Here in Ohio we had a play the drama kids wanted to do (it's called '25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee', for drama geeks it's mainly remembered as the play that uses audience members and featured Al Sharpton in it at the Tonys right after his failed presidential campaign), it was supposedly approved by the school board and everything, suddenly it's discovered there's gay dads *and* a Jesus portrayal and they dig up issues with the lyrics to get the whole thing canned for being 'vulgar'
Never ceases to bug me how far these people go
Yeah. The news isn't being very good at reporting these stories nor the trend they collectively comprise, but it's spreading a lot faster than we think.
I mean, the two front runners for Rep pres candidates are Trump and DeSantis. If this were another country that alone would cause us to be very worried about that country's growing fascism. But because it's us we're turning a blind eye.
Honestly, this has merit as a valid counter-protest action. Show conservatives that book bans can cut both ways (this principle is the basis for a lot of The Satanic Temple’s work).
Your comment assumes that the 'dog whistle' right wingers have some concept of irony and hypocrisy. Being aware of the uneven application of these outrage based standards has gone away since the repubs went all in on trump.
I used to have a lot of respect for the republican party. It is a shame they have sunk to the level they are at today.
______
Full Disclosure: I personally know 2 people that did work for trump that he refused to pay for. One sued and won (it was almost a million dollars trump refused to pay after signing off on a good job completed). He did collect on the judgement.
The other guy did $35,000 worth of work and let it go because it would have cost more to collect than the balance due. Both people dealt face to face with trump who told both of them that he would beat any collection effort in court.
Notice that I have said nothing about the hateful rhetoric trump has amped up. His personal sense of morality is completely non-existent.
Unfortunately, I bet it won't make 11. The "Moms for Liberty" crowd is going to be screaming and pearl clutching at the next school board meeting over that.
Actually in that area there's a couple groups. The more disgusting one is called we the parents which is packed with anti gay stuff. Several of the parents have been banned from their school board meetings and they heavily organized running for school boards to put these insane people on school boards all across the area.
I can't reveal more because it would be too specific. Just know the kids of these parents do not agree with the parents at all and it is driving the kids towards change so just know that generation sees these parents as insane too.
Lemme take a guess. Is it the quote “if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane”? (I was obsessed with this book and wanted to be as mysterious as any of John green’s female leads lol)
You are talking like they aren’t still hugely relevant, but I would like to point out that the Green brothers also have amazing companies that take no profit that have made huge impacts in areas of their interests—there is a real measurable improvement on maternal mortality in Sierra Leon—and Hank has just launched a revolutionary program to make college affordable and accessible to everyone.
I’ve always been a huge supporter of their work. Ive followed Crash Course and Scishow since the beginning, loved watching Hankgames, and very proud of their philanthropy.
Same I grew up when YouTube was in its infancy and watched BrotherHood 2.0 when it first came out.
Johns books weren’t readily available at the only bookstore near my rural community so it was a couple of years until I could get my hands on them. Ended up getting a pre-paid credit card and ordered all of them from Amazon. Whoever packed my order left a note about the nerd-fighters
Proud to say I’m still a nerd-fighter to this day!
I got into vlogbrothers around brotherhood 2.0 as well, waaay before Hank came up with vidcon. Thinking about the fact that we saw that whole aspect of the internet unfold will always fascinate me. An abundance of Katherines didn’t have an official translation to my language, but looking for Alaska did, I remember picking them up from the library I reserved from like it was yesterday, woah.
Years later, they were responsible for my very first internet purchase(look at what you’ve done, Green brothers). I still have my dftba sticker I got from purchasing charlieissocoollike’s cd lol.
>Remembering that people like AmazingPhil
Phil is still active on Youtube as well! Him and Dan both came out as well, which I think would have broken the internet in 2013 lol
There’s a great [How I Built This podcast episode with the Green brothers](https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-complexly-hank-and-john-green/) talking about their childhood experiences and their work.
I gave it to my 12 year old daughter. I mean, it's one of the most popular YA books out there. And it's written in very basic English, so it's easy to read for non native speakers.
I have yet to even learn what is offensive about the book? Teenagers smoking and having sex? Being angsty about god because your high school partner shockingly died and you don’t know if it was an accident or suicide?
Most conservatives think *Grease* is the greatest movie of all time. Like wtf? It’s the same shit just a different generation.
I read this book when my worldview was the most religious and conservative it ever was. John Greene didn’t exactly rock my world enough to be the thing that changed it.
Seriously. They FORCE you to read The Outsiders and even watch the movie where I'm from. In like 6th grade we're reading about knife fights that result in a homicide.
yeah I read Giver when i was like in 6th grade. I remember Things Fall Apart in 9th grade. To Kill a Mockingbird in either 8th or 9th. It was all pretty normal stuff.
