#BookBanning

[phonemantra-blog]

The Peabody Awards, a prestigious honor in broadcasting and streaming media, has unveiled its nominees for the 2023 documentary, news, public service, and radio/podcast categories. These nominees represent the most impactful and thought-provoking stories released during the year, highlighting critical issues and captivating audiences. Celebrating Exceptional Documentaries The documentary category boasts a strong lineup, featuring narratives that illuminate real-world struggles and triumphs. Here are some notable inclusions: Peabody Awards Recognize 20 Days in Mariupol: This Oscar-winning documentary offers a harrowing account of the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the eyes of journalists trapped in Mariupol. Director Mstyslav Chernov leads a team of Associated Press journalists capturing the city's devastating siege in 2022. Award Season Recognition: The Peabody Awards nominations resonate with the recognition these documentaries received at the Academy Awards. Five additional Oscar-nominated documentaries are also included, spanning diverse themes: 2023 Nominees: All That Breathes (environmental concerns) and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (art and activism) 2024 Nominees: Bobi Wine: The People's President (political struggle), The Eternal Memory (WWII remembrance), and To Kill a Tiger (human-wildlife conflict). Beyond the Oscars: The Peabody Awards extend recognition beyond the Oscars, including the Emmy-winning biopic Still: A Michael J. Fox Story, showcasing the life of the iconic actor. A Spotlight on Pressing Issues: News and Public Service The nominees in the News and Public Service categories tackle critical issues demanding public attention. Here's a glimpse into the themes explored: Impact of Roe v. Wade Overturning: Documentaries shed light on the challenges faced by women in the United States following the landmark abortion rights ruling being overturned. The Taliban's Resurgence: Journalistic investigations delve into the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan and its consequences. The Israel-Hamas Conflict: Productions explores the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, offering nuanced perspectives on the complex situation. Rise of Christian Nationalism: Investigative reports examine the growing influence of Christian nationalism in the United States. These nominees illustrate the Peabody Awards' commitment to recognizing media that sparks conversation and encourages action on crucial societal issues. Unveiling Stories Through Audio: Radio/Podcast The power of storytelling through audio is well-represented by the Radio/Podcast category nominees. These compelling productions delve into various topics: Book Banning in the US: Podcasts investigate the growing phenomenon of book banning in the United States, exploring the motivation behind it and its impact on education and intellectual freedom. COVID-19 Tracking Efforts: Productions highlight the vital role of the COVID-19 tracking project in providing crucial information during the pandemic. Prison Reform Advocacy: Podcasts address the need for prison reform and advocate for a more just and humane prison system. True Crime Investigations: Well-researched and insightful true crime podcasts delve into mysteries and historical cases, seeking answers and bringing closure. These diverse nominees showcase the versatility of audio storytelling and its ability to inform, entertain, and inspire. Celebrating Storytelling Excellence In a statement, Jeffrey Jones, Executive Director of Peabody, emphasized the power of these nominated stories: Jones underscores the importance of recognizing media that inspires us to not only be entertained but also strive for positive change. The Road to the Winners' Circle The winners of the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be announced on May 9th, followed by an in-person ceremony on June 9th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. This marks a momentous occasion, being the first in-person Peabody ceremony since 2019 and the first to take place in Los Angeles. The remaining categories, including Arts, Children's/Youth, Entertainment, and Interactive & Immersive, will have their nominees revealed on April 25th.

[eric-sadahire]

Just 11 People Responsible for 60% of Book Ban Requests Across the US.

Gotta believe another world is possible. There's no way billions of years of evolution culminating in this historic moment will end with us languishing on this spinning rock in space only to oppress ourselves forever.

It would be an incredible waste.

[pennsyltuckyheathen]

The residents said in the lawsuit that the decision by county officials to remove the books from library shelves violated the First Amendment and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The books were removed from the shelves of three libraries in the Llano County library system.

