In 1821, Heinrich Heine used this line in his play Almansor. As recently as 2001, members of a town in Pennsylvania sang songs as they burned books, videos, and CDs that they judged as offensive to their God. Other groups cut up copies of Harry Potter books because they were deemed to be offensive.
As an American, you have to right to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. This is your right. However, there are certain groups who believe and promote censorship. Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that certain persons find objectionable or dangerous. But when did it become their right to keep others from that knowledge?
You have to right to explore the multi-facted world of literature. You may not agree with everything that you read, but you have the RIGHT to pick up a book and put it back down again.
Celebrate your freedom to read during the week of September 25, Banned Book Week. You can also learn more at the American Library Assocation homepage. Spend some time reading about banned books and book burnings and tell me what you think about this freedom that you probably take for granted.
“If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.”—Noam Chomsky
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