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TechnographBanning Kurt Vonnegut and other sins against man
By Brian Pierce
Posted: 4/16/07 Section: Opinion Columns
Among the nine books that Pinney and the Family Taxpayers Network saw as such an affront to a proper education are Toni Morrison's "Beloved," Stephen Dubner's and Steven Levitt's "Freakonomics," Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried," and the late Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five."
The feelings of fond remembrance and admiration for Kurt Vonnegut's work in the wake of his death should remind us that book bans like these are not merely entertaining hotspots in the ongoing culture war.
Discovering a writer like Vonnegut in high school has been in no small way a life changing experience for many Americans. Books like "Slaughterhouse-Five" have a way of touching us most profoundly when they are read at a certain age, during the confusing, angst-ridden years of adolescence.
The best of these books lasts with us for a lifetime.
And so it should be treated not as a small distraction but rather as a grave social wrong that the schoolchildren of District 214 could be denied the experiences of Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut's World War II prisoner of war, as he witnesses the firebombing of Dresden and becomes disconnected from time and space.
And while the challengers in this school board race are not campaigning in support of a book ban, the level of support they have garnered from the far right should make anyone suspicious of their intentions if actually elected to office.
If nothing else, the ousting of the incumbents will send a message to any future candidates that opposing a book ban is a surefire way to lose reelection.
Forces like Schlafly and Oberweis will find candidates with their backwards values and fund them until they win.
And sooner or later, the far right will get candidates elected who will eliminate great writers like Vonnegut from the classroom.
And President Bartlett will, as usual, be proven right.
So it goes.
The feelings of fond remembrance and admiration for Kurt Vonnegut's work in the wake of his death should remind us that book bans like these are not merely entertaining hotspots in the ongoing culture war.
Discovering a writer like Vonnegut in high school has been in no small way a life changing experience for many Americans. Books like "Slaughterhouse-Five" have a way of touching us most profoundly when they are read at a certain age, during the confusing, angst-ridden years of adolescence.
The best of these books lasts with us for a lifetime.
And so it should be treated not as a small distraction but rather as a grave social wrong that the schoolchildren of District 214 could be denied the experiences of Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut's World War II prisoner of war, as he witnesses the firebombing of Dresden and becomes disconnected from time and space.
And while the challengers in this school board race are not campaigning in support of a book ban, the level of support they have garnered from the far right should make anyone suspicious of their intentions if actually elected to office.
If nothing else, the ousting of the incumbents will send a message to any future candidates that opposing a book ban is a surefire way to lose reelection.
Forces like Schlafly and Oberweis will find candidates with their backwards values and fund them until they win.
And sooner or later, the far right will get candidates elected who will eliminate great writers like Vonnegut from the classroom.
And President Bartlett will, as usual, be proven right.
So it goes.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Linda
posted 4/16/07 @ 2:57 AM EST
Brian, reading you is always amusing. Even when one agrees with you. Yes, a ban on books, even on books which can be reasonably seen as objectionable for the young mind, is unsavory to any person who enjoys freedom. (Continued…)
Jon
posted 4/16/07 @ 4:21 AM EST
Marginally better looking? Linda, give the kid a break. There is at least a three-point gap between Bambi and Brian on a 1-10 scale. Have at least a little faith in my taste. (Continued…)
Observer
posted 4/16/07 @ 9:40 AM EST
So one board member out of seven wanted to ban these books, and that turns into "oh no, those neocon far righties might get elected, and even though they have spoken no intention of siding with this lone board member, they could do so in a heartbeat". (Continued…)
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