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CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOL IS NOT RIGHT I believe that Imposing censorship within Americas schools is not only against the First Amendment of the United State Constitution, but it is also against the very moral fiber upon which this country was founded. In an attempt to limit access to so-called sensitive issues and concepts, radical right wing supporters have pushed their weight around to remove any and all questionable works of literature from school libraries. The right to interpret the written word is one of the fundamental freedoms of our country, yet more and more this right is being taken away from students who have the desire to broaden their literary horizons. Conservative parents, teachers, librarians and even the American government have all attempted to limit access to what they consider sensitive issues and concepts. These same self appointed literary police are calling for the removal of all Questionable works of literature from public libraries.
On some college campuses there are even restrictions on which books can even be brought from one s own collection to school property. Proponents of school censorship have issues with just about every book found in school libraries. Their argument is that appropriate reading literature should fulfill by one of two standards: 1) that it effectively adds to the general store of knowledge, or 2) that is exercises some beneficial influence upon the mind as a means of providing wholesome amusement or recreation. Who is to determine what constitutes wholesome and beneficial? That is what I, as a censorship opponent want to know. Personal opinion is just that: personal opinion.
When such opinions begin dictating how the rest of the world must respond, it becomes a dictatorship rather than a democracy. Giving credit where credit is due, there is nothing wrong with offering guidance as to what is both proper and improper for students to read. Depending upon the age group, supervision over reading material is in most cases reasonable and justified. But when it comes down to the actual banning of books because one group of people considers the content unacceptable, that is crossing the line of extremism. Every year, individuals and groups alike demand that yet another book is removed from school libraries, as well as from particular classroom curricula. Claiming that the content is too explicit or inappropriate, these small minded censors are wreaking havoc on students First Amendment rights.
The question then becomes: Just how far does the First Amendment go to protect the students? The censors think that students do not have the ability to choose appropriate reading material; that their assistance is necessary to keep harmful and unsuitable material out of sight. In fact, the issue of censorship in Americas schools is an issue of rights. Ex-United States President Jimmy Carter once said that America did not invent human rights; rather, it was human rights that invented America. If this is true, then each individual must be allowed to pursue his own choices, whether that is with regard to books or any other form of media. To impose limits on what is permitted and what is not is to remove one our most fundamental rights of all.
And what about those people stuck in the middle of all the controversy? School librarians have been caught in the crossfire of radical censors for some time now, fighting hard to protect the rights of student choice. Paul J. Lareau, a librarian for seven years, says censorship is the last resort of parents with disobedient or rebellious children.
He says that the people who are the most vocal about removing unacceptable books are the ones who cannot control their own children and are then, attempting to control all children. If left to choose, Lareau says that most students understand the implications of various reading material and will either stay away from it or decide to learn more about it. However, placing restrictions on books based only on their content specifically how that content is interpreted by one individual or group does more to encourage its reading if left alone. The power of censorship in this nation was experienced at an Arizona college when, as a result of controversy over library book selections, the campus newspaper was suspended, an art exhibit censored, and the student literary magazine condemned by the college administration. All of this occurred because those in power felt the need for suppression of controversial books. Across our country, books that are the main objects of the censorship issue are those which present points of view that can easily be misconstrued as pro-American and anti-Communist.
Yet it is not for one person to decide for the rest what something may represent only through his own interpretation. According to the framers of the constitution, such decisions are to be left up to the individual rather than the masses. Even an American icon like the comic book is not safe from the effects of censorship. Comic books have been under fire because of their violent and sexual content, which has caused many of them to be removed from school libraries.
So intense is the argument that the US Supreme Court could very well uphold legislation restricting their sales if it is decided that there is a serious enough threat to the morals of the community. Censorship is an outright suppression of ideas, information and artistic expression. It does not belong in schools where open-minded learning is supposed to take place. At best, censorship is unconstitutional; at worst, it is a warning sign of an impending authoritarian takeover. Works Cited Anonymous # 1. Book Rejection: Is It Censorship?
Library Journal, (1962): pp. PG. Anonymous # 2. Crime Comics and the Constitution. Stanford Law Review, (1955): pp.
PG. Anonymous # 3. Criminal Obscenity Statute Held Unconstitutional for Lack of Science. Ohio State Law Journal, (1962): pp. PG. Anonymous # 4.
Freedom of Speech and Press under the First Amendment: A R sum. Yale Law Journal, (1920): pp. PG. Anonymous # 5.
The Hidden Persuaders in Book Selection. Library Journal, (1965): pp. PG. Anonymous # 6.
Open the Books! Saturday Review, (1953): 36 (28): 30 - 31. Clarke, George T. Improper Books. Library Journal, (1895): pp.
PG. Collins, Blanche. Ordeal at Long Beach. Library Journal, (1965): pp. PG.
Corbett, James A. Trouble at Cochise. Arizona Librarian, (1965): pp. 22 (3): 7 - 10, 40 43. Cross, Farrell.
Creeping Censorship in Our Libraries. Coronet, (1961. ): pp. PG. web e/ 9701 / 0031. html, 1997. web janet / haul projects /GL/DEFINITIONS.
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