tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21394993.post931351147837210715..comments2023-08-15T07:49:45.055-04:00Comments on bloomabilities: More censorshipalvinalinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04503984086482905226noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21394993.post-16741972293711288672009-02-24T19:43:00.000-05:002009-02-24T19:43:00.000-05:00Anonymous, I appreciate your right to monitor what...Anonymous, I appreciate your right to monitor what your teens read and watch--I would hope to do the same, to a certain extent. But there ARE parents and teens out there who are able to read books about pedophilia. There are probably teens dealing with the exact same issues of the teens in some of these books mentioned (I haven't read BOY TOY or some of the others mentioned, so I can't comment completely). And these teens might really benefit from being exposed to these books, to feel that they're not alone in their plight, whether it be abuse, or pedophilia, or sexuality issues, etc. <BR/><BR/>My concern is having someone else decide for the parents or teens not to carry the books, therefore rendering them unable to make that decision on their own.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I think censoring anything in the spirit of "better to be safe than sorry" is a dangerous thing.<BR/><BR/>Val, personally, I think it's fine to use the "bad words" to show character--having the bully use those words, for example. But there are those who don't want to see those words in the book at all, no matter the usage.alvinalinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04503984086482905226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21394993.post-6545054464145920782009-02-24T13:47:00.000-05:002009-02-24T13:47:00.000-05:00I do tend to censor myself after losing out on a p...I do tend to censor myself after losing out on a paperback auction for my first novel How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back. I used the correct anatomical terms (as Susan did in The Higher Power of Lucky) but all the publishers but Puffin got scared away. I did use "retard" in Sheep, my most recent middle-grade book but only to show how wrong the word was. Do you object to that?<BR/>Interesting discussion. . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21394993.post-61970361798545620092009-02-19T13:09:00.000-05:002009-02-19T13:09:00.000-05:00I found the subject interesting and realized I had...I found the subject interesting and realized I had very strong feelings about it! I have teens and I'm sorry, but I don't want them reading about a twelve year old boy having sex with his teacher. I don't care how well it's written. My teens are still children and there is such a thing as too much information. Should they have access to everything just because they can? I struggle with this every day. As parents we are charged with censoring for our children and I have to admit that I'm glad teachers and librarians do this as well.<BR/><BR/>This is why we have a rating system for movies. I don't let my kids see R rated movies because the content isn't meant for them and might be too broad to grasp or cope with (there are exceptions - for example, I let them see Slumdog Millionaire after I'd seen it). Why should books be any different? Just because a writer decides that pedophilia is okay for a teenage audience doesn't mean it is. As parents, librarians and teachers, we have to safeguard our kids. And I really believe that underneath it all, it's more about that than politics. So if a librarian decides that a book is rated R, I trust their judgement. <BR/><BR/>I do see a difference between holding back books on difficult subject matter vs. holding back a book because it has the word scrotum in it, or features African American characters. Censorship is censorship, I guess. And I'm sorry that kids don't have access to some of these books. But I'd rather be cautious than indulgent, and I'm glad teachers and librarians are the same way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com