Warning to parents - school libraries

[edwest2]

Can you believe it? Now children “need” the right to read. Another obvious deception campaign from a group called the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

icv2.com/articles/markets/24765.html

As always, be aware of what your kids read. And if any school librarians are reading this, be aware of the type of books and graphic novels you’re getting. Case in point:

cbldf.org/banned-comic/banned-challenged-comics/case-study-sandman/

The word challenged doesn’t mean anything. The correct word is inappropriate.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Gordon_Sims]

Back in the late 80s I remember reading several articles about the CBLDF and the image presented made it seem as though most of what they were doing at the time was fairly admirable. I can’t speak for the veracity of the articles (it was nearly a quarter century ago), but they focused more on fund raisers for artists in more mundane legal trouble. Their main purpose now seems to be to promote pornography.

I fully agree that you should be making yourself aware of what your kids are reading. Although I don’t know that they have any ties to it, we always take our kids out on Free Comic Book Day. On two occasions I was berated by two different shop owners for checking the content of the books my kids wanted and turning down a couple. Each time I explained that, as a parent, I believe it’s my duty to make sure my kids aren’t exposed to inappropriate or age-inappropriate material. One of them called me a fascist when I made my then 6 or 7 year old put back a couple books.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Age-inappropriate seems a better label and a reason for controlling exposure to media without necessarily devolving into moralist censorship. As someone who is looking to either the teaching profession or even just library management, I agree that children do have a right to read provided that the material has been determined right for their age. I remember a time when my parents specified plenty of restrictions but lifted them gradually as I grew older.

Suffice it to say, it has been quite a beneficial and learning experience.

 

[DexUK]

One of them called me a fascist when I made my then 6 or 7 year old put back a couple books.

That bookshop owner will rapidly go out of business if that’s the way s/he treats their customers. I certainly wouldn’t have frequented that store any longer than it took to get back to the front door.

 

[Seeker1961]

Can you believe it? Now children “need” the right to read. Another obvious deception campaign from a group called the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

icv2.com/articles/markets/24765.html

As always, be aware of what your kids read. And if any school librarians are reading this, be aware of the type of books and graphic novels you’re getting. Case in point:

cbldf.org/banned-comic/banned-challenged-comics/case-study-sandman/

The word challenged doesn’t mean anything. The correct word is inappropriate.

Peace,
Ed

I’m completely in support of parent’s controlling what their children read-but I’m also a big fan of the First Amendment. Your implication here seems to be that the graphic novel in question should be banned from libraries, am I correct?

Banning books is WRONG. It’s always been wrong and will always be wrong. If you can ban something because you don’t like it, you give permission for someone else to come along and ban something they don’t like…but maybe you do.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

That bookshop owner will rapidly go out of business if that’s the way s/he treats their customers. I certainly wouldn’t have frequented that store any longer than it took to get back to the front door.

This was in a very liberal town and I’m guessing that a good deal of the patrons support that behavior. The shop in question has been around forever, although we don’t patronize them anymore.

 

[Glomung]

I’ve read some of the Sandman series (a friend owns a Comic book shop). They are very well written and VERY ADULT. This is not for young or impressionable readers.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

I’m completely in support of parent’s controlling what their children read-but I’m also a big fan of the First Amendment. Your implication here seems to be that the graphic novel in question should be banned from libraries, am I correct?

Banning books is WRONG. It’s always been wrong and will always be wrong. If you can ban something because you don’t like it, you give permission for someone else to come along and ban something they don’t like…but maybe you do.

I agree with you that banning books is wrong, period, but you should ask the question, “should this be in our library”? As for the sandman series, no, not a chance; There’s no way that belongs in a school library, period. But that’s because it’s horribly violent, sexually … well, not explicit, but certain not appropriate. and deals with issues that people can’t really grasp until they’re far more developed than a school child. It’s kind of like Watchmen; there’s rape, mass slaughter of the human race, “utilitarian” murder, war violence, etc. True, it’s heralded as a masterpiece (and rightfully so), but that doesn’t mean a young child should be reading it.

Now… High school age students, yeah, I could see some of them starting to actually derive the meaning in the literature, so I could see that one being ok, but definitely nothing younger.

 

[edwest2]

Back in the late 80s I remember reading several articles about the CBLDF and the image presented made it seem as though most of what they were doing at the time was fairly admirable. I can’t speak for the veracity of the articles (it was nearly a quarter century ago), but they focused more on fund raisers for artists in more mundane legal trouble. Their main purpose now seems to be to promote pornography.

I fully agree that you should be making yourself aware of what your kids are reading. Although I don’t know that they have any ties to it, we always take our kids out on Free Comic Book Day. On two occasions I was berated by two different shop owners for checking the content of the books my kids wanted and turning down a couple. Each time I explained that, as a parent, I believe it’s my duty to make sure my kids aren’t exposed to inappropriate or age-inappropriate material. One of them called me a fascist when I made my then 6 or 7 year old put back a couple books.

Your example highlights my point. At one time, the CBLDF was a benign group, but as time passed, it became an advocate for those accused of selling inappropriate material to youngsters. The fact that you were called a fascist is because comics are being infiltrated with more violence and even homosexual characters. Shop owners should not be in the business of being intolerant toward their customers.

Peace,
Ed

 

[edwest2]

I’m completely in support of parent’s controlling what their children read-but I’m also a big fan of the First Amendment. Your implication here seems to be that the graphic novel in question should be banned from libraries, am I correct?

Banning books is WRONG. It’s always been wrong and will always be wrong. If you can ban something because you don’t like it, you give permission for someone else to come along and ban something they don’t like…but maybe you do.

