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Skip Haugen's avatar

Hi Ed. Skip Haugen (of Metacomet days gone by) here. Hope you and the family are all doing great! Just had to compliment you on this excellent article and critically important subject. You are spot on! Censorship in a free society is the beginning of the death spiral. I remember back to my freshman or sophomore year in high school English, we were tasked right out of the gate with reading Cannery Row. (In today’s crazy world, this amazing book must be on someone’s no go list.) Our teacher’s instructions though were to “not sit on top of the book by just reading the words, but to get inside the book by trying to figure out what the author was really trying to tell me.” That class, that book was the dawn of critical thinking for me. I can’t imagine living in a world in which the reading list is so homogenized that nothing ever offends anyone ever. Let me decide if I’m offended or not! Great job Ed! Very important topic. Best Regards, Skip.

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Thanks so much for this wonderful comment, Skip. It's so nice to hear from you. Look how your teacher advised you to dig in, think, and let the book work for you. It was the professional who guided you; not a politician. Banning books will stunt critical thinking which is under attack from all sides. That's the reason why we need to encourage reading . . everything . . . to everyone, not just our youth. Best to you Robin and Family

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Michael Lambrese's avatar

Makes great sense! Reading The Great Gatsby corrupts a child’s mind, but surfing the internet and viewing or reading that garbage doesn’t? C’mon

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Hard to believe, Eh?

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Robert Gizzarelli's avatar

Well said Dr. Ed. As Americans we have many freedoms that other peoples of this wonderful blue marble spinning in space do not enjoy. We have the freedom to read.

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Yes, Robert. Do you know there are twice as many libraries as there are McDonald's in our country? We are a nation of readers. It's one of our great educational tools. One wonders why some are trying to stifle it.

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Larry Goldberg's avatar

Hi Ed. Busy week, but I so enjoyed your commentary. Kanye West is an avowed anti-Semite and a pariah to society for his extreme views. Censorship is the most depraved instrument to warp the minds of children and adults. Ignorance of the past is the best way to indoctrinate the minds of future generations and should be fought more fiercely than any political drama going on today. I apologize if I'm repeating a post from a previous response, but growing up in Colorado's public education system, I had no idea what this country did to the indigenous people who lived on this land before the Europeans arrived. When I read about this country's treatment of Native Americans I was appalled by the "whitewash" in my school text books. If you want to see the future of America on this present course, I recommend Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and Rollerball.

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Thanks, Larry. Excellent comments masterfully written.

This year, The Bristol Library is featuring Fahrenheit 451 as their discussion book/topic.

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Ned O’Donnell's avatar

Dear Doc,

Everything you say needed to be said. Well written.

Ned O’Donnell

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Thank you, Ned

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Edward Markward's avatar

Well done, as usual, Ed. I think, as you partly pointed out, that the topic is less about real censorship and more about the political capital gained with a certain, rather large part of the population which bidding certain politicians see as beneficial to their staying in power. In any case, I think it is a sham. Keep writing, Ed. and we'll keep reading - your words and those of the classics.

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Ed, you are most kind. "Classics" . . . well . . . Thank You.

No longer do I find policy the lead player for most, not all, politicians. It's politics. They get elected and then spend a good part, if not most, of their time, doing anything to get re-elected. Somehow, that has to change.

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Edward Markward's avatar

Agreed 100%

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Kathy A's avatar

Hi Dr Ed. Great article. This is so disturbing. We seem to be moving backwards these days. Book banning stifles education. Teachers play a crucial role in guiding young minds and they should have the freedom to teach from a diverse range of materials that help students think critically. Parents should absolutely have a say in their children's upbringing, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s right to access different viewpoints should be restricted. Politics should stay out of education in the sense that education should encourage exploration and independent thought.

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Yes indeed, politicians should stay out of this, but they cannot because they have confused policy with politics. I was reviewing something that you might find encouraging, Kathy.

# McDonald's in USA 13, 598

# Libraries (13,598 public) but all in... govt, school private w public access = 124,903

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Sheila Land's avatar

Well said! (As usual).

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Paula A. Solinger's avatar

Totally agree!

True confession: The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite classics! As is To Kill a Mockingbird and all you mentioned! Too many to list. But to deprive any reader from these classics is a crime.

I, too, am far more concerned about the internet and what hardcore material is so easily available.

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Agree! Thanks

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Ed Iannuccilli's avatar

Thank you, Sheila

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