[notesfromtheroomofwonder]

Update on NOTEFLIX’s production of “Troubles in the Garden”. While our film crew is on vacation, members of our cast are attending a lecture series on the “History of Stuffed Animals”. This lecture is being given in the dark of night because there are some malcontents who would ban such activities – under the name of who knows what. This particular lecture delves into the question of : Who was the first Stuffed Animal? Was it Peter, the Rabbit ? Or Frankie the Dog? …The malcontents believe the knowledge pertaining to such things might lead to Socialism, or even – worse – to the State of WOKE, wherever that is. (We hope to get back to filming next week.) . #likes #likesforlike #woke #bestofallpossibleworlds #bookbanning #smallminds #decivilization #theratpapers #impunity #blogger @morganmetz #msnbc https://www.instagram.com/p/CqEMuJ0OFLr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thats-on-point]

Here is a clip from Yesterday's show. Today Doc discusses the fact that DeSantis has replaced the Board of Reedy Creek and taken control over Disney's Independent State DIstirict. Website - https://www.thatsonpoint.info Merch - https://teespring.com/stores/thats-on-point-me Follow Us On; Bitchute-https://www.bitchute.com/channel/8SXcz1rqDyu7/ YouTube-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRNHroldv9kuaatarS7uclA Minds-https://www.minds.com/thatsonpoint/ Top Clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn_fZ4JhHN05YLijsdmkYSQ/ Paler:https://parler.com/profile/DocComeau Support Us On; Subscribe Star-https://www.subscribestar.com/that-s-on-point Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ThatsOnPoint?fan_landing=tru

[jumbledcardigan]

Tell Missouri School Boards and Districts to Reverse Overzealous Book Bans

There has been a massive purge of books with visual depictions in Missouri since August. You can view a full list of known books that have been pulled here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AVW8q-B4uSZIJ3mLqc5tY8DZyojI1KLIVBQzSCb7lbg

Sign PEN America’s open letter to Missouri School Districts who have overzealously reacted to the new law here:

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-missouri-schools-to-reverse-overzealous-book-bans

[eric-sadahire]

Banning the teaching of systemic racism is actually a perfect example of systematic racism

[gmrstudios]

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2749 - GenderQueer WIN! Ban is UNCONSTITUTIONAL! https://sensedoubt.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-sense-of-doubt-blog-post-2749.html #censorship #bookbanning #winwin #genderqueer #lbgtq🌈 https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch-h4FJvw26VneqcKoFOI_lFPaStDXZtmwExVM0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thats-on-point]

Here is a clip from Yesterday's show. Today Doc discusses the fact that DeSantis has replaced the Board of Reedy Creek and taken control over Disney's Independent State DIstirict. Website - https://www.thatsonpoint.info Merch - https://teespring.com/stores/thats-on-point-me Follow Us On; Bitchute-https://www.bitchute.com/channel/8SXcz1rqDyu7/ YouTube-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRNHroldv9kuaatarS7uclA Minds-https://www.minds.com/thatsonpoint/ Top Clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn_fZ4JhHN05YLijsdmkYSQ/ Paler:https://parler.com/profile/DocComeau Support Us On; Subscribe Star-https://www.subscribestar.com/that-s-on-point Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ThatsOnPoint?fan_landing=tru

[h3r3s-a-st0ry]

Book Banning | An Essay

Banning books is a harmful act of censorship. The idea of book banning is not only an infringement upon the first amendment, but it also disproportionately affects minorities, including LGBTQ+ persons and black Americans. Banning books is old-fashioned, unlawful, controlling, and silences communities most in need of a voice. 

PART I: The History

Though the first book ban in the United States is difficult to track, most can come to an agreement that the first widespread book ban was Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, due to Stowe’s abolitionist themes. About ten years after the Civil War, Anthony Comstock, a government official, convinced the United States to pass a law prohibiting the mailing of pornographic materials. But Mr. Comstock’s definition of “pornographic materials” is absolute ludicrious: anatomy textbooks, doctors’ pamphlets concering reproduction, anything by Oscar Wilde, and The Canterbury Tales. And yet, this law passed, and the then-slang term for banning was dubbed “comstockery” due to his influence (Brady).

Then, in the court case, The United States v. One Book Called Ulysses (1933), the judge overturned a federal ban of James Joyce’s Ulysses, which had been in effect since 1922. This book was originally banned due to explicit depiction of sex, though the judge decided that the depiction of sex, even if unpleasant, should be allowed in serious literature. There were numerous court cases following this one, trying their definition of pornographic materials, though it was ultimately decided that these books that continued to be challenged were not pornographic or excessively violent, but they were simply depicting the real world. Yet, there are people today who still struggle with the idea of letting the nation freely read whatever they please, and though many consider book banning to be something of the past, in the year 2021 we have seen hundreds of attempts to ban works of literature due to citizens being unhappy with the message of the book, or even the authors’ sexual orientation and/or race. 

