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Censorship
Book Banning: The Dystopia in Our Reality By Kate Flood, SS Law and Business Book banning evokes images of oppressive dictatorial regimes and harrowing dystopian novels, such as Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. And yet, recent events in America come as a sobering reminder that censorship is omnipresent; a persistent dystopian stain on modern, democratic society. Over recent months there has been a flurry of book bans across many US states, as a plethora of books have been removed from schools and libraries alike. The American Library Association reported an “unprecedented” increase in book ban requests during Autumn 2021, as 330 books were challenged, compared to just 156 challenges in the entirety of 2020. This form of censorship has become so prevalent that Vanity Fair reported conservatives as “just openly endorsing book burning now,” a sentiment that has been vindicated in light of the fiery scenes seen in Tennessee in early February 2022. With this surge in the banning of books, it is important to consider how, or indeed if, these practices can be justified and the potential for their success. Explaining away Book Banning Many attempts have been made to justify the removal of books from library shelves and the banning of books from schools. Perhaps the most far-reaching book banning regime has been seen in Texas, where some 850 books have been removed from schools. The main instigator of the regime, Rep. Matt Krause, maintained that the offending books were removed so as not to make students feel “discomfort, guilt anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex or convey that a student, by virtue of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.” Some have contended that the protection of students from discomfort is an admirable motivation and one that ought to be accepted and respected. However, it has been suggested that it is an unconvincing excuse and one that goes against the very aim of education. Passing judgement in the case of Island Trees Union Free School District v Pico by Pico, the US Supreme Court maintained that accessing diverse ideas “prepares students for active and effective participation in the pluralistic, often contentious society in which they will soon be adult members.” The purpose of the education system aside, as Timothy Snyder notes, “[d]iscomfort is part of growing up … teachers in high schools cannot exclude the possibility that the history of slavery, lynching and voter suppression will make some non-black students uncomfortable.” Whether one is convinced by the ‘discomfort’ argument or not, when one considers the content of the banned book list, it becomes clear that while discomfort is perhaps the front of the issue, the real driving force of the regime is likely something quite different. Censorship is a practice which, according to Richard L. Darling, “must be as old as recorded literature, perhaps older.”
While it would be nice to think that we have evolved considerably with the passage of time, the reality is that the motives for banning books have remained constant. Stalin banned Doctor Zhivago by virtue of its unbecoming portrayal of the Russian revolution. Mickey Mouse comics were forbidden by communists in East Germany, as the cartoon character was perceived as being an anti-red rebel. It was feared that Lady Chatterley’s Lover would lead to the breakdown of social divides in 1920s Britain. Each of these examples show pieces being banned out of fear; a fear of disrupting the social order. The recent book bans in America target works concerning race theory, sexuality, and upsetting historical
