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Opinion
Smoky Mountain News
Careless book banning is seldom a good idea R
A party adrift after Trump’s tenure To the Editor: Almost from the moment World War II ended, we have watched in horror as one dictator after another forced their people into submission, never imagining such a calamitous circumstance could occur in the United States of America. The thought of that improbability is no more. Visions of our own leaders cowering under their desks in our own Capitol (the “People’s House”) a little over one year ago alerted us not just to the possibility but the likelihood that we face a genuine threat from inside our own country. We have viewed, ad nauseam for over a year, the replay of what amounted to a presidential coup or (at the very least) a failed attempt to undermine the electoral process which many members of Congress seemed to embrace even as it put their own lives in grave danger. The former president sabotaged public confidence in our electoral process by making it clear long before the election was even held that he would not accept the results if he lost (one of the very few promises he kept). His futile attempt to subvert the certification of the Electoral College results incited the deadly
have involved the community, the teachers who are in the classroom every day, the school system’s own media/library professionals and others — Superintendent Bill Nolte said he made the decision to ask the teacher to assign a different book. He cited the book’s profanity and sexual innuendo as the primary reasons. This book is on recommended reading lists across this country for high schoolers, and for good reason. I mean, no disrespect to administrators or school board members who may not read much, but the protagonist in this novel wants to discuss — in the form of letters — his concerns about race with Martin Luther King Jr., the assassinated pacifist preacher who disavowed violence as he tried to right wrongs during the Civil Rights era. OK, so there’s some vulgar words. Editor Anyone reading this column or this book remember how many cusswords they knew by age 15? Yeah, about all of them, I’d say. Speaking of sexual innuendo, ever read “The Scarlett Letter” or “To Kill a Mockingbird?” Aren’t these books still read in high schools? I remember discussing the Nathaniel Hawthorn classic in 11th grade and was duly impressed that my wise, elderly Black English teacher, Mrs. Jackson, was able to deftly deflect the silly questions regarding Hester’s transgressions from a class of unruly 16- and 17-year-olds while keeping the discussion focused on the book’s larger themes of sin, guilt and redemption. That’s called getting an education, exploring new ideas and discussing important questions about life, dignity,
Scott McLeod
emoving the book “Dear Martin” from a 10th-grade English class at Tuscola High School likely didn’t prevent students in that class from having a deep, meaningful discussion about race in America and their own attitudes about this issue. Hopefully the teacher found some other book that inspired students to have this kind of discussion, because it’s one today’s young Americans need. More important for students, parents, faculty and taxpayers, the decision to pull the book reflected badly on the current leadership of the Haywood County school system. Banning a book is almost never a good idea, and the way this incident went down proves that point. I will, however, stick up for the parent who lodged the complaint despite disagreeing with him about the merits of this book. If a parent has a problem with what is happening with their child’s education, they should ask for answers and go up the ladder — teacher, principal, administrator, school board member — until they are satisfied. That’s the process, that’s how public school systems work. The book’s author, Nic Stone, said as much. “I don’t fault the parents at all,” Stone told The Smoky Mountain News. “We’re all just trying to do our best when it comes to raising our kids. I would just hope that they would be willing to read beyond the first chapter just to see what’s actually in there.” And that’s the problem with, essentially, banning the book from the entire classroom instead of giving that particular student a different reading assignment. Did anyone at the administrative level “read beyond the first chapter just to see what’s actually in there” before making the decision? Instead of using this parent’s grievances against the book to open a larger, wide-ranging discussion — one that could
retribution, honesty, honor and other themes. This is how the best teachers prepare students to succeed in life. The removal of the book really hit home with teachers and parents. That’s how we heard about it — and from some parents who are also teachers — who were outraged that this happened in the system where they work. Many felt it was a slap in the face to teachers, that it reflects a larger problem in this school system about how classroom professionals are treated by administrators. The backlash from education professionals was plentiful and heartfelt. Many were reluctant to offer public criticism. School administrators, principals and teachers have tough jobs. They make dozens of decisions a day they hope will help the students they are charged with educating. I understand that there is an inclination to err on the side of caution when some potentially controversial matter must be dealt with. It’s tough balancing the need to protect students from a dangerous world with the desire to prepare them for what they will encounter as they go through life, a point the book’s author — a mother of two teen boys — also made. I suspect none of the students will forget that school leaders banned the book they were supposed to read in 10th grade English. Neither will parents and teachers throughout Haywood County. The superintendent — and let’s not forget the elected school board — lost the trust of many by making this decision. Children are growing up faster than ever, and our schools have an important role to play in helping them face life’s difficult challenges. Despite the overused idiom, ignorance is not bliss. Never was. (Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)
LETTERS attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump’s activities surrounding the insurrection present religious leaders and Trump’s Christian following quite a dilemma. They have to decide whether or not to endorse Trump’s coup attempt, stand behind the “Big Lie,” and foster his commitment to antidemocratic practices, which include an armed attempt to overthrow the U.S. government. Their alternative — obviously — is to recognize the true results of the election, support the orderly transfer of power in our constitutional democracy and thereby acknowledge “God’s President” was a liar, a scam artist and a major player in the attempt to overturn a free and fair election he lost by over seven million votes. Their decision is still pending. For the rest of us, the nightmare is not over. We have every reason to be concerned. I defer to Barton Gellman who succinctly declared in The Atlantic: “Technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup. It will rely on subversion more than violence, although each will have its place.” If laws presently being pursued by Republican legislatures across the U.S. are passed, ballots cast by voters will not decide the presidency in 2024. Votes could be discarded, the winner could be declared the loser
and the loser certified president-elect. That will mark the end of American democracy. In a functioning democracy — which many of us are old enough to recall having lived in — a grandstanding, opportunistic, narcissistic demagogue like Trump would have been long since judged a once-in-a-lifetime kind of miscreation and deemed most
certainly unworthy of the exalted office of President of the United States. His ridiculous and corrosive lies distorting and demeaning everything that we once valued in America and cherished by freedom-loving citizens around the globe would be enough to disqualify and bar him from any political consideration.
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