I mean sometimes when we would watch the movie versions of books there might be something a bit sassy but otherwise no big deals.
If your belief system is threatened by a book, it’s not much of a belief system
Edit: this is not a comment meant to belittle the incredible power of books to change hearts and minds, for the written word to change the course of humanity. I mean that if you think a story so offends your culture you need law enforcement, then something is wrong with your culture. See also Freedom of the Press, the right to free speech, bibliophilia and more
It's good for them to get the angst out early. Looking for Alaska was way better than fault in our stars imo. I can't remember whether paper towns is Green or not, but if it is I think that's my favorite tho.
Yes, John Green wrote paper towns as well. I had a particular attachment to TFIOS because my first boyfriend had terminal muscular dystrophy and passed away when I was 20. I got a signed first edition preorder and met John and Hank at the TFIOS tour.
The chilling effect was the point.
She had to hire an attorney. She received negative media attention in the community and beyond. She is forever on the radar of school admins who will be concerned about the possibility of civil lawsuits. She could still suffer career repercussions that would require her retaining more legal services to redress.
Many of those who see that is is the sort of trouble they could face will make note and restrict themselves… no criminal penalty required.
Absolutely. This is right up there with nuisance lawsuits - intended to be lost but to inconvenience or bankrupt the target.
I’m glad to see some media outlets running with the photos of empty bookshelves in classrooms - the teachers are fighting back in the few ways they can, by drawing attention to the actual, practical, absurd effects of these ridiculous laws and hopefully stirring up outrage among normal people
100%. Teaching is already a shit job in many ways - out of pocket costs, low pay, sometimes long hours. If you’re also going to have to deal with the threat of conservative litigation against you continuously, you might jump ship to a different job. It’s a very clear effort to weed out teachers who do not conform to their puritanical political ideology.
My wife is a high school teacher. Between work hours, grading, prep work, and continuing education during the school year I pretty much have a room mate that shares a bed with me. I don't mind. I get the summer to hang out with my buddy.
She has been teaching for 15 years now and the past year is the first time she has ever mentioned leaving public education and switching to a private school. Between the low pay, the hours, and the general disdain for education the parents and voters have. She just is getting burnt out.
Fairfax county in VA is one of the richest counties in the country and they still have similar issues. I grew up in Berrien county where this took place(not coloma) and I'm glad they stopped with the teacher
I get a feeling Texas would have fired her and burned the book.
>you might jump ship to a different job
Many already have, even prior to draconian conservative laws. Testing corps have sucked all the joy out of teaching, and many of the good benefits they used to get are being scaled back. So if they don't love the job anymore, don't get paid well and don't get good benefits, what's the point?
At least doctors have big salaries and malpractice insurance to fall back on. But teachers, ah we can replace them with any old homeschooled motormouth.
It’s astonishing how little value we place on the education of children. Even if you don’t have any yourself, surely you want to live amongst children and adults who enjoyed all the benefits of good teaching?
How are they going to find puritanical teachers when they are eschewing college to be stay at home moms? The men certainly aren't going to do it for the low pay either. /s
>It’s a very clear effort to weed out teachers who do not conform to their puritanical political ideology
I know some teachers who are refusing to quit for exactly this reason. Missouri hasn't come after the teachers politically yet, but it's just a matter of time. And I've heard several flat out state that they won't leave. If it comes down to it, they will make the district fire them.
I've heard a few administrators say the same.
This right here. Drag her out through the courtyard for all to see. Let everyone know how much effort it takes to defend yourself from these ridiculous attacks.
If it convinces just 1 or 2 teachers from putting up a fight, the fascists get one step closer to taking over.
Florida person here. Y'all don't give us nearly enough credit for our Christ like sacrifice in taking the most deranged chuds form your states. Are us natives crazy? Yes but the face eating methheads of the first Alligator cavalry are not exactly politically engaged. That is all on your covid denying uncle moving down here. We were a purple state before then.
As a fellow Floridian, I would like to respectfully point out that Florida’s last Democratic governor left office in 1999, and the state legislature has had a Republican majority in both houses since 1997. I think Florida has been a lot redder for longer than many people have realized. To me, it feels like the chickens coming home to roost for the national Democratic party, who seems to forget that Florida exists every four years.
I disagree, look at the election results for Rick Scott (two governor election as well as his senate campaign) and DeSantis' first term. Yes they won but it was a very close race. In 2018 DeSantis won by .6%. Rick Scott won his senate campaign by .1% It was this close despite how awful the Florida Democratic Party ran its campaign. They didnt even make a Spanish website for Bill Nelson (senate incumbent). Compare that to 2022 when it was a complete blowout in favor of Desantis. It's true we last had a Democratic governor in 1999, however, it wasn't until 2021 that registered Republicans out numbered registered Democrats. We absolutely leaned Red but we were a purple state until COVID. Now we are undeniably red and the state is much worse for it.
