Ray Bradbury Would be Ashamed.

Reading Ringel and Mullally’s articles, I was reminded of a scene from the popular Netflix series, Ginny & Georgia. After her teacher not-so-subtly suggests that she would be better suited for the lower-level English class, Ginny stands up for herself and her education. “There are sixteen books on this syllabus,” she notes. “Fourteen of them were written by men, fifteen were written by white people, and I’m willing to make a guess that the one black author will crop up in the syllabus just in time for Black History Month… am I right?” At this, Ginny is met with stunned silence from both her teacher and classmates. Just as adults (parents, educators, etc.) have the power to control what students are reading in the classroom, they seem to believe they have the power to control what students are not reading. I say “they seem,” because the whole thing is completely ridiculous to me. Unfortunately, however, the reality of these decisions is an extremely harmful way of thinking.

“I am very serious about my education,” Ginny continues, in her impassioned speech. “I’m worried I might internalize an ideology that the main viewpoint, the viewpoint worth studying in class, the viewpoint of the grades, is only that of the white male. Thus, irradicating my voice as immaterial.” This same ideology applies to not only the books that are being taught, but those that are being challenged. “52 percent of the books challenged or banned in the last 10 years feature so-called “diverse content”—that is, they explore issues such as race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental illness, and disability,” Ringel writes. If censorship originated as a means of monitoring and preventing “dangerous publications,” are we then insinuating that conversations about “diverse content” pose some sort of threat? The only threat I see is to that of students who are not be adequately and accurately represented in the material they are exposed to, whose histories and cultures are not being honored in schools, who are made to feel ostracized from their peers because their identity does not fit into the “norm.” Ringel quotes author Kate Messner, who wrote in a blog post: “‘When we say ‘This book is inappropriate,’ we’re telling those children ‘your situation … your family … your life is inappropriate.’” 

When I read about different instances of censorship Mullally mentioned, I am just filled with an overwhelming urge to shout, ‘WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF?!” As children we are taught to think outside of the box, to brainstorm new and unique ideas. And yet when provided the opportunity to discuss something “different” or “unfamiliar,” it is shut down? Young children are so easily influenced by the opinion of the adults in their life. When these adults instill a sort of “don’t ask, don’t tell” about conversations dealing with race, gender, sexuality, and mental health, it reinforces a sense of prejudice. I must say, I have never been prouder to own my “I read banned books” pin than I do now.