>> EFFORTS TO BAN CERTAIN BOOKS
FROM SCHOOL LIBRARIES ARE
GAINING STEAM NATIONWIDE.
LAST MONTH A TENNESSEE SCHOOL
BOARD VOTED TO BAN THE HOLOCAUST
INSPIRED GRAPHIC NOVEL "MAUS"
CITING VIOLENT IMAGERY ON NAZI
RESISTANCE.
SOME GROUPS ARE CRITICIZING THE
BAN SAYING THE BOOK PLAYS AN
IMPORTANT ROLE IN TEACHING KIDS
ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST.
THE CONCEPT OF SENSORRING OR --
ADA PALMER JOINS US TO DISCUSS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> AS WE MENTIONED RECENTLY THE
HOLOCAUST GRAPHIC NOVEL "MAUS"
PULLED FROM SHELFS IN A
TENNESSEE SCHOOL DISTRICT THE
SCHOOL BOARD CITED THE USE OF
EIGHT CURSE WORDS AND NUDE
IMAGERY IN THE DEPICTION OF A
WOMAN.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOVE?
>> OBSCENITY IS USUALLY WHAT
PEOPLE POINT TO WHEN THEY WANT
TO JUSTIFY BANNING A BOOK IN
AMERICA OR SIMILAR LIKE
AUSTRALIA.
OFTEN THAT ISN'T REALLY THE
REASON AND WE SEE THIS WHEN WE
COLLECT STATISTICS ABOUT BOOK
OBJECTIONS MANY SUMMER READING
LISTS HAVE ROMANCE IN THERE AND
THE ONES WITH THE TEENS HAVE A
NONWHITE COUPLE GET OBJECTED TO
MUCH MORE OFTEN THAN ONES WITH A
WHITE COUPLE EVEN IF THERE IT'S
MORE SEXUAL CONTENT IN THEM.
OBSCENITY IS THE EXCUSE BUT
OFTEN RACISM OR HOMOPHOBIA OR
ANTISEMITISM IS THE READ AND
PEOPLE UNHIDE IT BY SAYING THIS
MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE EVEN TOW
THE DISCOMFORT IS SOMETHING
ELSE.
>> A LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD IN
DOWNER'S GROVE VOTED TO REMOVE A
BOOK GENDER QUEER.
SHOULD STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO
BOOKS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SCHOOL LIBRARIES ARE THERE TO
HELP KIDS LEARN ABOUT THINGS IF
THEY DON'T RUN INTO THEM IN THE
WILD AND DON'T UNDERSTAND THEM.
SEX ED HELPS KIDS UNDERSTAND
THEIR BODIES.
IT PREVENTS THE SPREAD OF THE
STD'S AND HELPS WITH SEXUAL
EMPOWERMENT AND REDUCES TEEN
PREGNANCIES.
EDUCATING KIDS ABOUT KIDS ABOUT
DRUG, READUSS DRUG USE.
THEY ARE GOING TO RUN INTO THE
THEMES ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK
IN IMAGES.
AND THEY NEED THE OPPORTUNITY TO
LOOK UP AND LEARN ABOUT IT SO
THEY KNOW WHAT IT IS INSTEAD OF
FACE TO GO WITH IGNORANCE AND
WITHOUT GUIDANCE.
>> AND A LOT OF THE DEBATES WE
HEAR FROM PARENTS OUTSPOKEN
ABOUT THE BOOKS FOR THEIR
CHILDREN.
WHO GETS TO DECIDE WHICH BOOKS
STAY IN SCHOOLS?
>> TEACHERS ARE EXPERTS ABOUT
THE GRADE LEVEL THAT THEY TEACH.
THEY LOOK UP AND KNOW WHAT NEW
BOOKS ARE BEING RELEASED FOR
THAT AGE GROUP AND READ ABOUT
THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF THAT
YEAR AND TALK TO THE STUDENTS
AND FIND OUT WHAT WORDS ARE THEY
RUNNING ACROSS ON-LINE.