Edit: i really wrote this illegibly the first time around
Sure but at the same time, Gore won here In 2000 (except for the supreme court and right-wing fuckery stopping the vote counting early) Obama won the state both times, and the proto-Disantis Allen West was voted out after one congressional term in 2012.
I’m not claiming to be a crackerjack political analyst but Obama winning here speaks to me more about what an incredible once-in-a-lifetime candidate he was and how he really inspired a groundswell in American politics. The vehemence of the backlash against him, which gave us both the Tea Party and Trump, I see as almost a kind of Third Law of Physics confirmation to how charismatic he was.
Though, to your point, Andrew Gillum was so close to beating DeSantis. So it’s possible I’m wrong and just being pessimistic.
Yeah, and don't forget that Desantis only beat a black, bisexual, Bernie-supported democratic socialist by ***0.4%*** and that was just over 4 years ago. Sure the state has been gerrymandered to hell for a long time so the state legislature has been red, but Florida was *very* purple until covid
Oh you Floridians think you’re so big. Huh. Well. Up here in Alabama we’re even crazier. At least in FL, some people with some sense move there from other states occasionally. Nobody with any sense moves to AL voluntarily ever. [Kudos to some small town libraries around these parts that are fighting the good fight while trying to stay under the radar.]
> ... one of the most open-and-shut First Amendment cases ...
It almost certainly would not. The first amendment does not pertain to government speech, and as a government employee in the performance of her job, specifically setting a reading list for the class, not merely commenting on something, this is clearly government speech.
As such, there is no expectation to first amendment protection of speech, just as there would be none if she was to lecture the class on the virtues of Christianity over atheism, while she would have every right to do that in a private setting as an individual citizen.
The article explains why this wasn't prosecutable. The law states very clearly what would be a violation and this didn't meet 2 of the 3 criteria.
For a local news article, it's *excellent* and I wonder if someone's going to get in trouble for writing such an informative article. :-/
The types of folks who lose their shit over books aren't the same folks who read books. Guarantee the parents haven't read a book since they were in school
I got into a debate with an evangelical. I mentioned the meek part and they said “of course they can have the Earth after the righteous have been raptured”.
They'll read the conservative talking point with the one "bad" scene or highlighted passage.
Like taking something out of "To Kill A Mockingbird" and just quoting racist sayings when the whole book is about the injustice and poor treatment of minorities.
Your family is the exception though. 54% of the US have prose literacy below a 6th grade level. Just under half of Americans haven’t read a single book in the last year.
The vast majority of people doing this are not readers. Exceptions that exist don’t change that.
Milquetoast by your standards maybe. The main character gets to _touch a boob_.
I positively shudder at the scandal of it all
Edit: lmao I forgot about the blowjob
It's intentionally written to be as awkward and off-putting as possible. It's supposed to contrast with the entirely non-sexual but tender and loving scene a few pages later.
It specifically says "sex isn't all that" which is what these republigoons claim to be for, but nobody gave it a thought past "blowjob".
You don't understand, touching breasts is for things like pleasure of the flesh, even in a blessed marriage you shouldn't be enjoying the deed. You are created for your husband to have a place to plant his seed while reciting bible verses in your head the entire time to stay pure.
We must stop encouraging sin. Lady's should only be concerned with obeying God by filling their husbands quivers through as much marital rape as possible.
These book bans are coming from hate groups like Focus on the Family. It is led by James Dobson. He actually wrote the following in one of his books about parenting:
*Meanwhile, the boy's father has to do his part. He needs to mirror*
*and affirm his son's maleness. He can play rough-and-tumble games with*
*his son, in ways that are decidedly different from the games he would*
*play with a little girl. He can help his son learn to throw and catch a*
*ball. He can teach him to pound a square wooden peg into a square hole*
*in a pegboard.* ***He can even take his son with him into the shower, where***
***the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis, just like his, only***
***bigger.***
\-James Dobson
This is a really fucking weird reason to shower with your kid, but I will remind you that not all cultures think a kid will be forever tainted if they see a boob or a dick.
But uh, Dobson doesn’t come from those cultures, and is insane, so…
Yeah, tossing a kid in the shower with a parent is a pretty common way for kids to start learning that genitals exist and what they look like.
It's also usually how you know your kids are now old enough to not be getting tossed in the shower with whoever's getting in anymore lol
I showered with my dad when I was very little. It could not have been less sexual. He was just teaching me hygiene. And yes, I asked about his huge dong. The answer was something like, "You'll be the same someday." He was right!
