What purpose do book bans serve when those same books can be bought off Amazon?
It's ridiculous
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ElwoodBlues · M
I think the school book bans are done by right-wingers to make it easier to groom kids into the right-wing mindset. They need to stamp out compassion for people of other colors and other ways of life in any way they can.
Some books banned in Florida schools
https://www.theledger.com/story/news/state/2022/04/26/florida-school-book-bans-these-library-titles-being-reviewed-school-boards/9542938002/
"From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles."
https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/
Also see https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/book-bans-florida-public-schools/
I don't know WHY Florida banned so many math books, but they did.
Florida passed a law in 2022 that said educators could be prosecuted for 3rd degree felony if they display any unapproved books.
And nobody knows what's been approved.
So the only safe way for educators to stay out of jail is to HIDE ALL THE BOOKS!!!
Some books banned in Florida schools
"From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles."
Also see https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/book-bans-florida-public-schools/
I don't know WHY Florida banned so many math books, but they did.
May 6, 2022 — A Florida Department of Education review of 132 math books has led to the banning of more than 40% of them.
https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2022/05/06/florida-bans-more-than-40--oif-math-books-after-reviewFlorida passed a law in 2022 that said educators could be prosecuted for 3rd degree felony if they display any unapproved books.
And nobody knows what's been approved.
So the only safe way for educators to stay out of jail is to HIDE ALL THE BOOKS!!!
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@ElwoodBlues Well, the Binomial Theorem is very subversive and Pi just porn you know...
Seriously though, are the maths books simply caught in a queue caused by assumed guilt making all books wrong until "approved" (by whom on what criteria?); and perhaps some sort of "approving" by subject?
Consequently having gone through the fiction, the next category just happened to be Mathematics? So perhaps Geography or French text-books would be the next?
Do the censors explain their choices?
When you see this going on in a supposedly liberal (small 'l') nation from a foreign but also democratic (small 'd'!) country, it really is baffling. It's the sort of thing you'd associate with North Korea, which does allow a tiny chink of Western literature in, apparently including plays by Ibsen and Shakespeare, and the Harry Potter novels!
Schools, public libraries and book-sellers here (UK) do try to ensure children are not exposed to books that really are not suitable for them, but they don't resort to politically-driven, draconian laws on displaying and selling them.
I can just imagine what my rather larger-than-life 5th-Form Maths teacher would have said about banning maths books!
Seriously though, are the maths books simply caught in a queue caused by assumed guilt making all books wrong until "approved" (by whom on what criteria?); and perhaps some sort of "approving" by subject?
Consequently having gone through the fiction, the next category just happened to be Mathematics? So perhaps Geography or French text-books would be the next?
Do the censors explain their choices?
When you see this going on in a supposedly liberal (small 'l') nation from a foreign but also democratic (small 'd'!) country, it really is baffling. It's the sort of thing you'd associate with North Korea, which does allow a tiny chink of Western literature in, apparently including plays by Ibsen and Shakespeare, and the Harry Potter novels!
Schools, public libraries and book-sellers here (UK) do try to ensure children are not exposed to books that really are not suitable for them, but they don't resort to politically-driven, draconian laws on displaying and selling them.
I can just imagine what my rather larger-than-life 5th-Form Maths teacher would have said about banning maths books!
ElwoodBlues · M
@ArishMell I don't know why they banned so many math books. Suggesting the Earth wasn't created in 4004 BC? Who knows.
For school libraries, Florida has created a new system that might be called "freedom of suppression." If a parent complains about a book to someone at a school, that school will remove the book.
BTW, teachers are fleeing Florida in droves. When DeSantis took office they had 2000 open jobs; now it's almost 11,000. FL even changed the rules so not all teachers need a college degree, but they're still desperate for teachers. SAD!!
For school libraries, Florida has created a new system that might be called "freedom of suppression." If a parent complains about a book to someone at a school, that school will remove the book.
BTW, teachers are fleeing Florida in droves. When DeSantis took office they had 2000 open jobs; now it's almost 11,000. FL even changed the rules so not all teachers need a college degree, but they're still desperate for teachers. SAD!!
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@ElwoodBlues I followed the link you cited, and it would seem some of the books' exercises are politically biased.... In the wrong way, or at all? Plus one of the authors has the wrong political views.
The journalist also said they object to referring to climate-change. Maybe from fear, I thought....
The guv'nors also dislike something they call "social-emotional learning". I don't know what they mean by that. I wonder if they do?
I wonder if other States are similarly losing teachers; but looking at that map, where can they go?
Freedom of suppression..... So it seems. It's your land and only you who live there have the right to sort it out, but from a foreign country it all looks very worrying indeed.
The journalist also said they object to referring to climate-change. Maybe from fear, I thought....
The guv'nors also dislike something they call "social-emotional learning". I don't know what they mean by that. I wonder if they do?
I wonder if other States are similarly losing teachers; but looking at that map, where can they go?
Freedom of suppression..... So it seems. It's your land and only you who live there have the right to sort it out, but from a foreign country it all looks very worrying indeed.