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A Nationwide Book Ban Bill Has Been Introduced in the House of Representatives

https://bookriot.com/hr7661-book-ban-legislation/
59•LostMyLogin•2h ago

Comments

Tyrubias•1h ago
It’s honestly terrifying that efforts to ban books and restrict what teachers can teach have made such a big comeback in the US. When I was in school, we always discussed banned books from the perspective of “we used to ban things that made people uncomfortable in the bad old days, but that could never happen in the 21st century”. Obviously that glossed over a lot of nuance, but it still shocks me as an adult seeing repression we discussed only from a historical perspective make its way back into the legislature.

Part of the purpose of education is exposing students to strange, uncomfortable, and even frightening ideas and giving them the tools to critically think about and even empathize with such ideas. They don’t have to even be “useful” ideas, since it’s important that students are given the tools to grow and become anything they want. It seems like a lot of groups around the country just want students to grow up to become drones working to prop up the economy. Anything that might make people question the nature of society or their role in it must be suppressed according to them.

ramoz•54m ago
I struggle with the federal government's power over all this. Let the states and local jurisdictions decide. Put in guardrails so that those local jurisdictions don't become corrupted, but at the same time we should empower people to place their children in education systems that don't ultimately falter to who's empowered in the fed.

You may be okay with your children reading some books. That's great, and you should be able to find the right school districts for them, and I should be able to do the same to ensure my children don't read through explicit material without any form of parental oversight.

unmole•41m ago
> I struggle with the federal government's power over all this.

From the TFA, the proposed bill "would modify the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by prohibiting use of funds under the act". This is hardly a case of the federal government running roughshod over sates and local jurisdictions.

This is a wild exaggeration to call this a national book ban.

PearlRiver•42m ago
In the real world each and every one of us has to function at a workplace with people from every race and religion.
johnnyanmac•1h ago
> prohibiting use of funds under the act “to develop, implement, facilitate, host, or promote any program or activity for, or to provide or promote literature or other materials to, children under the age of 18 that includes sexually oriented material, and for other purposes.

"For other purposes" is going to be doing a Herculean effort of carrying for the next few years if this passes. for example:

>This bill includes “lewd” and “lascivious” dancing as prohibited topics or themes.

I guess we learned nothing from Footloose.

----

And yes, for a TLDR on the article and the general situation of this the last decease or so: such book bans tends to be a roundabout way to associate "sexually oriented" topics with the trans community. Sometimes the entire LGBT umbrella is hit.

Pre-epstien, I'd be surprised that such people care much more about what goes on with a person's state of being than the person themselves. But it really seems like every accusation is a confession.

yaky•1h ago
This is creepily similar to Russia circa 10+ years ago with its "gay propaganda" and "child protection" laws, and strong government support for the church.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/11/russia-law-ban...

Spivak•56m ago
And we're finally here on the national stage.

1. Ban exposing minors to "sexual material." Who would be against that? Surely only weirdos would push to expose kids to sex and pornography. Make sure this gets challenged in court and that it's found constitutional under 1A.

2. Define things we don't like as sexual material. Obviously being gay is entirely about sex, just like being trans is about genitals. You don't even have to speculate that this is the motive—it's defined explicitly in the bill.

3. Boom, you found a legal way to ban what would otherwise be a pretty obvious 1A violation.

This is the public institutions half, it's harder to swing a bill like this for private institutions which is why that's handled with age verification bills. That way it's not technically a ban.

NoMoreNicksLeft•48m ago
Anyone who wants can look on archive.org to see a copy of Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer book, often cited as one of the "most banned" books out there. It is apparently intended for minors.

And it is pornographic, check page 168. Just far enough into the book so that any adult checking it first might not notice and permit it.

Finally, if I check the House bill, will I discover that instead of "banning books" it just insists that such books are restricted to adults at public libraries and only insofar as that public library receives grants from the feds?

WarOnPrivacy•37m ago
> And it is pornographic, check page 168. Just far enough into the book so that any adult checking it first might not notice and permit it.

Is your position that a proportionate response is a national book ban - to violate the 1A with a law that permanently, negatively impacts millions of Americans ?

jeffbee•36m ago
> It is apparently intended for minors.

You made that part up, and it is the operative part of your argument.

legostormtroopr•27m ago
The author themselves disagree with you.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/29/schools-a...

So does the National Council of Teachers of English. https://ncte.org/teaching-maia-kobabe/

Just because can't believe that people would promote a comic with explicit texting and sexual imagery to children doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

hydrogen7800•28m ago
you know, every time i see this book cited as the worst example of what the book banners want to ban, i check it out. Skimming to the "pornographic parts", i'm reminded just how repressed we are to find this repulsive. You should be uncomfortable when learning new things. Sexuality is not pornography. It's certainly more extreme than anything I was ever exposed to in my youth, but i'm sure this could have been massively helpful to a few kids in my high school, and probably de-stigmatizing for a few others. Certainly worth pissing off a few parents.
JohnTHaller•46m ago
Republicans keep telling everyone who they are. But a good chunk of folks keep denying it.
gdulli•42m ago
Sorry, the toothpaste doesn't go back into the tube with social issues. Interracial marriage isn't going away either lol.
esafak•23m ago
This is a naive take. The clock can be rewound far back.
ThrowawayTestr•35m ago
Man, anything to distract people from the files.
ufocia•23m ago
Doesn't look like a ban, a mere withholding of federal funds.

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A Nationwide Book Ban Bill Has Been Introduced in the House of Representatives

https://bookriot.com/hr7661-book-ban-legislation/
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