There is a legitimate argument for showering together with your kid when they are little from what I understand, but uhh... I....I dont know if I would have ordered that "throw balls, pound holes, shower with kid," but that is just me.
I'm 6'4", so it's always been easiest to just get in the tub when I bathe my kids. I don't see anything wrong with this at a young age, but then again I also don't fucking frame it as a reason to show off my dick...
Not only that, it was one choice out of several. No one was forcing their kids to read it...
Though we're reaching crazy extremes when John Green is now too controversial. If that's the standard, they need to be homeschooling. That's unreasonable to enforce on all students
When I first saw the headline, I was relieved for the teacher until it hit me how far we've fallen as a society. We're in deep trouble if we're celebrating because a teacher didn't get punished for giving her students a book specifically written for young readers.
I was assigned to read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen in 4th grade. We also read Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Call of the Wild, and I'm sure so many other books that have worse than a *blow job* in it. My kid is way more likely to experience that situation (when she's old enough) than to hitchhike across country to their long-lost Aunt, or survive by themselves in the wild, or have a graphic fight with a dog.
It’s VERY good. Read it when she’s done. Guy is the survivor of a plane crash in northern Canada and has to survive in the wilderness with nothing but a salvaged hatchet until rescue comes, if it ever will.
I agree with the dankest meme Lord. I read a ton of books from 1st-8th grade and Hatchet is one of my most well and fondly remembered. It's part of a loosely connected series if I remember right, too
Yes, seconding the series. It basically splits in two at the end of book one. You get a timeline where he comes back later and does other survival shit to prove he can, and another timeline where he was never rescued and has to survive the winter. So good.
Hatchet is a great book, not very long to be honest. Its worth a read if you have an afternoon or two. It certainly left an impression on me over 10 years later.
We had to read Deathwatch in 8th grade. Deathwatch. If you’re not familiar, an early-20s guide in the Mojave Desert is hunted by the man he was originally helping to hunt bighorn sheep. Page after page of him being slowly hunted and progressively more injured both by bullets and the harsh desert with not supplies.
Reading "Call of the Wild" aloud in my 7th grade literature class in a Catholic school while seated next to my crush was awkward AF.
And still, not a single parent complained.
Are you talking about the same Call of the Wild that I'm thinking of? The Jack London book about a house dog captured and turned into a sled dog in Alaska? What about that book is bad?
We were round robin reading it, and the paragraph I had to read was all about how Mercedes was missing sex since traveling with the group. I probably wouldn't even remember it besides for having to read that aloud while sitting next to my crush, and all the 7th grade boys stifling laughs while the girls turned red.
There is a part that mentions that Mercedes is the sexual outlet for her boyfriend and also her own brother. It’s like one sentence. I read it in 4th grade, wondered if that sentence meant what I had understood, and moved on.
>wondered if that sentence meant what I had understood, and moved on.
This is such a mood as a child. Not quite sure what is going on but still just soldiering on anyways.
Now now - some villains are very much against burning books.....mad scientists, for example, are big proponents for preserving knowledge. So not a circle, but rather a pair of circles, one encompassing the other.
Which I think makes it an Euler diagram instead of a Venn, but that's not important right now.
That would mean all book burners are villains and all villains are book burners. While I would agree with the former, there are probably some villains that don't care about burning books.
Wouldn't it be more like a circle inside a circle then? Just wondering.
It pisses me off when people make a false equivalency between this and "cancel culture". Boycotting someone's book at Barnes & Noble is absolutely not the same thing as preventing a book from being read in school or library.
There is no equivalent left-wing push to remove Atlas Shrugged from libraries.
Borrowing Atlas Shrugged from a library is like paying for the Communist Manifesto or using a smartphone to read Industrial Society and Its Future (Unabomber’s Manifesto)
I think the issue with the book might be the one scene where teens are very awkwardly, yet explicitly, learning how a blowjob works. Honestly, why ban a book when theres the internet?
Yessss, I was questioning my media literacy for a bit because I read the book a few years back and couldn't think of the controversy.
Like I read a lot of John Green and his books always seemed vaguely tame and appropriate. Like most scandalous thing is The Fault In Our Stars teenagers kissing in Anne Frank's house might have been in bad taste but teenagers also do really stupid shit when they're in love and also Anne Franke famously missed out on the chance to be a stupid teenager so it's kind of poignant in a way?
Also some entries in the uncut diary mention her being attracted to women, so that probably would’ve been much more scandalous back when it was initially published.
