Paul asks…
Are school readers too sanitized? By ‘sanitized’ I mean cleaned up in the sense that
only ‘mild’ forms of sex and violence are allowed. (In my experience, the great global
publishing houses are extremely strict about this. Their main argument is that they
have to be considerate of their ‘international readership’ and the various cultural
backgrounds. Fortunately, German publishers of English school readers are less
strict about this kind of censorship.
By sanitized I also mean that all things gross (farts, nose picking, bowel movements,
etc) are practically eliminated.
Some would say it’s right to ‘sanitize’ readers as there’s more than enough sex,
violence and things gross in the world outside the school. Schools, they would say,
shouldn’t pander to the lowest common denominator of teen interests and taste. They
should embody a better world, and try to elevate and refine the minds of their
students.
Others would say that by eliminating these elements, school readers present an
unrealistic world, one in which students, especially boys perhaps, cannot easily
identify with.
I think it’s obvious that, if such elements are just inserted into a story as a marketing
gimmick (like girls in bikinis ‘presenting’ new cars at automobile fairs), they shouldn’t
be included. But what if they are an organic part of the story, part and parcel of the
plot?
One possible answer to this question is to say that stories with such material are not
suitable as school readers. Is that a realistic standpoint? Nowadays students have
access to ‘adult’ literature, even at a very young age. Compared to what they read
and see on TV and at the movies, even the most daring school readers seem
harmless.
On the other hand– as teachers well know – there are many parents who keep a
watchful eye on what their children are given to read at school. And when they
complain about a reader they consider improper, their complaint should be taken
seriously. On the other hand, schools (teachers, principals) should have the courage
to stand up for literature they deem suitable for a certain age group.
In America, books often get banned from school classes and libraries when parents
complain about their contents. In one case, a parent tried to get a book about the
Holocaust removed from the school library because he didn’t want his son exposed
to that topic. Fortunately, his request was not granted.
Are school readers too sanitized? What do you think?
Are school readers too sanitized?
By sanitized I mean cleaned up in the sense that only ‘mild’ forms of sex and violence are allowed. In my experience, the great global school publishing houses are extremely strict about this. Their main argument is that they have to be considerate of their ‘international readership’ and of various cultural backgrounds. Fortunately, German publishers of English school readers are less strict about this kind of censorship. By sanitized I also mean that all things gross (farts, nose picking, bowel movements, etc.) are practically eliminated.
OPINIONS
Some would say it’s right to ‘sanitize’ readers as there’s more than enough sex, violence and things gross in the world outside the school. Schools, they would say, shouldn’t pander to the lowest common denominator of teen interests and taste. They should embody a better world, and try to elevate and refine the minds of their students. Others would say that by eliminating these elements, school readers present an unrealistic world, one which students, especially boys, cannot easily identify with.
MY OPINION
I think it’s obvious that, if such elements are just inserted into a story as a marketing gimmick (like models in bikinis ‘presenting’ new cars at automobile fairs), they shouldn’t be included. But what if they are an organic part of the story, part and parcel of the plot?One possible answer to this question is to say that stories with such material are just not suitable as school readers because they would be disturbing to young people. But is that a realistic standpoint? Nowadays students have access to ‘adult’ literature, even at a very young age. Compared to what they read and see on TV and at the movies, even the most daring school readers would seem harmless. On the other hand– as teachers well know – there are many parents who keep a watchful eye on what their children are given to read at school. And when they complain about a reader they consider improper, their complaint should be taken seriously. Having said that, schools (teachers, principals) should have the courage to stand up for literature they deem suitable for a certain age group.
THE U.S.A. AND CENSORSHIP
If you think that banning books is something that happened in the distant past, you’re wrong. In America, paradoxically, book banning is something of a trend. The Harry Potter books, for example, came under strong attack. In fact, that series was the most challenged book series of the 21st century in the U.S.A.! (American Library Association) More than 10,000(!) attempts to ban books from American schools and libraries have been recorded since the ALA first began its monitoring back in 1990. Among the challenged books are classics such as ‘I know why the Caged Bird sings’ by Maya Angelou, ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck, ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, and the highly-acclaimed modern youth novel, ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry. According to the ALA, there are four main motives behind the attempts to ban books:
- family values
- religion
- political views
- minority rights
The push to ban books has given rise to a strong movement to combat censorship. Several organizations have been founded, including Kidspeak with its motto, ‘Kids have First Amendment rights – and kidSPEAK helps kids fight for them!’
GERMANY AND CENSORSHIP
As far as I can see, the situation in Germany with regard to banning books from schools is very different than the American situation, much more relaxed and tolerant. And yet, there is, as I wrote above, the power of publishing houses to select the kind of readers they think are suitable for schools. So I come back to my question: Are they making the right selection? Or, to put the question in a more provocative way, are school readers too sanitized? What do you think?
I’ve devised a student questionnaire to throw light on their thinking on the subject:(Comments in German or English welcome)
