To me, banning a book shows a sign of weakness. Does a book really have that much more power over your kids than you do? If you are so worried about people—particularly children—getting the “wrong idea” from a piece of printed literature, and think that a book has the power to brainwash people into anarchy or—gasp!—atheism, doesn’t banning it defeat the purpose?
If you disagreed with a piece of literature, wouldn’t your sentiments be better served by, I don’t know, taking the time to talk with kids about the book, rather than entice them to read it by saying they can’t? Would a rational discussion about the ideas within not be better than banning its existence—and then either A. encouraging it to be read anyway by making such a controversy out of it, or B. sheltering kids from ideas only to keep them ignorant of important issues and literature? Read more
