Banning Books is Harmful to Students
By William Ximenes
Students should be exposed to new ideas and banning books limits the information that students can access. Book banning is a form of censorship which occurs when individuals, organizations, or government officials remove books because they are opposed to its content, ideas, and themes. The content of many books has become dramatically politicized and has had vitriolic attacks by politicians. Books with LGTBQ themes and themes about racial inequality have been banned. This reflects a recent wave of conservatism.
Photo by Tom Hermans from Unsplash
This is against the first amendment of the constitution which protects the freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Recently these freedoms seem to be infringed by politicians. According to the New York Times, efforts to ban books doubled in 2022. Book removals occurred with parental concerns.
Librarians and teachers have been accused of promoting pedophilia and had to either be fired or quit under pressure for refusing to remove books according to the New York Times. They suggest that LGTBQ content is pornographic and ban books on the topic, when it is integral to hear stories about under-represented minorities.
Most of the books banned were written by authors who are minorities and who write about their own experiences as minorities. According to Pen.org “book banners continue to target stories by and about people of color and LGTBQ+ individuals.” In Tennessee a bill was passed that would make book publishers and distributors subject to fines and criminal prosecution for distributing material seen as too obscene.
Most of the books which have been banned discuss sexuality and self image. For example, the book 1984 by George Orwell was banned because its content was deemed as too obscene even though it conveys useful messages about freedom of expression. Ironically even Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was banned because the book was about a society which banned books and wanted to keep their citizens ignorant which is exactly what our society is trying to do.
The conservative politicians want to push their agenda and impose these restrictions on the younger generation so they are not receptive to different ideas. At least 139 additional bans have passed since July 2022. Students have the first amendment right to have the freedom to access all types of information and ideas. Most parents think that content from certain books can “corrupt” youth which is outrageous.
Most politicians agree with this because they do not want people to think for themselves and question the motives of the government. Banning books is harmful for students because they are not exposed to other ideas which are deemed as too controversial. According to Pen.org, “the increasing role of legislation in driving decision-makers to proactively restrict books, creating an environment of fear and intimidation.” As a result of this movement students will not have access to different ideas and will not be able to think for themselves.