That is false reasoning. Books are banned. The First Amendment has nothing to do with it. People who purchase books have the right to say, This is wrong. People can publish whatever they want. We, The People get to say no as far as putting them in our libraries.

As far as your question, I didn’t ban anything, but libraries have and that’s fine.

Peace,
Ed

 

[edwest2]

I’ve read some of the Sandman series (a friend owns a Comic book shop). They are very well written and VERY ADULT. This is not for young or impressionable readers.

Adult? That’s too mild a word. I don’t think Catholics should read such material.

Peace,
Ed

 

[edwest2]

I agree with you that banning books is wrong, period, but you should ask the question, “should this be in our library”? As for the sandman series, no, not a chance; There’s no way that belongs in a school library, period. But that’s because it’s horribly violent, sexually … well, not explicit, but certain not appropriate. and deals with issues that people can’t really grasp until they’re far more developed than a school child. It’s kind of like Watchmen; there’s rape, mass slaughter of the human race, “utilitarian” murder, war violence, etc. True, it’s heralded as a masterpiece (and rightfully so), but that doesn’t mean a young child should be reading it.

Now… High school age students, yeah, I could see some of them starting to actually derive the meaning in the literature, so I could see that one being ok, but definitely nothing younger.

A masterpiece? :nope: OK?

Peace,
Ed

 

[ProdglArchitect]

A masterpiece? :nope: OK?

Peace,
Ed

Watchmen is, in my opinion, and excellent study on morality, and the costs of doing the right thing. It’s very round-about, true, but an effective study non-the less.

 

[Baelor]

That is false reasoning. Books are banned. The First Amendment has nothing to do with it. People who purchase books have the right to say, This is wrong. People can publish whatever they want. We, The People get to say no as far as putting them in our libraries.

That is different from banning them, which involves legal or other compulsion.

Adult? That’s too mild a word. I don’t think Catholics should read such material.

What you think has nothing to do with it. Reading Sandman is not necessarily a sin.

A masterpiece? OK?

Since only someone who has read the book would be qualified to make judgments about its quality, please share with us what makes it not a masterpiece, being appropriately specific.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Banning books is WRONG. It’s always been wrong and will always be wrong. If you can ban something because you don’t like it, you give permission for someone else to come along and ban something they don’t like…but maybe you do.

I agree 100%. But if I ever write a book, please push to have it banned. I can’t think of a better way to get people to read it than to make it a controversy.

One of my favorite censorship stories is Billy Joel’s song ‘Only the Good Die Young’. It wasn’t a hit until a radio station associated with Seton Hall College banned it. The archdiocese of St. Louis, Boston, and several other cities started putting on the pressure to have it banned. When word got out that religious authorities didn’t want it played the song soared, especially amongst the younger generation and became one of his biggest hits. Afterwards Bill Joel ended up writing a letter to the archdiocese that originally banned it asking them to ban his whole next album.

 

[Seeker1961]

I agree 100%. But if I ever write a book, please push to have it banned. I can’t think of a better way to get people to read it than to make it a controversy.

One of my favorite censorship stories is Billy Joel’s song ‘Only the Good Die Young’. It wasn’t a hit until a radio station associated with Seton Hall College banned it. The archdiocese of St. Louis, Boston, and several other cities started putting on the pressure to have it banned. When word got out that religious authorities didn’t want it played the song soared, especially amongst the younger generation and became one of his biggest hits. Afterwards Bill Joel ended up writing a letter to the archdiocese that originally banned it asking them to ban his whole next album.

Good point. It’s like DaVinci Code. Poorly written book, even worse movie, but once the Catholic League started yelling about it people couldn’t run out to buy it fast enough. If nobody had made a big fuss over it, it would have died under it’s own ineptitude.

 

[pnewton]

Some folks have a real difficult time understanding the word “ban”. Local citizens pay for the school. It rightfully reflects the community. No school is under any obligation to carry a specific book. Something can not be considered ban just because the school system has decided not to put it on the shelf.

I am just shocked that some comic book is considered literature. Where has society gone? Call it art, but don’t call it literature. Literature uses word to create the environment in the imagination, not comic panels.

 

[Baelor]

I am just shocked that some comic book is considered literature. Where has society gone? Call it art, but don’t call it literature. Literature uses word to create the environment in the imagination, not comic panels.

Which contain words. That seems like a semantic and unproductive debate anyway.

In general, things on the printed page that are consumed on the printed page (not music, for example) are considered literature.

 

[tantumquantum]

I am just shocked that some comic book is considered literature. Where has society gone? Call it art, but don’t call it literature. Literature uses word to create the environment in the imagination, not comic panels.

Keep in mind that comic books have come very far from what they were during the 20s and the 30s. Also, you may be right, technically, comic books aren’t literature in the strictest sense and people have been splitting hairs as to what category comic books can be assigned to.

Frankly, I don’t really care about that. There are tons of literature that are bad, uninteresting and junk. Do we really need to define comic books as literature to show that great works can be and are being produced in the medium? No. People don’t need to classify comic book luminaries such as Maus, Sandman and Watchmen as literature in order to establish that they are to be taken seriously as works for reading and studying.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

Right after “racist,” “fascist” and “Nazi” seem to be the two favorite insults of liberals I know to use against people who disagree with them. Of the two comics I didn’t let my girls have, one had inappropriate content while the other was overly-wordy, above her reading level and something she wouldn’t enjoy. I’m pretty sure that’s the one that got me the fascist label. Having my kids with me, I chose not to make a huge scene and spoke with my wallet instead.