Conservative activists, led by a local pastor and outspoken Israel advocate, pushed the district, Mission CISD, to excise books mostly about gender, sexuality and race. Their demands represented an extreme version of a nationwide culture war over books that has played out in recent years — and ensnared a number of books with Jewish themes.

In Mission, the long list of books on the chopping block includes a recent illustrated adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary; both volumes of Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust graphic memoir “Maus”; “The Fixer,” Bernard Malamud’s novel about a historical instance of antisemitic blood libel; and “Kasher in the Rye,” a ribald memoir by Jewish comedian Moshe Kasher.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      We have these people who go to college and get specialized degrees so that they can do things and work in school libraries and figure out what books are appropriate for the school.

      You might have heard of them. They’re called librarians.

      Deciding what books do and don’t belong in a library is literally part of their job. I know, because I’m married to one. She used to work in a school library, now she works in a public library. It was a Catholic school (she’s an atheist, they didn’t discriminate) and they trusted her to figure out which books were appropriate for their kids because of her degree. What does that tell you about librarians?

      • SPRUNT@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        It tells me that they are obviously evil because they don’t blindly support a white Christian authoritarian regime.

        /s

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          The funny thing is that I know for a fact that there are Trump supporters who work in the library where my wife works (one is a cis woman with a mustache who must be mistaken for trans regularly, which surprised me), and they also don’t approve of this shit. I mean yeah, they’re total hypocrites, but they still don’t support these book bans.

    • Valmond@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      We had like everything, from childrens books to engineering stuff. It’s filed differently so your fragile mind won’t need to see “adult” books if you don’t want to I guess.

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        3 months ago

        My fragile mind doesnt want minors to see things they shouldnt see till later. That should be a pretty obvious thing that everyone wants for children…

        • WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          Get rid of anything that mentions rape, prostitution, genocide, or god forbid SODOMY?

          Out goes the bible then. No one under 18 should read it.

          • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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            3 months ago

            The difference between the Bible and other more modern books is that the Bible is the most influential book in western civilization. If you want to have a censored on that removed those exact passages then that seems like a reasonable compromise.

            • maniclucky@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              Fuck that, the wretched thing doesn’t deserve special treatment. There is nothing about the contents of the bible that are worth granting exception for. You want to ban adult themes? I can think of nothing more deserving of such a ban than the oldest book to incorporate rape, divinely ordained murder (all over the place), instructions on how to perform an abortion, incest, and the severly mixed message of “god loves everyone, unless you don’t worship them, then you get tortured forever”.

              • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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                3 months ago

                Like it or not the Bible is the most influence book in western history, so yes it gets special treatment. But again, if you want to make a censored version for kids that takes out those parts, it seems like a reasonable compromise.

                • Jackie's Fridge@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  Fun fact: the events in Anne Frank’s diary and Maus actually happened. They are far more valuable than the Goat Herder’s Guide to the Galaxy.

                • maniclucky@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  What you’re not getting is that it being that influential is a bad thing and that it’s time to pull it from its podium. It’s just a religious text and if you’re censoring any religious texts, you should censor all of them.

                • Jyek@sh.itjust.works
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                  3 months ago

                  I didn’t know, all the passages they don’t like talking about. Do you know about 2 Kings 2 23-24? I’ll tell you, even in context it makes God look like a psychopath. God literally sends a bear into a village to maul 42 children to death because they made fun of a delicate man’s bald head. That’s not even twisting the story.

        • cammoblammo@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          I’ve worked in school libraries.

          The funny thing is that kids will only read things that are of interest to them, and if they’re interested in it, they’re old enough to read it. If they borrow it because they like the cover or all their friends have apparently read it or some such reason, you can be assured it’ll be returned after they get through the first page.

          • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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            3 months ago

            I understand, but there are literally millions of books, why do we have to have the few books with sexual material that a significant portion of parents object to?

    • Xanis@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Which books do you believe shouldn’t be provided in a classroom setting?

      No copouts. I don’t think anyone expects a bunch of 3rd graders to have a discussion on 50 Shades of Grey.

      • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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        3 months ago

        I think the opinion as to what shouldnt be in public schools is reasonable, and I am cool if we are overly restrictive if there is a reason that is good and is supported by enough people.

        • Xanis@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          You didn’t answer my question. Let’s try a different one. Once again without copping out: Give us a couple good reasons for why a book should be restricted in education.

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            3 months ago

            Books should be restricted from education if a significant portion of the adults dont think its appropriate for children. This could include any variety of reasons they dont think its appropriate.

            • Croquette@sh.itjust.works
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              3 months ago

              Will each book be voted on individually? How does that work in your head? I doubt that people read minimally an excerpt of each book to decide and ban them.

              • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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                3 months ago

                Probably do it on a complaint basis. Each school district could have a diverse board and they could look at the books that people dont like and if X out of Y think it should be removed, then remove it. Does that work for you?

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                  3 months ago

                  So Librarians have a bias, but not a board of old crusty people in a school district?

                  You are trying to fix a non-problem because some old christo-fascists cunts get their feelings hurt when they get told they are christo-fascists.

                  • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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                    3 months ago

                    Yes exactly everyone will have biases, and we need to compromise and let all voices to be heard. So if the right wants to remove most things sexual, great; if the left wants to remove anything with the n word in it, great. Its better to be over censorious than under censorious in public buildings.

                • Xanis@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  I don’t suppose you’ve heard what’s happened with the trans bathroom tip line in Texas? Cause I got bad news for you…

    • Snowclone@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      All books ever!!! The Necromomicon! Solomon’s Demonology! THE ANARCHIST’S NOTEBOOK!! PEPPA PIG GOES TO HELL!! !

      • cammoblammo@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        If you put that book in a kindergarten library, I can guarantee none of the kids will read it.

        The only two reasons not to have it are 1) budget and 2) space. Use the room and money for books the kids will read.