Censorship in America: Should Certain Books be Banned?

Censorship in America is very popular nowadays. People are complaining about certain things in books, things in the media and much more.“‘Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship,’” said Bruce Colville (quoted in Gutman). Gutman also makes a couple other good points, stating, “In America we get exposed to many different viewpoints. We may not like them all, but that is the price we pay to live in a democracy.” Gutman also says that when he receives complaints from parents informing him that it is his responsibility as the author to promote positive messages and moral lessons in his books, that it never really crossed his mind; he always thought it was the parent’s responsibility to teach their children. People in the world filter things from our lives in means to protect us, but is their filtering certain things doing more harm than good The question is whether or not people are taking it too far, or if they are violating other people’s rights to free speech and freedom of the press.

In some cases, censorship is good. There are certain words and subjects that should not be in things depending on the age group, but some people take it too far (Gutman). The good part about America is that we have the freedoms to make our own decisions, says Gutman. Freedom of speech means freedom of censorship, but when you censor books and other things, it takes away some of our rights. These rights being freedom of the press, speech, etc. (Gutman). The author of “Speaking with Pride” says, “It is remarkable that the United States stands alone in protecting free speech to the extent that it does. Because of the First Amendment, no other citizens have the right to speak their minds like Americans. Yet so many otherwise patriotic people hate to love it.”

A neo-Nazi is jailed for displaying a swastika, a woman is prosecuted for denying the Holocaust, a man is arrested for using a racial epithet, and a magazine that published an article bemoaning the rise of Islam as a threat to Western values is forced to stand trial. Those are a few examples of Censorship in America (Speaking with Pride). People are getting prosecuted for freely thinking, using their rights as an American to express their own opinions, and we think this is right? Some of these things expressed may be inhumane, but they still have a right to express themselves that way. Journalists have risked their lives to get the truth out. The author of Journalism’s Vital Role in Society grew up in a country where journalists who dared challenge censorship and tyranny were assassinated. Dan Gutman received and angry letter about his book; within this angry letter, a dad complained about how Gutman’s book talked about hatred and used “bad words.” “Sometimes people in books hate each other. Just like in the real world. Having characters that get angry with one another does not promote hatred, it reflects reality,” Gutman says. It is perfectly fine for a parent to tell their child they cannot read a book, but if they work to get the book banned; it is almost as if they are deciding what other peoples’ children can or cannot read (Gutman). “The irony is that the so-called Fairness Doctrine will not be fair at all, but censorship by silencing free speech in America – our guaranteed right under the First Amendment” (Washington Times). Oddly enough, the biggest threat to books isn’t religion, but apathetic Americans, says Rob Boston.

Unfortunately now, people who want to ban books can simply go on a website such as Amazon. On the website they can pull out a few words or phrases and tell everyone that it is responsible for bad things that happen in schools; such as shootings and thievery, Gutman informs us. By having bad characters in a story, Peg Kehret feels she is showing readers the negative consequences it can have on such behavior (Gutman). “Some conservatives feel there is too much freedom in times of peril. They would prefer more controls on the media,” says the author of Speaking with Pride. The sad part is, when censors and book banners succeed in their tries to get rid of something, we end up with writers who are scared to write; publishers who are scared to publish; and worse, children who are not challenged to use their mind (Gutman).

The bad part is that book banners are so confident they are right, they do not even think any person could possibly think differently from them. They think that their opinion is right and everyone feels the same way, but that really is not the case. Everyone has their own opinion on morality. Whether or not a book is appropriate for you or your child is your own opinion (Gutman). “We are voraciously, continuously bombarded with information; this often leaves us stunned, if not dumbfounded, and we have no way of stepping back to consider it all” said Toronto Star. Censorship is a huge part of our nation. It just goes to show you how far people will go to protect their children.