Why I Find Book Banning Hilarious

UPDATE: Maus currently sold out on Amazon pic.twitter.com/B88qRLw0nr

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 27, 2022

Is this directly correlated to the school board in Tennessee? Yeah, probably. Insofar as many people are suddenly curious about cartoon depictions of nude mice-people saying bad words (hint: the kids know all those words and probably a few more, and can find better pictures on Instagram).

This is what happens when ignorant people read books. They don’t hurt the books, and they look foolish. Well, they are foolish  That, and they damage education. Which, considering the state of public education, is like putting another dent in a wrecked car.

It is actually the low regard for the liberal arts that is the problem. Does anyone challenge a science book or a math book? Yes, there were challenges to science books (and are),  but they don’t tend to lead to book banning by school boards, or do end up in court. But history, fiction, poetry, memoirs: all fair game for banishment by any gang of rubes and locals who know what they don’t like, and that’s good enough. Since it’s not about physics or biology or geology, your opinion is as valid as mine. Except it isn’t. The only thing offensive in Maus is the historical fact of the Holocaust. But since it doesn’t involve science, no one will take it to court. Opinion, right? Can’t legislate opinion from the bench.

Greg Abbott wants “pornography” expunged from schools and those responsible for it being there driven from decent society, banned forever from public schools in Texas. This while some schools are on four day weeks because of staff/faculty shortages. So, sure, let’s make it worse. And what is “pornography”? Not biology texts or sex education texts. Non-fiction memoirs about LGBTQ students? Why are such people allowed to live in Texas?

I’m watching a short film about animation as I type. One example, a few seconds long, is a couple kissing. Porn? It was a line drawing, you couldn’t tell if they were clothed. There’s nothing in Maus half as suggestive. If a teacher played that film in class, one I watched on PBS, would that get them in trouble? How easily we damn some expressions of human existence (stories, history) and virtually sanctify others. There’s a reason philosophy, surely the foundation of the liberal arts, is not even broached in public schools. Most of the liberal arts (and performing, and fine) are scanted. By this we teach our children what is valuable. We will fight in court over teaching science. Literature, history, philosophy? Who defends these?

Book banning isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. It’s just a distraction from our real failures.

As Sinead O’Connor famously said on SNL:  “Fight the real power!”