The chart images above have been taken from www.Ala.org
From students to teachers, and authors to publishers, censorship affects everyone and not in a positive way. While parents have the right to choose what their own child is or is not allowed to read, they should still be talking to their child about the subject, especially if it is something they do not want their child reading. Otherwise, they will learn about it another way, which could lead to confusion or lack of knowledge and acceptance. Many books that have been censored or banned contain sexually explicit content, vulgar language, and homosexuality; whats-more, Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs contains a large amount of all three of these. It is not surprising that it has been banned from some high schools, but what are we teaching students in doing so? That it's not acceptable to be gay or lesbian or to ever read anything that contains cuss words or sex? This is the real world and high school students deal with these everyday! In Jane Agee's article, "The Effects of Censorship on High School English Teachers", she states that Mike Rose argues that even though people challenge books with the best of intentions, it actually hurts the student's ability to grow intellectually (Para. 3). Furthermore, it affects teachers because they are unable to help broaden the mindset of their students.
Authors and publishers are affected by censorship financially. If the book doesn't sell, they lose money and their ability to be heard. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, but if no one is allowed to listen, what's the point? Running with Scissors, is a memoir of Augusten Burroughs' young teenage years and although the book has some intense language, sexual content, and drug use, it is a true story about what he experienced growing up and how his crazy, dysfunctional family made him who he is today. The 1st Amendment gives him every right to express his feelings and reveal to the world the troubles he went through, just as anyone else does and people should have the right to read about it if they so choose.
Baolin Liu, sums up the positive effects if censorship did NOT exist, in his article "The Affects of Censorship on Society", stating "Without censorship, people can challenge ideas and accepted norms to develop new theories and concepts. If we accepted the ways things were, then mankind would still believe the world is flat, the universe is static, the sun revolves around the Earth, and the Earth is the center of the universe." (Para. 4).
Authors and publishers are affected by censorship financially. If the book doesn't sell, they lose money and their ability to be heard. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, but if no one is allowed to listen, what's the point? Running with Scissors, is a memoir of Augusten Burroughs' young teenage years and although the book has some intense language, sexual content, and drug use, it is a true story about what he experienced growing up and how his crazy, dysfunctional family made him who he is today. The 1st Amendment gives him every right to express his feelings and reveal to the world the troubles he went through, just as anyone else does and people should have the right to read about it if they so choose.
Baolin Liu, sums up the positive effects if censorship did NOT exist, in his article "The Affects of Censorship on Society", stating "Without censorship, people can challenge ideas and accepted norms to develop new theories and concepts. If we accepted the ways things were, then mankind would still believe the world is flat, the universe is static, the sun revolves around the Earth, and the Earth is the center of the universe." (Para. 4).
Organizations against censorship:
Organizations and groups that support censorship:
The groups listed above were taken from the book, Censorship. (See reference page)
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) www.aclu.org
- American Library Association (ALA) www.ala.org
- Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) www.thefire.org
- Freedom Forum www.freedomforum.org
- National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) www.ncac.org
Organizations and groups that support censorship:
- Concerned Women for America (CWA) www.cwa.org
- Family Research Council (FRC) www.frc.org
- National Coalition for the Protection of Children www.nationalcoalition.org
The groups listed above were taken from the book, Censorship. (See reference page)