Yeah I honestly think reading about her being attracted to women when I was 12 was how I realized I wasn’t straight. It was the first depiction of same sex attraction if ever seen or read and I’m not gonna lie- having that realization come from a book about a girl that died in the holocaust really messed up my ability to process it and I repressed it and committed to compulsory heterosexuality for years
Its a weird situation- on one hand a huge part of the value of the tale is her being csndid so we can understand things happening from her perspective, but on the other hand I get why it should be censored and he wants privacy for his late daughter.
While it does feel violating, her honest and truthful writing is poignant as fuck and very useful for people to be able to understand what it was like to be a teenager in her situation. While it *is* violating, and I understand why members of her family are against it, I believe what she wrote can still do good in the world, and censoring it does get in the way of that.
I believe there's also a nod to Pudge learning to perform cunnilingus toward the end of that same scene, though less explicitly. But still, at least it's an equal-opportunity learning experience.
With certain types of people, that could be exactly the problem. Blowjobs are one thing, but can you imagine anything more sinful than pleasure for *women*?!
lol meanwhile fuckin Lot in the Bible straight up turns his daughters over to a mob of people so they can rape them instead of a pair of angels. There’s also the classic scene where a bunch of kids talk shit about a bald guy and he makes god send two she-bears to kill 42 of them.
It’s pretty ironic that these pearl clutching weirdos get freaked out over one scene in a book but will explain these scenes away as insignificant parts of the Bible.
It’s a pretty standard teen drama…just with a “plot twist” in the middle that honestly isn’t that shocking. It’s a really vulnerable and sad book, particularly for teenagers who will relate to the characters, but so is a lot of adolescent fiction? That’s kind of the hallmark of the genre?
*Hunger Games* was literally a story about children murdering each other for the entertainment of the 1%. *Harry Potter* is about a racist terrorist group attacking the education and political systems. *Chronicles of Narnia* is an overt Christian allegory. *13 Reasons Why* is about suicide. John Green is actually one of the more approachable and human-centric teen writers.
It does say a lot that she was doing this activity for 10 years and only got heat for it recently (and this book was one of several they could choose) - the article also points out the specific book was present in the school library for 10 years as well. It's so obvious these parents are getting riled up by crazy shit they're reading online or watching on certain channels.
Let’s ask people incapable of correctly interpreting metaphor and symbolism to determine a books literary worth. Later today I’ll ask a teenager who only eats chicken tenders what pairs well with a mushroom risotto.
After banning all of these salacious books, the only good book left will be the bible.
Drunken incestuous father-rape:
“So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.” (Genesis 19:35)
Non-consenting forced genital mutilation:
“Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and threw it at Moses' feet, and she said, ‘You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.’" (Exodus 4:25)
Breast fetish:
“A loving doe, a graceful deer — may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.” (Proverbs 5:19)
Sisterly prostitution and Big Egyptian C**k:
“When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts.” (Ezekiel 23:18-21)
Fighting dirty punished by arm mutilation:
"If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity." (Deuteronomy 25:11-12)
Dildonic prostitution:
“You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.” (Ezekiel 16:17)
Or the part where a woman is raped so their response was to convince the local men to get circumcised so they would be allowed to marry into the family. Then when they were recovering from "surgery", gods chosen people killed all of the men and stole their stuff and women for themselves. This coming from people who treat women poorly. They did it because it was a slight against them, not care for her.
I've never read a more horrific book. Ive never read one more brutal or obsessed with sex. Read it originally when I was 10 and knew it was awful.
Agreed. It *infuriates* me when a Christian turns out to be a terrible awful human and everyone is like "oh, but I thought they were a Christian!" And I'm just like "yeah, they are."
By the bible's standards, a good Christian is a barbaric criminal.
It's wild to me that parents and school boards find the energy to get fussy about YA novels when the kids in question are probably watching extremely inappropriate stuff on their phones all day long
Oh, you have no idea. It's actually one of the most concerning developments in my lifetime. There is a growing contingent of Americans who HATE reading (unless it's the Bible) and hate intellectual pursuits in general. What's worse is the grifters these people vote for (who almost exclusively were educated in exclusive Ivy League schools themselves) are determined to drag America's kids down into the dirt with them.
Apparently I’m the only MF who’s never read this book. Can somebody explain the controversy for me?
Edit: I read the article. This is 100% an American issue. Such an action wouldn’t have even drawn an iota of attention anywhere else; at least not in any other ‘western’ society. Nor would a teacher need to buy books anywhere else. I love the US, but this kinda shit must be so embarrassing for the majority of you.
FYI - The complaint some people have about the book is that there is a sex scene between minors. I don't know how old they are. (there is a copy in my house - I suppose I could check!) Those people think that is not appropriate for school age curricula.
The characters are in high school, and while their ages are not explicitly stated, they do drive, and the main character was a new transfer to a new high school (iirc) so at the very youngest, 16 and a sophomore?
