Group should learn what 'censorship' is
A stack of challenged books at the Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City on Dec. 16, 2021. Credit: AP/Rick Bowmer
Moms for Liberty wants to ban books about injustices in America [“Book ban attempts hit record in ’22,” News, March 24]. It uses “pornography” as one excuse while ignoring the context. It’s so transparent that it insults our intelligence.
The group also wants to eliminate any mention of the LGBTQ community, such as in “Pink Is for Boys.” This is censorship. No group has any right to control what children read. Members of such a group have the prerogative to ban “Pride Puppy” in their own homes. However, one must wonder what they are afraid of. Will they have to explain their beliefs (prejudices) to their child? “But, Mommy, why can’t I like pink?” They apparently would rather keep those conversations buried.
To paraphrase Rudine Sims Bishop: Books are mirrors when readers see their own lives reflected in the pages. Books are windows when they allow readers a view of lives and stories that are different from their own.
Children should read books that show them different cultures and communities. I believe it is equally, if not more important for children to see themselves in books, to be represented as normal and not judged.
— Rosanne Manfredi, Ridge
Moms for Liberty is correct that censorship is considered a government action. But the term includes the suppression of ideas, which the organization espouses, and the limiting of access to concepts. Whether done by government or an organization, the intention is the same.
It seems evident that these parents want to avoid exposing their own bigotry to their children by avoiding subjects such as race, misogyny and gender.
My children spent their lives surrounded by completely “inappropriate” books, and I can only hope they offer the same avenue to growth and learning to my grandchildren. The worst fate I can imagine for a child is to never be challenged, made uncomfortable or asked to reach further for empathy and understanding.
— Cynthia Lovecchio, Remsenburg
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