Americans don’t seem to agree with right wing book and subject banning.

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Maybe Don’s oft repeated caveat from Napoleon applies here. Let the GOP keep pushing bans of books and cirricula as their only plank and see how Americans react.

“A new CBS News poll offers data that should prod Democrats into rethinking these culture-war battles. It finds that surprisingly large majorities oppose banning books on history or race — and importantly, this is partly because teaching about our racial past makes students more understanding of others’ historical experiences.”

“The poll finds that 83 percent of Americans say books should never be banned for criticizing U.S. history; 85 percent oppose banning them for airing ideas you disagree with; and 87 percent oppose banning them for discussing race or depicting slavery.”

“What’s more, 76 percent of Americans say schools should be allowed to teach ideas and historical events that “might make some students uncomfortable.” And 68 percent say such teachings make people more understanding of what others went through, while 58 percent believe racism is still a serious problem today.”

“Finally, 66 percent say public schools either teach too little about the history of Black Americans (42 percent) or teach the right amount (24 percent). Yet 59 percent say we’ve made “a lot of real progress getting rid of racial discrimination” since the 1960s.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/02/23/cbs-poll-republicans-oppose-book-bans-woke/

Published by lenrothman

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36 thoughts on “Americans don’t seem to agree with right wing book and subject banning.”

        1. “I have not read the comic strip”

          You referring to this seminal work as a “comic strip” screams just how far out of touch with current culture you are. It is a Pulitzer Prize winning “graphic novel” and, if you actually know any younger people who read, you might know that graphic novels are a major literary form and have been for at least three decades.

          Here, learn something new. . . https://www.britannica.com/art/graphic-novel/The-first-graphic-novels

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          1. Excuse me, comic book, not comic strip.

            And it may well have great merit for those who like them.

            But in any case, 1 school board in Tennessee is not book burning.

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          2. For what it is worth, referring to “Maus” as a “comic book” implies a lack of seriousness in what is a very serious work. The best term is “graphic novel.” I learned this the hard way from my now adult kids.

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      2. I looked into it further.

        One school board in Tennessee banned it, after being refused permission to print a version absent the objectionable language and (mouse) nudity.

        That’s hardly a successful suppression if the book. I’m not yet sure in age appropriateness was considered.

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        1. One book being banned in one district in Tennessee is the beginning of the domino effect that will occur.

          Middle schoolers are seeing much more graphic content on their phones. And using a graphic novel to teach about the horrors of the Holocaust is a good way to engage that age group.

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          3. And the Tennessee School Board in question sought other books on the topic as a replacement that met their requirements.

            Surely that’s not the only book on the horrors of the Holocaust?

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          4. There are several. But the ability for a middle schooler to read a graphic novel for education purposes is great. If it were a graphic novel about the Constitution how would you feel?

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    2. The poll did not mention particulars. It was just getting the temperature of the water for banning any books and cirricula. Apparently Americans do not like censorship. Nor do they mind teaching about the history of race and racism in America. By large margins.

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        1. Most Republicans did agree. That was the point. There is a general dislike of banning books and uncomfortable history, liberals more so than conservatives, but still majorities in both.

          While pols are outdoing each other in condemning CRT (without even really knowing what it is, but that is another story.) along with “objectionable” materials on sex or race or both, their constituents are not falling in lockstep.

          So keep it up, someone might notice that MLK had sex.

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  2. The only books I have heard of being removed from school libraries all contained very graphic sex, homosexual acts, pedophilia, normalization of body mutilation to pretend to be the opposite sex, age inappropriate language, etc. I haven’t heard of any being pulled for race or history. Books about wokeness, CRT related subject matter or attempts to hold white males as today’s oppressors rightfully might have made the list but i haven’t heard of any.
    Liberal claims that the GOP is attempting to ban history is as phony as it gets. CRT is NOT history.

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    2. “The only books I have heard of being removed from school libraries . . .”

      Then you are not paying attention. Ever heard of “To Kill a Mockingbird” or the “Harry Potter” books? How about “Of Mice and Men” These are among the most banned books in recent years.

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  3. RE: “Let the GOP keep pushing bans of books and cirricula as their only plank and see how Americans react.”

    Is that what the GOP is doing, or is the characterization just an anti-GOP fantasy?

    I imagine that most Republicans and Democrats are strongly in favor of parental supervision and approval of grade-school curricula and content. The parents themselves probably see their supervision and approval as both a natural right and a civil right.

    It makes little sense to disrespect these profound rights by describing them as book bannings.

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      2. As far as I know, the tips are confidential and for investigative purposes, not for publication.

        Why, do you think teachers should be able to operate in secrecy and immune from review?

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        1. I don’t think teachers are immune from review now, or ever for that matter. Lesson plans, PTA meetings, students, supervisors, etc. have been in place. This allows at least a chance to review through some filters so every perceived slight is not a source for threats. Threatening board members is a national pastime it appears. So bypassing elected representatives would just shift the threats.

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        2. …”the tips are confidential and for investigative purposes,”…

          So much for the transparency we were promised.

          Information can be edited to allow for public release so that people can know what others are saying and be able to either counter it or find out if it is true.

          Tell us which teachers are operating in secrecy? Parents can easily take the time to audit a class, meet with a teacher to discuss curriculum, attend an Open House, review the curriculum posted online, review assignments with their little snowflakes and many other ways. Your claim of teachers wanting secrecy is a crock.

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        3. I read a long Facebook post from a teacher the other day who stated her very strong objection to those streaming cameras in classrooms. It was not about what she was teaching or how she taught it. It was about the privacy rights of her students and their families. What right do YOU have to watch your neighbor’s child struggling with reading or misbehaving or coming to school ungroomed or hungry – things teachers must deal with every day?

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          2. …” properly limiting the field of view of the camera.”

            Locking the teacher behind his/her desk does not make for effective teaching.

            “I’m sorry, Little Johnny. You’ll just have to work that out on your own because I have to stay in range of the camera and you can’t be seen or heard on it.”

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        4. I was a classroom teacher for a couple of years many decades ago. The idea that – in the absence of cameras – we taught without supervision is simply wrong.

          My classroom was equipped with a two-way communication system that the principle could activate at any time without my knowledge to monitor the classroom and my teaching. I suspect that such technology is still part of every classroom, and that principals and other supervisors can use it at any time to listen to the classroom in furtherance of their supervisory duties.

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          2. “Monitoring by the principle is not the same as by the public.”

            Just so. But it is the job of the principle to supervise the teaching. It is NOT the job of “the public.”
            “The public” is NOT qualified to supervise the professional conduct of teachers. It may be elitist of me to note that fact, but it is a fact.

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