Opinion: Banning books

To subdue the masses, control their knowledge. Control what they learn and what they can read. Then you can control their thoughts.

Banning books is a tactic that has been used for centuries in order to censor or control others – and it comes with destructive outcomes: the brainwashing and domination of entire demographics. In Nazi Germany, not only were books banned, but they were also burned. Books that presented anything against the harmful ideology of "Jews are bad" were destroyed, and books that promoted that same ideology were presented on a platform.

What did this lead to? The genocide of millions of people due to the lack of credible data and individual thinking. German citizens didn't recognize the genocide until it was too late because they were not allowed to. They were constantly fed propaganda and denied not only the actual facts, but also the ability to find those facts themselves.

This practice still occurs today in many countries –though perhaps not to the degree that occurred in Nazi Germany. Books like 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Bluest Eye and more are challenged or banned, based on portions of their content that some people find objectionable.

For example, Looking for Alaska, a young adult book by New York Times bestselling author and Indiana native John Green has been challenged many times due to it containing "sexual themes." In 2012, the book was banned from high school classrooms in Sumner County, Tennessee. In a letter addressed to the director of the school corporation, a member of the National Coalition Against Censorship – Joan Bertin – wrote, "Those who object to this book are entitled to their view, but they may not impose it on others. We urge you to stand by the principle that is so essential to individual freedom, democracy and a good education: the right to read, inquire, question and think for ourselves."

Young adults should not be shielded from "sensitive" topics just because those topics make adults uncomfortable. I feel that teens should have access to books that touch on certain topics that some might consider "harmful," because although the topics are sensitive, they often play out in real-life situations. If a young adult reads about these situations and garners perspective from people who have lived through it, they would be more prepared to handle the situation because of knowledge they gained from reading about it.

Most parents of young adults who do not allow their kids to read these types of books with heavier topics do not actually educate their children about those topics. Instead, they keep them in the dark about it until the teens are faced with a real-life situation that they have no idea how to handle.

Knowledge is power; the more young adults know, the better equipped they will be to make important life decisions. Banning books will only force them to seek knowledge elsewhere.

Opinion by Arob Altower