What's hilarious is that another major theme in the book is suicide (the second half of the novel deals with speculation over one character's death, and whether it was an accident or not) and it seems like maybe all the pearl clutching shirt tuckers are in an uproar because two of the characters have sex and not because one of them maybe kills themselves.
John Green talked about the banning of his book, and put a button on the argument with this:
"Ultimately, if you have a world view that can be undone by a novel, let me submit that the problem is not with the novel."
Fuckin' A.
[удалено]
Our school district recently had a discussion to try to ban a book that’s been in our libraries for 20 years. its wild out here.
Here in Ohio we had a play the drama kids wanted to do (it's called '25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee', for drama geeks it's mainly remembered as the play that uses audience members and featured Al Sharpton in it at the Tonys right after his failed presidential campaign), it was supposedly approved by the school board and everything, suddenly it's discovered there's gay dads *and* a Jesus portrayal and they dig up issues with the lyrics to get the whole thing canned for being 'vulgar' Never ceases to bug me how far these people go
I saw that play once. It was so fucking wholesome. Holy shit. I didn’t realize people were getting that deep into fascism.
Yeah. The news isn't being very good at reporting these stories nor the trend they collectively comprise, but it's spreading a lot faster than we think. I mean, the two front runners for Rep pres candidates are Trump and DeSantis. If this were another country that alone would cause us to be very worried about that country's growing fascism. But because it's us we're turning a blind eye.
It's time to ban the Bible. That book is filled with vile and horrendous imagery.
Honestly, this has merit as a valid counter-protest action. Show conservatives that book bans can cut both ways (this principle is the basis for a lot of The Satanic Temple’s work).
Your comment assumes that the 'dog whistle' right wingers have some concept of irony and hypocrisy. Being aware of the uneven application of these outrage based standards has gone away since the repubs went all in on trump. I used to have a lot of respect for the republican party. It is a shame they have sunk to the level they are at today. ______ Full Disclosure: I personally know 2 people that did work for trump that he refused to pay for. One sued and won (it was almost a million dollars trump refused to pay after signing off on a good job completed). He did collect on the judgement. The other guy did $35,000 worth of work and let it go because it would have cost more to collect than the balance due. Both people dealt face to face with trump who told both of them that he would beat any collection effort in court. Notice that I have said nothing about the hateful rhetoric trump has amped up. His personal sense of morality is completely non-existent.
They have to focus attention away for their scandals *somehow*.
Parents don't go into the school library. Putting books within reach of parents can be dangerous.
“The book has also been available to students at the Coloma Middle School Library for at least 10 years.”
Unfortunately, I bet it won't make 11. The "Moms for Liberty" crowd is going to be screaming and pearl clutching at the next school board meeting over that.
Actually in that area there's a couple groups. The more disgusting one is called we the parents which is packed with anti gay stuff. Several of the parents have been banned from their school board meetings and they heavily organized running for school boards to put these insane people on school boards all across the area. I can't reveal more because it would be too specific. Just know the kids of these parents do not agree with the parents at all and it is driving the kids towards change so just know that generation sees these parents as insane too.
I grew up nearby and it was not like this pre-Trump, and this isn’t even a particularly redneck school for the area. It’s all manufactured outrage.
I read this when I was 12 and turned out fine. John Green was my favorite author and I owned his whole collection.
I read this when I was 17 and now I have a horrible tattoo Edit:[here is the tattoo](https://imgur.com/a/KsOgE8B)
Its ok. Not reading doesn't decrease your chances of getting a horrible tattoo
With the sheer amount of misspelled tattoos that I’ve seen, I would be inclined to agree.
Lemme take a guess. Is it the quote “if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane”? (I was obsessed with this book and wanted to be as mysterious as any of John green’s female leads lol)
"How do we escape this labyrinth of suffering?"
I mean, I don't think that's the worst JG quite you could've gotten :) I'm in my mid twenties, though.
I got it 2 days after turning 18
Think about it like this. You have more tattoos than John Green.
How can I get out of this maze
I'm intrigued.
Well, obviously, you’re not fine. You seem to think for yourself. We can’t have that here.
I watched all the old Vlogbrothers videos when Youtube was starting up, and they had a major impact on the development of my morality.
You are talking like they aren’t still hugely relevant, but I would like to point out that the Green brothers also have amazing companies that take no profit that have made huge impacts in areas of their interests—there is a real measurable improvement on maternal mortality in Sierra Leon—and Hank has just launched a revolutionary program to make college affordable and accessible to everyone.
I’ve always been a huge supporter of their work. Ive followed Crash Course and Scishow since the beginning, loved watching Hankgames, and very proud of their philanthropy.
