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Author Topic: Update: Norwood Superintendent Defends Decision To Ban Book  (Read 1864 times)

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Offline the_leanderTopic starter

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Update: Norwood Superintendent Defends Decision To Ban Book
« on: February 05, 2005, 06:22:22 AM »
I wasn't quite sure where to put this article, so if you feel its in the wrong place, say something to one of the modderators....

"The Catcher in the Rye."

"Of Mice and Men."

"Lord of the Flies."

A chorus of student voices rang out Friday at Norwood High School, to apprise R2 School District Superintendent Bob Condor of books deemed "objectionable" that were nonetheless required reading.

And now, it's "Bless Me, Ultima," the book Condor pulled from curriculum after one parent objected to its content.

Condor said at a Friday morning assembly that he wasn't trying to censor anyone's reading material, but to protect them from being forcibly subjected to profanity by a "mandatory assignment."

Condor flatly denied previous reports that the book's "pagan" elements had factored in to his decision, though more than one person present at the assembly said they felt otherwise.

Full story here.

Not sure what to make of this story, part of me fumes at the very notion of book burning, another at censoring or even doctoring books to make them child friendly.. But I don't know, I can understand the principles point of view, but that he slandered another teacher in open assembly over this issue, to me sounds like there was much more to this then whats written (isn't there always)...
Blessed Be,
Alan Fisher - the_leander

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Offline the_leanderTopic starter

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Re: Update: Norwood Superintendent Defends Decision To Ban Book
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2005, 10:39:05 AM »
I understand what you are saying, I haven't myself read the book in question, but I've read two of the three others that were listed as being banned, Of Mice and Men, which I did for my GCSE, and Lord of the Flies, which I read because I was bored.

Both of these books are increadibly powerful in their own ways, also on this list not of banned books (but is in some other places) but then there are books that have been... ahem sanitised and, include books such as to kill a mocking bird, and by sanitised, I mean the book has been altered from its original form to avoid parts that someone somewhere found upsetting. I've read PDF's of these sanitised books, and they are a travesty, whats left is meaningless dribble.

You want to know why Of Mice and Men was banned? Because it described the segrigation of a black man in the USA (which is also where to kill a mocking bird fell foul and had bits edited out so it wasn't apparent what colour the defendant was).

The problem with book banning is that someone somewhere, for whatever reason will demand any book ever writtens banning because of something or other, to me its just a slipperly slope that society should not go down.

By all accounts, those that had objections to the books use of profanity had the option of reading something else that didn't... Something that the principle lied in a public forum about.
Blessed Be,
Alan Fisher - the_leander

[SIGPIC]http://www.extropia.co.uk/theleander/[/SIGPIC]