Opinion

Book banning is moving us backwards

NATASHA SHANTZ

NEWS INTERN

Although book censorship seems to be a practice of old, associated with violent regimes, it is seeping back into practice in the United States.

In a globalized era when understanding other perspectives and seeing oneself represented in the media is all the more important, book banning restrains the full educational and personal development of students.

In 2021 alone, the American Library Association (ALA) recorded 729 attempted bans of books, most of the instigators being parents of children in school. is is an enormous jump from the 156 attempted bans in 2020 and the 377 challenges in 2019.

In fact, the number has never been so high in recorded history. e ALA has noted that complaints against books have consistently involved concerns of o ensive language, sexually explicit material and material that is deemed inappropriate for the age group. ese challenged books, however, also tend to follow the stories of people of colour and LGBTQIA+ individuals, which is where the concern over censorship lies. e literary representations of marginalized groups is absolutely essential, and when their content is eradicated, there is no guidance and education for them or anyone else. e Hate U Give, written by Angie omas, has been one of the most challenged books over the past few years. A story about a teenager who witnesses her unarmed friend be brutally killed by a police o cer, it sends an important message inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Yet, the book has been subject to complaints of profane language, violence, sexual references and the promotion of an “anti-police” attitude. e top targeted book of 2021 is a graphic memoir titled Gender Queer, about the experience of coming out as nonbinary, by author Maia Kobabe. e book is directed mainly towards teenagers and was challenged because of its sexually explicit drawings, as well as its LGBTQIA+ content.

Many Texan school libraries banned the book entirely, after much pressure from parents concerned about their childrens’ exposure to such overt depictions.

While sexual imagery is a valid concern for parents of young students, making the book inaccessible for everyone is not a good solution. It only results in the erasure of an important source of representation for young individuals questioning their gender identity .

Such censorship has evidently been an increasing trend over the past few decades. While there are indeed many books with di cult content, the few truly problematic ones must be di erentiated from the rest.

Certain books are problematic because they use discriminatory language or target groups of people in ignorant or malicious ways, which are legitimate reasons for censorship.

However, the vast majority of challenged books are merely stories that the general public is unaccustomed to reading. ey are di cult to swallow because of their painfully honest content. ey touch on complex topics including racism, gender and sexual identity, religion and violence.

Essentially, these subjects have to be portrayed in an unpleasant manner in order to convey their importance. e authors of these books receive criticism because they do what many others have not: address, in one way or another, the consequences of hate, discrimination, war and crime. But more importantly, they bring to light the often-ignored realities of marginalized groups in society. ose who challenge such books are uncomfortable with the change and education literature is able to encourage. When we ban controversial books, we prevent discussions about their topics entirely, especially for young people who are in school to learn, not to ignore.

Yes, not all books are meant to be read by every age group, and it is useful to be aware of mature subject matter. However, it is senseless to entirely censor novels that educate on topics with the power to transform minds. ey are capable of enlightening not only students, but people from all walks of life.

Next on my to-do list, read some controversial books.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Animation trumps real life horror movies

YASMEEN ALMOMANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

One of the best parts about the Halloween season is settling in to watch scary movies or TV shows (as other writers have already mentioned in this issue).

Horror movies come in a variety of di erent genres and types – ranging from possession, haunted houses, serial killers, etc., but the ones that I nd to be the most chilling are animated.

Although I appreciate any well-done lm, especially horror, there are a few (admittedly basic) ones that stand out to me.

Get Out (2017) stays a classic with the plot twist at the end and the symbolism present throughout the movie, and IT (2017) still gives me chills considering how Georgie was killed within the rst 10 minutes of the movie — in the most gruesome way possible.

I would probably still get scared if I saw a photo of the girl from e Ring (2002) climbing out of the TV or Bughuul from Sinister who killed all of those families. Also, seeing Nope (2022) in theatres recently was an amazing experience. Again — all pretty basic lms.

Despite all of this, I believe that the horror and thriller genres have the best potential in animation or cartoons.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

First of all: let’s be real, the villains are much scarier. I would easily ght Pennywise from IT over the Other Mother from Coraline (2009). And honestly, Courage the Cowardly Dog villains would still spook me today. Between the Stitch Sisters’ unique style of animation, and the creepiness of the Spirit of the Harvest Moon, I don’t even blame Courage for always screaming and running away throughout the show.

Second of all: there’s way more creativity that can go into animated horror. For example, Monster House — where the villain is a literal brick house with a sad back story. is also ties into the animation aspect where anything can be done without the need for CGI or green screen. ere’s nothing impossible about what can be done with a cartoon or animation (which is why animators should be paid more). Even the character design is unique in every movie, like in the Nightmare Before Christmas with Jack’s skeletal gure and Sally’s mismatched rag doll body.

Finally, the comedy that animated shows provide is lighthearted, not cringe-y, and actually funny. e Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror episodes start with Marge on a stage warning parents against letting their kids watch the show.

As a kid watching the show, I thought that was always pretty funny, and the best parts were when they would use regulars on the show as the villains of the Halloween episodes — like when Mr. Burns was a vampire for an episode.

Another classic would be the old Scooby-Doo Halloween episodes (A Scooby-Doo Halloween), always include smart puns that actually make you laugh. e consistency of the characters, splitting up to nd clues, Scooby and Shaggy ending for Scooby snacks, and Velma losing her glasses, are always fun to watch and comforting amongst the “horror” of the show.

Jordan Peele’s horror lms have been favourites of mine, so seeing that he is bringing that creativity into the world of animation with the upcoming Wendell and Wild is very exciting.

Real life horror movies are fun to watch but given the limitless creativity that can be employed by animated shows or lms, and I’m excited to see what else can be brought into the world of horror through animation.