Freedom to Read Week
February 28, 2008
It’s Freedom to Read week. I thought I’d weigh in about the freedom to read whatever the hell we want to read. We’re on the cusp of a provincial election and there have been a couple wonderful cases in which Alberta politicians attempted to ban books. Todd Babiak mentions one case that occurred in 1994. Progressive Conservative MLA Victor Doerksen, attempted to pull novels containing dirty words like "God-awful" from the libraries of Alberta schools. Specifically: He wanted to “…to remove all books from Alberta's school curriculum that demean God or Jesus Christ.” Of Mice and Men, the classic novel by John Steinbeck, was Doerksen's No. 1 target.
The book was brought to his attention by a Wetaskiwin man who was unsuccessful in getting it banned (apparently, this isn't quite accurate...he only wanted an alternative book, which should have been provided) from schools. Doerksen then introduced a petition from 881 Albertans wanting all education literature removed that is intolerant of religion, and profanes the name of God or Jesus Christ. (ignoring Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Percussionists, Nihilists...and so on). Apparently, Labor Minister Stockwell Day, MLA for Red Deer North, supported the move. This happened in the middle of the national Freedom to Read Week, 1994.
I don’t have a problem with these well-meaning men going with their hearts and faiths. You have to respect this sort of over-the-top ignorance and the willingness to wave this flag of intolerance in public. I’m just pleased that they were not taken seriously by the majority. The massively foolish but ultimately "real" outrage which resulted in people dying because of a cartoon depicting a certain “other” religious figure-head comes to mind. Fundamentalism, whether it’s Christian or any other number of religions on this planet, including: "The Stan" (see; Todd Babiak's brilliant novel "The Book of Stanley") is the lowest form of stupidity. Banning books, for whatever reason, is always a slippery slope. Once you start…where do you stop?
This is an incomplete list of books that have been challenged in Canada. I’m happy to say that I’ve read every book on this list but two:
Margaret Laurence, The Diviners
J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye
Rosamund Elwin, Asha's Mums
Alice Munro, Lives of Girls and Women
Elizabeth Laird, A Little Piece of Ground
Mordecai Richler, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter
Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale
I’m with Todd. Let’s “Celebrate Freedom to Read Week by reading a challenged novel, or requesting a government document, or reading the online platforms of your political parties, today.”
I’m in. Are you?
4 Comments
1. Merle had this to say: Feb 28, 2008 ~ 18:17 ~ #
One correction, the man only requested that his daughter be given an alternative book to read, the teacher refused (which she shouldn’t have) and thenDoerksen got involved in trying to get the book banned.
2. thomas had this to say: Feb 28, 2008 ~ 18:49 ~ #
I actually think that’s a fair request. I wish more parents were as involved…and interested in what their kids are reading. That raises a really good question: Should parents be allowed to override a set curriculum? Should parents be able to easily make a request for an alternative book, without sanction? Should they have to prove that their request for an alternative has merit?
I think alternatives should be available. That teacher should have provided a different book.
3. Laurie had this to say: Feb 29, 2008 ~ 10:28 ~ #
I applaud your promotion of Freedom To Read Week. However, I strongly disagree with the statement “You have to respect this sort of over-the-top ignorance …”
We have over-the-top ignorance to thank for racial segregation, lynchings and cross-burnings; homophobia and gay-bashings; religious abuse; and the continued oppression of minorities worldwide based on sex, race, class, and clashing religious and political ideologies. Because, sadly, all too often this sort of thing DOES get taken seriously — these “well-meaning men” are not harmless fools. Throughout history, all kinds of human rights abuses have been perpetrated by people who “meant well.”
Our freedom to read whatever the hell we want should be celebrated — absolutely — and not taken for granted. And I cannot respect any person who would try to control what I can or can’t read based on his or her own religious beliefs, sense of moral superiority, intolerance of any ideas or opinions other than their own, or general squeamishness.
Pity, maybe, but not respect.
4. Thomas had this to say: Feb 29, 2008 ~ 14:27 ~ #
Laurie,
I agree with you. My writing was hazy. I need to push a little harder to achieve sarcasm. It is the public display of ignorance that I applaud. I don’t want these guys (and women) going underground. I want them to be stupid in public, so we can all keep an eye on them. So we can look over there ans say: “Gee that’s stupid.”