On
April 15th the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association (ALA), unveiled the top ten most frequently
challenged books list of 2012.
The list is headed by Captain Underpants Series by author Dav Pilkey. “The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and
Harold Hutchins, and Captain Underpants; an aptly named superhero from
one of George & Harold's comic books, that accidentally becomes real
when George and Harold hypnotizes their grouchy mean principal, Mr.
Krupp” (wikipedia).
The
reason given for the censorship is “Offensive language, unsuited for
age group.” These works are subject to complaints from parents,
educators and other members of the public
In
my view, the book does not deserve to be banned. It is a book that
entertains children of that age group with humor and to whom they can
identify and relate.
Nor
do I consider Its language offensive in any particular way. My 11 year
old enjoyed them when he was younger, and encouraged him to read.
The
author told Huffington Post: “I don't see these books as encouraging
disrespect for authority. Perhaps they demonstrate the value of
questioning authority," Pilkey said. "Some of the authority figures in
the Captain Underpants books are villains. They are bullies and they do
vicious things."
"It's
pretty exciting to be on a list that frequently features Mark Twain,
Harper Lee, and Maya Angelou." Pilkey said in a statement.
And
rightly so, the works of Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer have been repeatedly banned.
Mark Twain said to his editor on the Concord Public Library banning The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in
1885: “Apparently, the Concord library has condemned Huck as ‘trash and
only suitable for the slums.’ This will sell us another twenty-five
thousand copies for sure!”
You may wonder Why consider this censorship as a double standard and hypocrisy?
Number One: The list of censored books, as I indicated is headed by Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey.
But
on number four is the book Fifty Shades of Grey by British author E.L.
James. The given reasons for this censorship were: “Offensive language,
sexually explicit”.
I
think this was to be expected and seems reasonable that they decided to
remove this title from the Public Libraries and Schools.
I
do not believe in any kind censorship, but everyone has different
standards, values and principles. For me, a discussion on the topic
with logical argumentation will be more positive than a ban. The parents
are the ones that should make that decision concerning their own
children.
Another
different thing is to have Captain Underpants Series and Fifty Shades
of Grey in the same list, specially when Captain Underpants is the
number one of the list; is ridiculous!
Number
Two: In February of this year the City of Chicago passed a legislation
endorsing sex education for kindergarten. Chicago has the third-largest public school system in the country, with 431,000 students.
The
reasons given by advocates and supporters is that it will help lower
child abuse rates if children are educated about sexuality, another, is
that “by implementing a new sexual health education policy, we will be
helping them to build a foundation of knowledge that can guide them not
just in the preadolescent and adolescent years, but throughout their
lives.” Said Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the CEO of the Chicago Public School
System in a statement.
Those
educators who censor the “offensive language” of Captain Underpants are
supporting sexual education for Kindergarten students! Absurd and
ridiculous!
Here
is a clear example of today’s society double standards and lack of
consistency. How they will not expect to lose credibility in the
Institutions and decision makers if in one hand they censor the language
of a children's book recommended for children aged 7-10 years, but in
the other they are urging sexual education for children 5 and 6 years
old?
Please contact me if you find any grammatical errors. I apologized but English is not my
native language. If you wish to leave any feedback please comment or
email me
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