On: The Atlantic Did Me Dirty

[nineplay]

If the discussion is specifically about school libraries, than I think it is absolutely legitimate to be concerned about which books are or are not banned. Many kids have easy access to school libraries, but not used bookstores or epubs.

- My own 14 year old has limited internet access and no account at any online retailer.

[apitman → nineplay]

Is your 14 yo not allowed to go to friends' houses where they might have much more access to these things?

[nineplay → apitman]

My 14 year old can read any book at any time and our shelves are full of books that would upset many pearl clutchers. That is not the point. My point is that if even my kid from a supportive, educated, middle class family can't get used books or epubs, it's absurd to present it as a solution to banned books from school libraries.

[apitman → nineplay]

And my point is that if you're that certain your 14 yo isn't accessing things you're not aware of, then you must be watching them very close indeed.

[nineplay → apitman]

I very much hope my 14 year old is accessing things I'm not aware of. I consider it a rite of passage.

I'm not solving for my 14 year old. I'm solving for the other 11 million middle school students in the US who don't have access to used book stores and epubs and are very definitely impacted by school library censorship.

[tourmalinetaco → nineplay]

The question is what “banned” books, if any, would you willingly expose your children to? You already curate their access to the Internet, what difference is there in the school or even state doing the same?

[nineplay → tourmalinetaco]

What is the difference between the state curating media for my child and me curating media for my child -is that a serious question? I trust myself, I don't trust the state. I'm not sure I've ever seen any poster anywhere on HN that trusts the state.

[chlodwig → nineplay]

With regards to "book banning" every example I've seen has been referring to a government library, so the state is involved either way. What is going on is that one arm of the state (elected officials) is fighting another arm of the state (civil service selected librarians).

[nineplay → chlodwig]

Right, and the point of banned book weed is to highlight books that have been 'curated' from school libraries so that members of the community can review the works and give feedback.

If a middle school decided to curate away the Holy Bible, I'm sure many parents would want to be informed.

[therealdrag0 → tourmalinetaco]

Some schools ban simple classics like Mark Twain or To Kill A Mocking Bird. They can F right off.