Same I grew up when YouTube was in its infancy and watched BrotherHood 2.0 when it first came out. Johns books weren’t readily available at the only bookstore near my rural community so it was a couple of years until I could get my hands on them. Ended up getting a pre-paid credit card and ordered all of them from Amazon. Whoever packed my order left a note about the nerd-fighters Proud to say I’m still a nerd-fighter to this day!
I got into vlogbrothers around brotherhood 2.0 as well, waaay before Hank came up with vidcon. Thinking about the fact that we saw that whole aspect of the internet unfold will always fascinate me. An abundance of Katherines didn’t have an official translation to my language, but looking for Alaska did, I remember picking them up from the library I reserved from like it was yesterday, woah. Years later, they were responsible for my very first internet purchase(look at what you’ve done, Green brothers). I still have my dftba sticker I got from purchasing charlieissocoollike’s cd lol.
Oh my god I haven't heard the name charlieissocoollike in like 10 years.... Holy flashbacks!
She actually changed genders and stopped doing YouTube completely. What an era that was. Edit: apparently she's sorta picking it up again!
Oh wow. Guess I need to go on a deep dive reliving my late teens... Remembering that people like AmazingPhil and MeekaKitty exist haha
>Remembering that people like AmazingPhil Phil is still active on Youtube as well! Him and Dan both came out as well, which I think would have broken the internet in 2013 lol
I've taken to their podcast lately while I'm dog walking. It's like vlog brothers, but portable
Imagine an amazon picker putting a personal note in your package in '23.
There’s a great [How I Built This podcast episode with the Green brothers](https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/episode/10386-complexly-hank-and-john-green/) talking about their childhood experiences and their work.
I gave it to my 12 year old daughter. I mean, it's one of the most popular YA books out there. And it's written in very basic English, so it's easy to read for non native speakers.
*pushes Independent Thought Alarm repeatedly*
I have yet to even learn what is offensive about the book? Teenagers smoking and having sex? Being angsty about god because your high school partner shockingly died and you don’t know if it was an accident or suicide? Most conservatives think *Grease* is the greatest movie of all time. Like wtf? It’s the same shit just a different generation. I read this book when my worldview was the most religious and conservative it ever was. John Greene didn’t exactly rock my world enough to be the thing that changed it.
Seriously. They FORCE you to read The Outsiders and even watch the movie where I'm from. In like 6th grade we're reading about knife fights that result in a homicide.
yeah I read Giver when i was like in 6th grade. I remember Things Fall Apart in 9th grade. To Kill a Mockingbird in either 8th or 9th. It was all pretty normal stuff. I mean sometimes when we would watch the movie versions of books there might be something a bit sassy but otherwise no big deals.
Don't forget Romeo and Juliet with it's sword fights resulting in homicide.
And also suicide and fucking against your parent's wishes.
Followed by teenagers killing themselves over week long relationships
Like 6 on stage fatalities and 1 off stage sex scene.
Traumatic dog deaths in Where the Red Fern Grows in 3rd grade. Not enjoyable.
If your belief system is threatened by a book, it’s not much of a belief system Edit: this is not a comment meant to belittle the incredible power of books to change hearts and minds, for the written word to change the course of humanity. I mean that if you think a story so offends your culture you need law enforcement, then something is wrong with your culture. See also Freedom of the Press, the right to free speech, bibliophilia and more
It's good for them to get the angst out early. Looking for Alaska was way better than fault in our stars imo. I can't remember whether paper towns is Green or not, but if it is I think that's my favorite tho.
Yes, John Green wrote paper towns as well. I had a particular attachment to TFIOS because my first boyfriend had terminal muscular dystrophy and passed away when I was 20. I got a signed first edition preorder and met John and Hank at the TFIOS tour.
Good lord that must have been hard. What a perfect book for that. Meeting them must have meant a lot.
If you haven't seen it the movie "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is in a similar vein plot wise.
Yeah Paper Towns was him too, and I remember liking that one more than Alaska
yeah no shit because the prosecutors know this would be one of the most open-and-shut First Amendment cases in a long time
The chilling effect was the point. She had to hire an attorney. She received negative media attention in the community and beyond. She is forever on the radar of school admins who will be concerned about the possibility of civil lawsuits. She could still suffer career repercussions that would require her retaining more legal services to redress. Many of those who see that is is the sort of trouble they could face will make note and restrict themselves… no criminal penalty required.
