Introducing Censorship

A presentation for librarians to introduce 12 and 13-year-olds to censorship

Transcript

1. INTRODUCING CENSORSHIP J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 M A I P A O L A IMAGE CREDIT: ERIC DROOKER
2. NORMA KLEIN, YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THERE’S ANYTHING OBJECTIONABLE ABOUT TELLING IT LIKE IT IS THINKING POINT: TRUTH
3. Censorship takes different forms, but essentially involves suppressing ideas and information that people find dangerous or objectionable. WHAT IS CENSORSHIP?
4. Destruction of information Withholding information Modification of information Self-censorship TYPES OF CENSORSHIP
5. EXAMPLES OF CENSORSHIP Destruction of materials In 1933, Nazi student organisations, librarians, and professors identified and destroyed approximately 25 000 books that they viewed as containing ideas contrary to Nazi ideals. Withholding information U.S. government agencies during wartime restricted the news journalists were allowed to report, if they perceived it as embarrassing to the U.S., or likely to turn citizens against the war effort.
6. EXAMPLES OF CENSORSHIP Editing or selective presentation of information In 2015, Texas legislators voted to use textbooks that softened the role of slavery as the cause of the U.S. civil war. These texts were different to texts sold by the same publisher in other states Self-censorship Youth librarians in a 2016 study chose not to include LGBT books in a collection to avoid potential challenges, even before complaints were made
7. RACHEL VAIL, YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR I MADE A VOW TO MYSELF WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER THAT I WOULD NEVER FORGET, AND NEVER DISRESPECT, THE INTENSITY OF THE ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE THINKING POINT: RESPECT
8. JUSTIFYING CENSORSHIP Common reasons for challenging books To protect against moral corruption or obscenity To protect religious or political beliefs To protect against incitement of violence or misbehaviour To discourage damaging lifestyles To protect children from explicit material or language
9. WHAT IS INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM? Intellectual freedom is when everyone has access to all kinds of information, and decides for themselves what to read, including determining what they consider obscene, inappropriate, or objectionable. "It's okay for a parent to say, 'I don't want my child to read this book.' But it is not okay for anyone to try to make that decision for other people." LOIS LOWRY, AUTHOR THE GIVER
10. DAV PILKEY, AUTHOR CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS DURING A RECENT BOOK TOUR, A MOTHER THANKED ME FOR MY CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS BOOKS BECAUSE THEY WERE THE ONLY THINGS THAT MADE HER SON LAUGH AFTER HIS DAD PASSED AWAY THINKING POINT: COMMUNICATION
11. TRUTH, RESPECT, AND COMMUNICATION Intellectual freedom combines these three elements Truth: The willingness to see things 'as they are', from awkward adolescent journeys to tragic historical injustices (e.g. puberty, the Holocaust.) Respect: The ability to respect and honour past experiences and to respect the choices, beliefs, and preferences of others, without forcing others to adopt our choices, beliefs, or preferences. Communication: The ability to talk (especially to children and teens ) about things like violence, bad language, and 'appropriate' behaviour
12. IS YOUR FAVOURITE HERE? On the ALA frequently challenged list: The Giver, Lowis Lowry: For violence, including suicide, infanticide, and euthanasia The Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling: For glorifying magic/the occult, being anti-family, and violence Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey: For offensive language, partial nudity, violence, and misbehaviour Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Patterson: For witchcraft, anti-religious viewpoints, and explicit language The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins: For anti- religious viewpoints, anti-family viewpoints, explicit language, and violence In the Night Kitchen, Maurice Sendak: For nudity Drama, Raina Telgemeier: For the portrayal of LGBT characters The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky: For drugs, alcohol, smoking, homosexuality, explicit language, sex
13. What are your views on censorship? Does the context of violence or swearing in a book make a difference? What are the pros and cons of viewing nudity in a piece of artwork, or violence depicted in a history book? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
14. JOAN BERTIN, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NATIONAL COALITION AGAINST CENSORSHIP THOSE OF US WHO OPPOSE CENSORSHIP BELIEVE THAT READING ABOUT SOMETHING IS A SAFE WAY TO EXPLORE AND UNDERSTAND IT, AND THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES THEY WILL FACE, BOTH IN SCHOOL AND LATER IN LIFE.
15. QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
16. REFERENCES American Library Association [ALA]. (n.d.). Top ten most challenged book lists. In Banned and challenged books. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 American Library Association [ALA]. (n.d.). What is censorship? In Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship/faq Holocaust Encyclopedia (n.d.). Nazi propaganda and censorship. Retrieved from https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-propaganda-and-censorship Isensee, L. (2015). How textbooks can teach different versions of history. In All things considered. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/13/421744763/how-textbooks-can-teach- different-versions-of-history Kendall, J. (2017). About Lois Lowry's Controversial Book, "The Giver". Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-giver-by-lois-lowry-627398
17. REFERENCES Oltmann, S. (2016). Public librarians' views on collection development and censorship. Collection Management, 41(1), 23-44, DOI: 10.1080/01462679.2015.1117998 Pilkey, D. (2014). My book makes kids laugh, and it was banned anyway. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dav-pilkey/captain-underpants-banned-book_b_5863980.html Scales, P. (2001). Teaching banned books: 12 guides for young readers. Retrieved from IG Library Scales, P. (2009). Protecting intellectual freedom in your school library: scenarios from the front lines. Retrieved from IG Library Smyth, D. (2013). Avoiding bloodshed? US journalists and censorship in wartime, War & Society, 32(1), 64-94, DOI: 10.1179/0729247312Z.00000000017