Banning Books: Valid or No?
This is a question that seems to be something that has a potential to be a good debate but I’ll add a bit of preface: My question is beyond obvious reasons would you, if you have the power ban a certain book and why?
There are many reasons a book can be banned by a particular country, religion, group or whatever. Sometimes it has the effect of making people find way s to read that particular book. Publishers have to in a sense ban a book by saying no thanks to it.
So, let us say you are a publisher, or a book store owner and this book (whatever it is) comes to your store or office.
You have a decision: Would you ban this book? And, if you do why would you? How about a blog? How about a website?
Does banning books have a valid reason or do you think everyone has a right to have a voice?
2 Comments
Damaria Senne
Slippery slope, Rebecca 🙂 On one hand, I would ban a non-fiction guide that outlines the many ways you can kill a person and not get caught, a biography of paedophile who tells other paedophiles where to go, how to lure kids, … you know, a how to guides to harm others.
BUT, I live in Africa and I've seen people and media banned by governments as a means of oppression. I also think that the Human Rights Charter is a good guide on what you can ban – in my country, that means you can't ban a book for religious or political reasons, for example. The book may go totally against your religious beliefs, but if the content is not promoting anything against the law, then it has got to stay.
Rebecca E.
thought so as well, it came as a thought when I was in a bookstore. Funny things youthink about hmm?
But it is a slippery slope, where do you stop?