CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) If you want to read Adolph Hitler’s Mein Kampf, should you be able to check it out of the library? What if you want to read the Quran? Should it be on the library shelves?
My father went to the library years ago, and checked out both. He found Mein Kampt useful, as a way to compare some of the political trends in the United States today. After a reading, he was more convinced than ever that Hitler was evil incarnate. And my father read the Quran after the 9-11 attacks. Many of the raving teachings of radical Islam are indeed found in the text.
I would argue that controversial books do have a place on library shelves. Just because a library adds a book to its collection does not mean that the library endorses what is in it. No one could possibly know the contents of even a small library collection of a few thousand books. Most libraries have collections of tens of thousands of items.
So what about children’s books about sexuality? They’ve been challenged by a group of parents at the Marathon County library. I find books that tell grade schoolers that maybe their sexuality isn’t what it is to be offensive. But I find Mein Kampf and the Quran offensive too. And that’s why I’m opposed to banning books. A book that’s offensive to you may be informative to someone else. If you’re offended by a book, don’t check it out. If you think a book isn’t appropriate for your child, don’t let them check it out.
Exercising your individual choices is better than book-banning.
Chris Conley
Comments