PART II: Infringements Upon Human Rights

The same people who threw tantrums over Donald Trumps’ ban from Twitter are the same people who don’t realize, or refuse to admit, that book banning is a form of censorship. The First Amendment provides that “Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (The White House).

Books that are most targeted for bans typically contain violence, disrespect for parents and/or family, are sexually explicit, exalt evil, lack literary merit, are unsuitable for a particular age group, or have offensive language. Book bans usually take place in educational settings, which is further discussed in PART III, but there are people who attempt to ban books world-wide. Frequently challenged books include Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Lawn Boy by Jonathon Evison, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, among hundreds upon hundreds of others (Meckler). But, typically, books are challenged in the educational setting, as book ban court cases typically only take place on the state and local levels, and are rarely ever upper priorities.

PART III: Schools

In numerous sources, people claim that children’s literature is the primary target for book banning, as many parents want to censor what their children read and learn in the classroom, which is understandable. 

But there is a difference between restricting access and banning, as most schools are coming to realize. Banning is not constitutional, but restricting access is. That is to say that school libraries cannot physically remove a book from the shelves, but they can restrict access to it, or require parent permission for the child to be able to read it. However, schools are unable to ban books from notorious/generally accepted authors, such as Mark Twain, J.K. Rowling, R.L. Stine, Judy Blume, or Robert Cormier (Webb).

Another court case, Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v Pico (1982), ruled 5-4 that public schools can bar books that are pervasively vulgar or not right for the curriculum, but cannot remove books simply because they dislike the ideas within those books (Webb). Many people remember that over-told story where one teacher from the south refused to read a book about evolution since the idea of evolution went against the beliefs of the Bible, a prime example of what this law is protecting against.

There’s also the issue of parental involvement in their children’s education. Many parents wish to ban books in the name of being a good parent, protecting their children from the horrors that life will bring them down the road. Is this protecting or just temporarily shielding?

The simple solution is the development of a strong parent-teacher relationship. Typically, teachers do not have much control over the literature chosen, as it must coincide with the education curriculum. But, as long as the teacher is transparent and honest about the material being discussed within the book and the classroom, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Oftentimes, the banning of these books in the classroom, which typically target LGBTQ+ authors/themes, is just a cowardly action to avoid having serious conversations about life outside of the classroom, even though that should be the aim of education in the first place: to prepare students for life after school.

PART IV: Who is Banning Really Censoring?

Banning books silences voices that are the most in-need of being heard. There’s a lot of politics involved in the book banning dilemma. Generically, conservatives move to ban books involving race, sexuality, and gender. But there are also liberals who move to ban books that “marginalize minorities or use racially insensitive language” (Harris), such as the infamous To Kill a Mockingbird, which heavily discusses racism and why society has so much work to do towards equality, but uses racial slurs as is consistent with the time period of this book being written. Recently, a Tennessee school district removed a book about the Holocaust: a topic heavily discussed in history classes, which is paramount for a full understanding about the inhumane actions taken against Jewish individuals.

Most targeted books for banning in 2021 were by or about black or LGBTQ+ persons, according to the American Library Association (Meckler). As previously mentioned, this censorship removes the possibility for discussion and better understanding of topics that are in need of discussion for better comprehension at a young age, such as gender expression, race/racism, and sexuality. The lack of these conversations will only lay the groundwork for increasing bullying, disrespect, violence, and attacks against others. 

Homophobia and racism is likely the driving force behind book banning. One example of homophobia playing into the banning of books involves the Mayor of Ridgeland, Mississippi, who had recently withheld funding from the Madison County Library system. “He would not release the money until books with LGBTQ themes were removed,” says the library’s executive director (Harris). 

It seems that for every step forward American society makes in regards to gender expression, LGBTQ+ rights, and equality, there are two steps backward, returning to transphobia, homophobia, and racism. Now that these groups are finally able to tell their stories, something that had rarely happened in literature, they are once again being silenced due to a prejudiced political climate. 

