That’s it. But I’d like to mention there is no other extreme. There’s only one side that wants to ban books.
(And while not everyone does this, there are quite some people who apply the same standards to themselves as they do to other people. And it’s more common amongst people who are less conservative.)
I don’t think they’re trying to prevent anyone from accessing these books at all, they just don’t want those to be used in the school curriculumn. It’s not quite compareable to the examples from history where books were being banned and burned so that no one could read them.
I’m not from the USA so my opinion doesn’t really count and I might not have all the facts. Afaik this is state legislation and not every state has Ron DeSantis at the top. But all I ever read is they’re trying to ban things from the curriculum for political reasons and trying to make access to information difficult by also removing them from school libraries and inventing rules that are so unspecific that it gets staff into legal troubles.
But my perspective and whatever news makes it across the atlantic might not be entirely objective. I personally think once too much politics and religion gets involved in education and the curriculum, the whole thing becomes undemocratic and less free. And just theoretical access to information isn’t enough. You have to actually teach and learn it. And learn about different perspectives and approaches to life. Mainly because you can’t know what you don’t know. At some point somebody has to tell you and you need a solid foundation to then go on and extend your knowledge. Politics is intertwined with every aspect of life. And good education is immensely important. It influences what the next generation thinks and knows, and shapes the future. (That’s why I think biasing the curriculum is even worse than anything else.)
That’s it. But I’d like to mention there is no other extreme. There’s only one side that wants to ban books.
(And while not everyone does this, there are quite some people who apply the same standards to themselves as they do to other people. And it’s more common amongst people who are less conservative.)
I don’t think they’re trying to prevent anyone from accessing these books at all, they just don’t want those to be used in the school curriculumn. It’s not quite compareable to the examples from history where books were being banned and burned so that no one could read them.
I’m not from the USA so my opinion doesn’t really count and I might not have all the facts. Afaik this is state legislation and not every state has Ron DeSantis at the top. But all I ever read is they’re trying to ban things from the curriculum for political reasons and trying to make access to information difficult by also removing them from school libraries and inventing rules that are so unspecific that it gets staff into legal troubles.
But my perspective and whatever news makes it across the atlantic might not be entirely objective. I personally think once too much politics and religion gets involved in education and the curriculum, the whole thing becomes undemocratic and less free. And just theoretical access to information isn’t enough. You have to actually teach and learn it. And learn about different perspectives and approaches to life. Mainly because you can’t know what you don’t know. At some point somebody has to tell you and you need a solid foundation to then go on and extend your knowledge. Politics is intertwined with every aspect of life. And good education is immensely important. It influences what the next generation thinks and knows, and shapes the future. (That’s why I think biasing the curriculum is even worse than anything else.)