His Dark Media
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SherlockChronicles.org"Firstly, I had obviously annoyed a lot of censorious people, and secondly, any ban would provoke interested readers to move from the library, where they couldn't get hold of my novel, to the bookshops, where they could. That, after all, was exactly what happened when a group called the Catholic League decided to object to the film of The Golden Compass when it was released at the end of last year. The box office suffered, but the book sales went up - a long way up, to my gratification.
Because they never learn. The inevitable result of trying to ban something - book, film, play, pop song, whatever - is that far more people want to get hold of it than would ever have done if it were left alone. Why don't the censors realise this?
In the case of The Golden Compass, the reason the book was challenged is listed as "Religious Viewpoint", a reason that appears in connection with only one other book in the top five, a picture book called And Tango Makes Three. This is based on the true story of a pair of male penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo, who for a time formed a couple and hatched the egg of a mixed-sex couple who were unable to hatch two at once. This, if you can believe it, was challenged for six different reasons: "Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group."
Religious Viewpoint? Penguins?
I hope the authors have done very well out of the increased sales they'll have enjoyed, but this kind of thing only invites the rest of the world to consider the American public demented.
In fact, when it comes to banning books, religion is the worst reason of the lot. Religion, uncontaminated by power, can be the source of a great deal of private solace, artistic inspiration, and moral wisdom. But when it gets its hands on the levers of political or social authority, it goes rotten very quickly indeed. The rank stench of oppression wafts from every authoritarian church, chapel, temple, mosque, or synagogue - from every place of worship where the priests have the power to meddle in the social and intellectual lives of their flocks, from every presidential palace or prime ministerial office where civil leaders have to pander to religious ones.
My basic objection to religion is not that it isn't true; I like plenty of things that aren't true. It's that religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite so good."
Comments (5) — Add Yours
So true… and just as we predicted!
# Posted by seyla on 17:33, 30 September 2008
I read “And Tango Makes Three” while shelving books in the children’s section. There is absolutely nothing offensive about that book. It’s just a story about penguins. That’s all. The challenging of this book brings me to wonder if those who object to the story would rather the extra egg die than be raised by the male couple. At it’s most fundamental, the book is about family in the same spirit as a book about adoption. I fail to see how it is anti-ethnic, or sexist, or anti-family or unsuited to the age group.
# Posted by Trillian on 4:09, 1 October 2008
I guess it’s clear what they don’t like. The sooner the children get used to the fact that homosexuality exists in the world the easier they would consider it normal and approve it. That’s what the stubborn fundamentalists are afraid of.
# Posted by Pantalaimon221 on 13:22, 1 October 2008
Glad to see some news again!
And wow this is interesting.
As an American, let me say this is quite interesting. What with certain political figures sincerely adhering to the outbursts of the evangelical, I’m beginning to lose hope. Glad to see that people are looking into this book now. Maybe this means the movie will come out after all? Who knows.
# Posted by Miss Bear on 1:15, 5 October 2008
I knew it was going to be banned. Cant see why though. TAS has for religous affiliations than TGC. But at least sales go up! When will they ever learn that you can never ban books or movies.
# Posted by missy on 22:14, 10 October 2008
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