Shock and Outrage
So, I'm getting pretty good at shocking tow-truck drivers. Tonight, I walked out of work to see I had a flat. The driver was pretty adamant about just putting air into the tire, stating that spares are only 'if you break down on the highway, because they're not very good.' That's when I told him my spare was a full size, that the first thing I did when I got the car was jettison the 'donut' and get something real.
Yes, the girl knows what she's talking about with cars, sometimes. The reason I didn't just put air into it, was that I couldn't find my cigarette-lighter plug-in compressor, and I knew the one over at the store's gas station would be shut off for the night. I didn't want to drive too far on it, either. It wasn't dead, but pretty damn soft and the last thing I want to do is destroy the rim.
As for the outrage:
... and they're voting on whether or not to ban it.
The Story
The book in question is Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass (which caught the attention of a parent with the hype/furor over the upcoming movie). The rationale for banning it is mostly because Phillip Pullman is an outspoken athiest. Oh, there's a few codicils how they're not happy that the book sets up the story for a battle vs. God, but the main objection is not the material, but the author, and how they don't believe such a person's thoughts should be available to their precious darlings' minds.
I've got no problems with parents who want to instill their own values in their children. What pisses me off is these kinds of actions are about instilling values in everyone. It's not just their children they want not-reading, it's everybody's.
If you don't like the ideals of a book, fine. Don't want your kids exposed to it? Police your kids. Ask them about it. Check their backpacks when they come home if you're that concerned. If they're reading it on the sly at school, then you might want to consider that you've got a bigger issue than whether or not they're being influenced by Phillip Pullman. You might want to consider how they're being influenced by you.
Disagree with the book? Fine. Start a dialogue with your children about the values presented in the book (or by the author), and discuss why they don't fit with yours. Arm them with the ability to deal with those questions, before they're confronted with them, and you're not around to protect them. Because those questions will come up. It's not an 'if'.
All banning a book says is that you're scared of the ideas presented, because you don't know how to counter them. It's a way of saying that your faith doesn't hold all the answers, because you're having to avoid the question.
Yes, I know that it's the Catholic school boards banning the book, and as religious authorities they do have the right to maintain their religious curricula, but the truth is, by pulling the book, they're illustrating exactly what Pullman talks about. They've got a chance here to prove that they're not as protectionist and focussed on their own perpetuity at the cost of all else. All they have to do is say they're letting the decision to have the book in the school libraries stand.
I've read the book, and I have to say it is a well written piece of fiction. In the end, that's what it comes down to: make-believe, a 'what if' story. After all, Pullman doesn't believe there is any kind of God, so how could he write about a war with 'God' if he doesn't believe the entity exists, unless he made it up? Conversely, one can argue that the idea of such a thing would be fiction, because the thought of killing God is ludicrous, for He is all powerful and thus cannot be destroyed.
The boards have a golden opportunity here (forgive the pun). By deconstructing the tale, they can present their own views and values in a clearer light. They can contrast the story with their own stories.
But if they ban it, it'll just be another sad case of selective idealism based on knee-jerk fear.
What makes me feel slightly better about it? Atheists are objecting, calling it discrimination on religious grounds.
Yes, the girl knows what she's talking about with cars, sometimes. The reason I didn't just put air into it, was that I couldn't find my cigarette-lighter plug-in compressor, and I knew the one over at the store's gas station would be shut off for the night. I didn't want to drive too far on it, either. It wasn't dead, but pretty damn soft and the last thing I want to do is destroy the rim.
As for the outrage:
... and they're voting on whether or not to ban it.
The Story
The book in question is Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass (which caught the attention of a parent with the hype/furor over the upcoming movie). The rationale for banning it is mostly because Phillip Pullman is an outspoken athiest. Oh, there's a few codicils how they're not happy that the book sets up the story for a battle vs. God, but the main objection is not the material, but the author, and how they don't believe such a person's thoughts should be available to their precious darlings' minds.
I've got no problems with parents who want to instill their own values in their children. What pisses me off is these kinds of actions are about instilling values in everyone. It's not just their children they want not-reading, it's everybody's.
If you don't like the ideals of a book, fine. Don't want your kids exposed to it? Police your kids. Ask them about it. Check their backpacks when they come home if you're that concerned. If they're reading it on the sly at school, then you might want to consider that you've got a bigger issue than whether or not they're being influenced by Phillip Pullman. You might want to consider how they're being influenced by you.
Disagree with the book? Fine. Start a dialogue with your children about the values presented in the book (or by the author), and discuss why they don't fit with yours. Arm them with the ability to deal with those questions, before they're confronted with them, and you're not around to protect them. Because those questions will come up. It's not an 'if'.
All banning a book says is that you're scared of the ideas presented, because you don't know how to counter them. It's a way of saying that your faith doesn't hold all the answers, because you're having to avoid the question.
Yes, I know that it's the Catholic school boards banning the book, and as religious authorities they do have the right to maintain their religious curricula, but the truth is, by pulling the book, they're illustrating exactly what Pullman talks about. They've got a chance here to prove that they're not as protectionist and focussed on their own perpetuity at the cost of all else. All they have to do is say they're letting the decision to have the book in the school libraries stand.
I've read the book, and I have to say it is a well written piece of fiction. In the end, that's what it comes down to: make-believe, a 'what if' story. After all, Pullman doesn't believe there is any kind of God, so how could he write about a war with 'God' if he doesn't believe the entity exists, unless he made it up? Conversely, one can argue that the idea of such a thing would be fiction, because the thought of killing God is ludicrous, for He is all powerful and thus cannot be destroyed.
The boards have a golden opportunity here (forgive the pun). By deconstructing the tale, they can present their own views and values in a clearer light. They can contrast the story with their own stories.
But if they ban it, it'll just be another sad case of selective idealism based on knee-jerk fear.
What makes me feel slightly better about it? Atheists are objecting, calling it discrimination on religious grounds.