This letter was published in the NYT in 2022, and I dug it out because I thought it was relevant to the discussion around Maus. Cultural norms matter, and assuming the worst from people you don't know is the exact opposite of espousing diversity. To the Editor: Re “Tennessee Board Bans Teaching of Holocaust Novel” (news article, Jan. 29): I’m Jewish, from New York City, and I taught at a state university serving low-income Tennessee students for 25 years. So I need to set the record straight. Every Tennessee fifth grader is required to learn about the Holocaust. My university, with its minuscule fraction of Jewish students, has a Holocaust studies minor. We host an international Holocaust conference every two years. To convey the magnitude of six million lost, three decades ago teachers in Whitwell, Tenn., asked their eighth-grade class to collect that many paper clips. They ended up with 30 million, sent to the school from people around the world. These are on display in the school’s Children’s Holocaust Memorial, housed in a boxcar from Germany, which may be the most riveting testament of young people working together to vow “Never again.” People in the rural South have different cultural norms. After moving to Tennessee, I learned you don’t swear in class. But painting a state as yahoos and Holocaust deniers for rejecting cursing or nudity in one book epitomizes the very stereotype we people who study the Holocaust should always abhor. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/opinion/letters/book-bans-censorship.html?searchResultPosition=4 |
I’m glad you found a quote that makes you feel better about yourself. Now back to the banned books: why have conservatives stripped books about African American history and representation out? Why are Jewish heritage books banned? Why are all positive and neutral depictions of gay people and families headed by gay people stricken from schools? Is the mere existence of this too much for snowflakes fascists? Why don’t kids from those heritages and families get to see themselves? |
That actually doesn’t answer PP’s question even a little. In fact it’s a non answer. Banning Maus for nudity is a yahoo’s approach to life. It’s mice in lieu of people for crying out loud. Maybe next you’ll all pass a law stating that no deer or birds can walk around nude. |
You’re so determined to defend your point that you’ve lost the ability to think clearly or see the answer in front of you. |
So, what page on Maus are there images of sexual acts (the apparent reason it is being banned according to PP)? Sorry, I don't see it mentioned in that letter and that's what I was looking for. I am not finding this in my copy of the book. Thanks. |
What are the sex acts in Maus. |
One of these fascist Proud Moms for anti-Liberty tried to get a school librarian arrested. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-moms-for-liberty-member-demands-criminal-investigation-over-fantasy-novel-18181127
If people can’t see the Nazi parallels, they’re staying dumb deliberately. |
So - just to be clear - you consider keeping school libraries full of AGE-APPROPRIATE books to be "banning," even though the books in question are widely available at any bookstore, public library, Amazon, etc. But somehow, teachers saying "To Kill a Mockingbird" is inappropriate and will not be part of the required curriculum, is NOT banning. Also, exactly which elected Republican is "giddy about banning and burning books"? We'll wait while you dredge up some BS from a LWNJ propaganda site. |
Anyone who actually considers "Gender Queer" et al to be on a booklover's list is not arguing in good faith. I mean, seriously? Do you even hear yourself? DP |
What is wrong with that? |
Do you? Who is saying Gender Queer is on a booklover’s list? Literally no one. You know what that book is, though? A good guide for trans teens. A great book about consent and talking through intimacy. Unless you literally think no one under the age of 21 is doing anything remotely sexual, it’s a fine book for teens. It’s also the book you fascists want to bang your head on the wall about. We can all read the lists of banned books. And none of you ever answers pointed questions about them. Like all the innocent children’s picture books about AA history and culture. Or the very sweet book “Neither,” which hosts a whole series of bigots like you, rendered in a cute cartoon and suitably sidelined by the end of the book. And with the newest fascist obsession - “HuStLeR iN sChOoLs!!11!” - you guys are beginning to seem like the sexually depraved people. |
Why is it OK to provide some sexual content but not others? |
Just pointing out that despite being deeply dissatisfied with the school board’s COVID chaos, Fairfax County appears to have just voted the same group back into office for another 4 years— 12-0D— in large part because the R candidates ran heavily on book banning and making life difficult for trans kids. And there are plenty of people who would have voted R if Rs had focused on education instead of book banning and LGBTQ kids. Because the incumbents voted back in we’re not beloved. Or even liked. They are just better than 4 years of Mothers of Liberty running school libraries. |
Too funny - you use a far-left source, that itself uses the far-left "gotcha" technique of obtaining the officer's body cam footage. Is that even legal? And if you listen to what she's saying, she specifically says they are not trying to remove any books from the public library (or anywhere else). They simply want sexually graphic books out of the school libraries. Nice try, calling anyone you disagree with "fascists and Nazis." LEFT BIAS These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information that may damage liberal causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Left Bias sources. Overall, we rate Popular Information Left Biased based on story selection and editorial content that routinely favors liberal causes. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/popular-information/ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/miami-new-times-2/ |
This is simply what Democrats do - vote in the same nutters over and over again. If even ONE Republican had been elected to the SB, that would have provided at least a tiny bit of balance. But no. We are destined to relive four more painfully unproductive years, putting academics at the very bottom of a laundry list filled with social issues. No one to blame but yourselves. |