Hypocrisy is Tiresome
Contributed by Nancy Racek
There’s something pathetic, not to mention sinister about the obsession with banning books. Reminiscent of Nazi Germany, right? Our world is crumbling down around us; masked thugs are roaming the streets of our cities, snatching people out of their homes and cars, strong arming children, murdering our citizens and the focus is on banning books? Really? Seems a little psychotic, doesn’t it? Apparently, one of the reasons behind the mad rush to ban books is “fear”. There’s a whole psychological thing there but boils down to the fear of the written word. I find that so pathetic! The rational being used is books can harm children! Where is the research that shows books harm children. Books are words printed on sheets of paper contained between two pieces of cardboard. Reading actually stimulates the brain in a good way! The words paint pictures which opens the imagination.
Do you book banners really want to protect kids? Then you better advocate for removing every electronic device to which they have access. You can’t be so naïve to believe they are not in tune to everything out there! For God’s sake, they’re sexting, sending each other nude photos, displaying acts you have labeled obscene! Get a clue! With books, parents have a modicum of control over what they read.
If you truly are concerned about the well-being of our youth, then shouldn’t you be figuring out a way to address their access to social media. In the vast cyberspace world, the “words” floating around are uncontained. They are visual and graphic; pictures already painted….nothing left to the imagination! Have you seen the research into the damage social media is inflicting on teens and pre-teens? It’s very disturbing “. Not only does it mess with their developing minds/brains, it increases their suicide rates, also exposes them to predators who are capitalizing on their vulnerability to lure them into sex trafficking and other destructive behaviors.
So instead of trying to ban books, maybe it would be wise to focus on how to get the thugs out of our cities, protect our neighbors from ICE invasions and to figure out how to protect our children from the harmful effects of the electronic world in which we are all living!! The Alaska State Legislature is! Just stop with the craziness! Do something meaningful!