THEY ARE EXPERTS ABOUT EVERY
SPECIFIC GRADE LEVEL THAT THEY
TEACH.
AND SO THEY KNOW THESE KIDS ARE
JUST AT THE AIMING THEY ARE
STARTING TO LEARN THE WORD
GENOCIDE AND THEY ARE SCARED AND
WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS.
THIS IS THE MOMENT TO TEACH
THAT.
IT NEEDS TO BE TEACHERS EXPERTS
SHOULD BE MAKING THE DECISIONS
TO KNOW WHAT THE KIDS NEED.
AND A PARENT IS NOT AN EXPERT ON
A PARTICULAR YEAR THE WAY A
TEACHER IS.
>> STUDENTS ARGUED THEY DON'T
ALWAYS AGREE WITH GROUPS BANNING
BOOKS.
WHAT ROLE DOES THE STUDENT VOICE
HAVE IN THIS ARGUMENT?
>> AN IMPORTANT ONE ESPECIALLY
BECAUSE THE BANS DO AFFECT
STUDENTS HEAVILY.
WHENEVER THERE IS ONE OF THE
BANS WE SEE A BOOK "MAUS" JUMP
UM ON THE BEST SELLER LIST.
IT ISN'T KIDS GETTING THE CHANCE
TO BUY THOSE.
THOSE SALES ARE PEOPLE
ANTI-CENSORSHIP IN MULTIPLE
STATES AWAY BUYING A BOOK TO
SUPPORT THE AUTHOR AND THE KIDS
ARE AFFECTED BY THE BAN AND THAT
SCHOOL BOARD DECISION THEY DON'T
HAVE THE SAME ACCESS.
AND IT'S GOING TO MAKE THEIR
TEACHERS RELUCTANT TO ASSIGN
SIMILAR BOOKS IN THE FUTURE.
THE KIDS NEED TO BE LISTENED TO
BECAUSE WHAT THEY WANT TO HAVE
ACCESS TO AND THE QUESTIONS THEY
ARE ASKING NEED TO SHAPE THE
CURRICULUM.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE
HISTORY OF CENSORSHIP WHAT ARE
SIMILAR MOVEMENTS?
>> ONE OF THE BIG ONES IN THE
MODERN ERA THE BIG WAY TO
JUSTIFY CENSORSHIP IS THE WAY TO
SAY PROTECTING I HAD CANS.
LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF
CENSORSHIP JUSTIFIED THEMSELVES
UNDER THAT UMBRELLA WHILE
LASHING OUT MUCH FARTHER.
AND ANOTHER IMPORTANT ONE IS
THAT CENSORSHIP ORGANIZATIONS
WHETHER THE INQUISITION OR THE
USSR OR MODERN ONES AND ANCIENT
ONES ONE OF THE PATTERNS IT IS
NOT ABOUT TRYING TO DESTROY
BOOKS THAT EXIST.
IT'S TRYING TO INTIMIDATE PEOPLE
SO THEY DON'T PRODUCE MORE
BOOKS.
IF "MAUS" SUDDENLY SPIKES BUT
DOZENS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY BECOME
NERVOUS ABOUT ASSIGNING SIMILAR
BOOKS, MEMOIRS ABOUT OPPRESSION,
THEN THE NEXT DOZEN POWERFUL
BOOKS LIKE "MAUS" THAT GET
PUBLISHED WON'T SELL WELL
BECAUSE SCHOOLS WILL BE AFRAID
OF THEM AND THE NEXT DOZEN AFTER
THAT MAY NOT GET PUBLISHED AT
ALL.
THE BIGGEST VICTIMS OF THIS
CHALLENGE ARE THE BOOKS THAT
WILL NEVER BE PRODUCED OR NEVER
BE READ BECAUSE IT CREATES A
CULTURE OF FEAR AND SILENCE THAT