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Should books, comics, or magazines deemed 'racist' be banned?

Should books, comics, or magazines deemed 'racist' be banned?

  • No, that would infringe on free speech

    Votes: 39 92.9%
  • They should be banned from schools

    Votes: 2 4.8%
  • Older literature with outdated racial portrayals should have warning labels

    Votes: 1 2.4%
  • All literature should carry ratings for racist content, similar to movie ratings

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes, any literature deemed racist should be banned

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other, please explain

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    42
You don't know any books that shouldn't be in schools?

I could probably find some, yeah. Isn't that obvious? You can't find one yourself?
 
I could probably find some, yeah. Isn't that obvious? You can't find one yourself?

I know many that shouldn't be in schools, but I'm a teacher and I read a lot. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be naggy.
 
Yeah, them Belgians did a bang-up job in Rwanda.

Hatuey (Gesundheit)... LOL.. the art critic...

.

.

Since when are lame political cartoons 'art'?
 
I know many that shouldn't be in schools, but I'm a teacher and I read a lot. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be naggy.

Okay.

........
 
I think the biggest issue, is who gets to deem something as actually "racist"?

If you read the book The Postman (and, no I don't care if you hated the movie), there were definitely racism in the book, but the book itself wasn't actually racist in nature. The original Nancy Drew books (written in the '30s and '40s, but revised since then), had some racially derogatory language, but it wasn't actually part of the story line, only a reflection of the times.

And then there is, where is the line drawn? Although that kinda goes back to who gets the say.

I don't see a point in shielding all children from reading something that some may not consider age appropriate, as long as we're not talking explicit porn.
 
-- I've read some of the Tintin books and they are infested with racism. Asterix and Obelix are IMO far better in terms of story telling and artwork.

I think the word you are looking for is caricature. Tintin and Asterix both depict caricature figures though what I recall of some of the "black" female figures in Asterix's adventures in Egypt is that they're more brown than black and fairly similar facially across the races.

I think the biggest issue, is who gets to deem something as actually "racist"?

Does the author himself modifying the books (there are two versions done by Herge and there were no laws about racism forcing him to change the images when he did it) count?

Where Herge does stand critique is that he was originally employed and funded by a magazine owner very sympathetic to the Nazi party of Germany and the far right in Belgium. There is no real proof he was an out and out Nazi sympathiser or racist. His books remain very popular in Africa (I first read them as a child growing up in Zambia and Kenya and they were popular with African kids as they were with ex-pat white kids)
 
I think the biggest issue, is who gets to deem something as actually "racist"?

I agree, and it drives me nuts when someone bashes something as racist when it's just using racial language to criticize racism, or is incidental. You can't criticize something you don't name. So many people are obsessed with words and dont' care about meaning.
 
This is an interesting case. It takes place in Belgium and concerns the old character Tintin. Apparently, some are offended by the book Tintin in the Congo and was written in the late 1920s. There's a good BBC video along with the article.

There's has been similar talk about Huckleberry Finn. I do believe it's been banned from some schools. What do you all think? I'm speaking of your general view of this issue, not specifically related to Belgium vs U.S. laws on free speech, but what how YOU think free speech should be applied in this type of scenario.

BBC News - Belgian bid to ban 'racist' Tintin in the Congo

Huckleberry Finn was one of the first books I read as a kid that made me realize that blacks were human beings, too, via one of the main characters, Jim the runaway slave.
 
I actually like this thread. Some people are saying the NewYork Times and other papers routinely are viewed by Contractors for the Homeland security department. I just think if we let ourselves ban stuff- we definetly will let the government if its the one we voted for or trust. look at all my scary buddys who love the PATRIOT ACT... why would you call something that may in fact take away rights from American Citizens PATRIOT? Well DUH Git em on board ats hows come. Aint airy youins figured it out yet theys a helpin us right outa
hour libertys. SO no bann nothing and SIGN nothing. They are from the Government and we are THEM and we are not always helpful. We now see the limits to the Federal system( Solving illegal immigration) and The issues of CITIZENS taking rights from others ( National calls to limit Arizonas right to police its own borders).
 
No, of course they shouldn't be "banned".
They should not, however, be part of any public school curriculum.
Students are forced to read what is assigned, and every American, whatever their age, should have the option of not polluting their brains with the hatred and ignorance that is racism.
If people wish to read such material, they should have to go hunt it down and find it in order to do so.
It certainly isn't appropriate to force it on schoolchildren, or to flap it around in the faces of those of us who want no part of it.
 
Has anyone defined what "racist" literature is? What books are racist and shouldn't be in schools?
 
The issues wasnt about schools and books it was about activisim and citizens getting things they found offensive banned. In this case I think comic book?
...HERE:A Congolese man is trying to get a controversial Tintin book banned in the cartoon star's home country of Belgium.
 
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Has anyone defined what "racist" literature is? What books are racist and shouldn't be in schools?

I know it when I see it. :mrgreen:
 
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