence. Crazy culture we have.

 

Clearly, this is not appropriate for ELEMENTARY schools-- can you supply ANY example, of such a thing in the library of children at or below the 6th grade level?

Once kids get into high school, there is definitely a good argument to be made for such a text. It is a known fact, that minors experiment with sex at this age, and that it does lead to pregnancy, mostly out of ignorance of, or inaccessibility to, safer options (other than total abstinence). Deciding to engage in any type of sexual congress with one's schoolmates, does not come out of their chance encounter with such a book. While a parent may not want their daughter or son, performing (or receiving) oral sex, it is better than the kids partaking in femoral intercourse, so far as goes, the risk of pregnancy.

I will add that I have seen, on this forum, the reproduced images from these books, and they are the most beggarly idea of "pornography"-- photo realism, they ain't. They are at about the level of the drawings by kids, much younger than the ones studying these guides, of weiners and butts.

 

Well probably. But also I've looked into it myself. Why not? I've also looked into how Mars might be colonized, how we might travel at the speed of light, how to rob a bank... I'm not gonna do any of these things. But they're all interesting.

 

I'd only been funnin' with ya. But, well played.

 

So you're okay with pornography in schools. Got it.

 

Certain pornographic books have made their way into school libraries. You didn't know?

 

Where did @modernpaladin mention some friend of his?

 

You are saying that a book, depicting a "strap-on blowjob," had been available for the viewing of 8 year olds!? If so, that is crazy, and undefendable, and I'm sure that 99.9% of adults are going to agree on that. Hence, the removing of such a book, would not be at all controversial. In fact, the news story, in that case, would be about the kids' school library, having this, in their general collection. Even if you are one who likes to accuse the media of having a "liberal slant," the fact of the matter is that news, is a business, so they're going to go where the money is, and on that story, the popular angle, obviously, is the outrageousness of anyone thinking this was appropriate for kids of that age.

But the corollary to that assessment, is that, since there is such a kerfuffle over book banning, clearly your example must be far and away unrepresentative of the vast majority of books, for which parents and other adults, have been calling for removal.

 

If we gonna go all or nothing I prefer the all option.

 

I will preference my response this way. No books should be banned in general. However, we can restrict books that are adult in nature to adults, but that should be the limit with books. For books in libraries and school libraries, I expect parents to be at the forefront of knowing and approving what their children read on their own time. I also expect parents to take an active, not reactive, interest, in their child's education. We have public meetings at state capitols and school board districts in which parents should take active participation, listen, and then respond rationally. But unfortunately, we have too many lazy parents, too many parents who want that school to be the surrogate nanny state, and to impose their own moral/religious beliefs onto others.

So, no banning of books, no closing of school libraries, public libraries, etc. It is best exemplified in the video below by a Navy Veteran

 

School libraries are pretty much the same. It is just more convenient than a public library. If a kid wants to read and loves to read, they will read a lot of books, first at the school library, then eventually at the public library while still at school. They just need their parents to drive them there in most circumstances in order to get the books they want.

 

It was a joke that didn't translate well in a text based format. When speaking on the particulars of nuclear weapons, one might be inclined to say something along the lines of '...asking for a friend' insinuating the information is understood to cause the seeker to be suspect.

I didn't get it either, until explained.

 

No. I did not miss that. I am saying these books can be in schools and I am fine with it. Yes, the Bible. Yes, Mein Kamph.

 

And pornography?

 

Yes, libraries are meant to be a place for people to explore a wider array of material, but that shouldn't include pornography in school libraries. Surely you would agree.

 

Wait, that was an ACTUAL book? No way! I thought that you were just being hyperbolic!

 

Ok, so that means BAN any adult-in-nature books if they are in school libraries. So you ARE in fact in favour of banning certain books.

It seems that this dude has absolutely no idea which books have been banned. The ones which are explicitly pornographic he surely would not take issue with being banned. Unless he is a sick freak, which he certainly doesn't appear to be. Just an American hero who served his country in the military.

 

Who said that it's a binary choice between all or nothing?

 

It sounds like you're okay with kids of any age having access to pornography in school.

 

No, you're just referring to an element of the Constitution. I'm asking which values and principles the country was founded on. Hint: It wasn't Islam.