Book banning should be something of the past, as it does not benefit anyone except the silencers. This form of censorship blatantly defies the First Amendment, as it silences the press and also other communities that have only recently been able to express their feelings and experiences without being met with gruesome repercussions. The banning of literature, especially in schools, will create an unaccepting environment with increased bullying and prejudice, undoing any work that had previously been done for equality rights. Not only does this harm students, but by going through all the motions to get a work of literature banned— a work of art that an author may have spent years of their life on— instead of just having a conversation about the abnormal themes of the book, or the language used, shows that these people are cowards and/or do not understand enough about the content material themselves, which actually shows that these books are a necessity in order to move toward a progressive, educated society. 

Work Cited

Brady, Amy. “The History (and Present) of Banning Books in America.” Literary Hub, 22 Sept. 2016, lithub.com/the-history-and-present-of-banning-books-in-america.

Goldberg, Erica. “When Are Book Bans Unconstitutional? A First Amendment Scholar Explains.” Virginia Mercury, 20 Apr. 2022, www.google.com/url?q=https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/04/20/when-are-book-bans-unconstitutional-a-first-amendment-scholar-explains/%23:%7E:text%3DThe%2520government%2520cannot%2520create%2520laws,such%2520as%2520obscenity%2520or%2520libel&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1653325376487195&usg=AOvVaw0blOVUlZ5bUV0pE0RqoHoO.

Harris, Elizabeth, and Alexandra Alter. “Why Book Ban Efforts Are Spreading Across the U.S.” The New York Times, 8 Feb. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/books/book-ban-us-schools.html.

Klein, Lisa, and Carrie Leff. “Our Book on Puberty Has Been Banned. This Only Puts Kids at Risk.” The Washington Post, 4 June 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/05/02/our-book-puberty-has-been-banned-this-only-puts-kids-risk.

Mazariegos, Miranda. “Efforts to Ban Books Jumped an ‘unprecedented’ Four-Fold in 2021,  ALA Report Says.” NPR, 4 Apr. 2022, choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=https://www.npr.org/2022/04/04/1090067026/efforts-to-ban-books-jumped-an-unprecedented-four-fold-in-2021-ala-report-says.

Meckler, Laura, and Perry Stein. “These Are Books School Systems Don’t Want You to Read, and Why.” The Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/04/28/book-banned-why-locations.

The White House. “The Constitution.” The White House, 20 Jan. 2021, www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-constitution.

Webb, Susan L. “Book Banning.” The First Amendment Encyclopedia, www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/986/book-banning. Accessed 23 May 2022.

Wikipedia contributors. “Book Censorship in the United States.” Wikipedia, 10 May 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_censorship_in_the_United_States.

Wikipedia contributors. “List of Books Banned by Governments.” Wikipedia, 30 Apr. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_banned_by_governments.

[gabyglifestyle]

#gabysrandomthoughtsoftheday #bookbanning #lockhimup #trumpisatraitor #republicansaredestroyingamerica #resistautocracy #resisttheagenda #lockthemallup (at Carmel Valley, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc13rtXOwlk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gmrstudios]

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2545 - Dear Book Banners, Please Actually READ Gender Queer. https://sensedoubt.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-sense-of-doubt-blog-post-2545-dear.html #censorship #censored #bookbanning #bookbanbusters #genderqueer #readbooks #readingisfundamental📚 #lbgtq #humanrights #maiakobabe https://www.instagram.com/p/CZmwr6mv6LlWOwaF2_FOVe0FnCr-Hcr5mmULkE0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thats-on-point]

Here is a clip from Yesterday's show. Today Doc discusses the fact that James Patterson has started to call for fans to request his Maximum Ride books be unbanned in Florida Schools. Website - https://www.thatsonpoint.info Merch - https://teespring.com/stores/thats-on-point-me Follow Us On; Bitchute-https://www.bitchute.com/channel/8SXcz1rqDyu7/ YouTube-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRNHroldv9kuaatarS7uclA Minds-https://www.minds.com/thatsonpoint/ Top Clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn_fZ4JhHN05YLijsdmkYSQ/ Paler:https://parler.com/profile/DocComeau Support Us On; Subscribe Star-https://www.subscribestar.com/that-s-on-point Patreon-https://www.patreon.com/ThatsOnPoint?fan_landing=tru