Banning Books

by Duffy McMahon on January 31, 2012 • No comments

Ray Bradbury wrote “Fahrenheit 451”, in 1953, about a future society in which reading was illegal and the fire department burned all the books. Ray Bradbury chose the title because paper burns at 451 degrees. Bradbury’s literary fellowship believed he was making a statement about burning books that suppress dissenting ideas. But according to the author himself, the novel is less about censorship and more of a statement on how television destroys interest in reading literature, which leads to knowledge becoming a composite of factoids. Talk about precognition.
Ironically, in the 1950’s, especially during the Senator McCarthy era, books were both being banned and burned in different cities around the United States. Books like “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, “Catcher in the Rye”, “From Here to Eternity”, “The Grapes of Wrath”, “Lolita”, “The Lord of the Flies”, “Peyton Place” and yes, even “Fahrenheit 451”. These books were banned due to subversive content, obscenity, explicit sex or anything considered lewd and lascivious that might corrupt the morals of our society. God forbid if these works of Satan were to ever get into our educational system, it could traumatize our children for life.
That was only 50 years ago and today the books I just mentioned are considered classics, mandatory reading for some English classes.
You would think we would learn by now, that banning a product to protect society from itself doesn’t work. If it did, we would still have prohibition. Whether it’s alcohol, marijuana or books, it’s like the forbidden fruit, it becomes more desirable. But no…there are still books people want to ban, including some of those I’ve just mentioned.
I just read an article about Germany keeping a ban on the printing of Hitler’s autobiography and political manifesto, “Mein Kampf”. Apparently, the government of Bavaria, where Hitler resided at the time of his 1945 suicide in Berlin, holds the copyrights and guards against any German-language copies being printed. Apparently, Germany believes if they don’t acknowledge or sell Hitler’s book, then maybe they can erase that part of their history. I don’t think so. Although the book isn’t available in German or in Germany, anyone can purchase it on the Internet and elsewhere in the world…so why the ban? But, this week a civil court in Munich, again blocked a publisher’s plan to print excerpts of Hitler’s book. The peculiar facet of this is, German law only extends its copyrights 70 years after the author’s death. So in 2015, this whole debate will be a moot point.
I’ve read parts of “Mein Kampf”. I’ve only read parts because it reads like the narcissistic ravings of a sociopath, which in reality, it is. I understand the emotions around the book, it’s history and it’s author. I also understand the fear that it might incite or inspire today’s neo-Nazi groups and anti-Semitic groups. But, the reality is, it’s already in print. And, while you may think having it written in German and sold in Germany may make a difference with the same type of thug mentality Hitler appealed to, I can only pray that we’ve learned from our past. Banning it isn’t the answer.
But, if someone is tasteless enough to give you a copy of “Mein Kampf”…remember, all you have to do is set your oven to 451 Fahrenheit.

This is Duffy On Your Mind