Banning Books Is Short-Sighted, Unkind, and Unfortunate on Many Levels

Banning books and other arts does harm to us all.

Photo by Rabie Madaci on Unsplash

Why did I only just learn about Banned Books Week?

That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I would like to share some thoughts I have on this topic.

Both as a writer and reader, I am totally against banning books. Censorship of this nature is specifically targeted in the name of “protecting” children or some such — but that’s never the truth of it.

Most of the banned books — past and present — represent something that makes someone in power uncomfortable. Be it race, gender, religion, sexual preference, class, or what-have-you — banning books is all about someone in power lashing out at someone or something making them uncomfortable.

Banning books doesn’t make the topic they cover- nor those they represent — go away. Instead, they narrow viewpoints and create unnecessary conflict and disparity.

This can lead to intolerance, unkindness, a lack of compassion, hatred, and at the word violence and death.

Why? All because somebody felt their power being threatened — so banning a book allowed them to react in some way.

But it serves nobody.

We all have different tastes

The arts are often controversial.

Whether it is books, “obscene” paintings, “disturbing” music, or the like — not every art is for everybody.

That’s the nature of the beast, frankly. And every single one of us has different tastes and finds various things appealing and not appealing.

Take music, for example. I love a wide variety of music. Rock, showtunes, classical, instrumental jazz, folk, and other random artists and genres.

I am not a fan of country music, rap, R&B, and numerous other genres. Why? Because they don’t appeal to me.

However — I know they appeal to others. And recognizing that — I have no problem at all letting those others enjoy what they enjoy.

Every single person on Earth has likes and dislikes. All of us are into and not into arts of varying…