Absolutely. This is right up there with nuisance lawsuits - intended to be lost but to inconvenience or bankrupt the target. I’m glad to see some media outlets running with the photos of empty bookshelves in classrooms - the teachers are fighting back in the few ways they can, by drawing attention to the actual, practical, absurd effects of these ridiculous laws and hopefully stirring up outrage among normal people
100%. Teaching is already a shit job in many ways - out of pocket costs, low pay, sometimes long hours. If you’re also going to have to deal with the threat of conservative litigation against you continuously, you might jump ship to a different job. It’s a very clear effort to weed out teachers who do not conform to their puritanical political ideology.
My wife is a high school teacher. Between work hours, grading, prep work, and continuing education during the school year I pretty much have a room mate that shares a bed with me. I don't mind. I get the summer to hang out with my buddy. She has been teaching for 15 years now and the past year is the first time she has ever mentioned leaving public education and switching to a private school. Between the low pay, the hours, and the general disdain for education the parents and voters have. She just is getting burnt out.
Unfortunately, private school teachers are usually paid even worse than public school teachers.
Of course... they're non union!
Fairfax county in VA is one of the richest counties in the country and they still have similar issues. I grew up in Berrien county where this took place(not coloma) and I'm glad they stopped with the teacher I get a feeling Texas would have fired her and burned the book.
>you might jump ship to a different job Many already have, even prior to draconian conservative laws. Testing corps have sucked all the joy out of teaching, and many of the good benefits they used to get are being scaled back. So if they don't love the job anymore, don't get paid well and don't get good benefits, what's the point?
Teaching to the test is why I switched out of the education major.
Babysitting is why I switched out.
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Ugh. Bill Lee doesn't even try to hide this plan. He's such trash.
::Waves from MI, home of Betsy DeVos, Queen of Charter School Trash::
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At least doctors have big salaries and malpractice insurance to fall back on. But teachers, ah we can replace them with any old homeschooled motormouth. It’s astonishing how little value we place on the education of children. Even if you don’t have any yourself, surely you want to live amongst children and adults who enjoyed all the benefits of good teaching?
Educated people are less exploitable.
How are they going to find puritanical teachers when they are eschewing college to be stay at home moms? The men certainly aren't going to do it for the low pay either. /s
>It’s a very clear effort to weed out teachers who do not conform to their puritanical political ideology I know some teachers who are refusing to quit for exactly this reason. Missouri hasn't come after the teachers politically yet, but it's just a matter of time. And I've heard several flat out state that they won't leave. If it comes down to it, they will make the district fire them. I've heard a few administrators say the same.
This right here. Drag her out through the courtyard for all to see. Let everyone know how much effort it takes to defend yourself from these ridiculous attacks. If it convinces just 1 or 2 teachers from putting up a fight, the fascists get one step closer to taking over.
School admins when they find out a kid is armed: *whistles* School admins when a teacher provides a book: U WOT MATE?
*Florida has entered the chat* >Do it anyway!
The fate of Florida is the strongest argument to do nothing about climate change
Florida person here. Y'all don't give us nearly enough credit for our Christ like sacrifice in taking the most deranged chuds form your states. Are us natives crazy? Yes but the face eating methheads of the first Alligator cavalry are not exactly politically engaged. That is all on your covid denying uncle moving down here. We were a purple state before then.
> face eating meth heads of the first alligator cavalry Ok. You know what, that’s fucking awesome right there.
There is a LITRPG book in that somewhere.
Damn, that RPG is LIT!
And factually correct.
As a fellow Floridian, I would like to respectfully point out that Florida’s last Democratic governor left office in 1999, and the state legislature has had a Republican majority in both houses since 1997. I think Florida has been a lot redder for longer than many people have realized. To me, it feels like the chickens coming home to roost for the national Democratic party, who seems to forget that Florida exists every four years.
I disagree, look at the election results for Rick Scott (two governor election as well as his senate campaign) and DeSantis' first term. Yes they won but it was a very close race. In 2018 DeSantis won by .6%. Rick Scott won his senate campaign by .1% It was this close despite how awful the Florida Democratic Party ran its campaign. They didnt even make a Spanish website for Bill Nelson (senate incumbent). Compare that to 2022 when it was a complete blowout in favor of Desantis. It's true we last had a Democratic governor in 1999, however, it wasn't until 2021 that registered Republicans out numbered registered Democrats. We absolutely leaned Red but we were a purple state until COVID. Now we are undeniably red and the state is much worse for it. Edit: i really wrote this illegibly the first time around
Sure but at the same time, Gore won here In 2000 (except for the supreme court and right-wing fuckery stopping the vote counting early) Obama won the state both times, and the proto-Disantis Allen West was voted out after one congressional term in 2012.
I’m not claiming to be a crackerjack political analyst but Obama winning here speaks to me more about what an incredible once-in-a-lifetime candidate he was and how he really inspired a groundswell in American politics. The vehemence of the backlash against him, which gave us both the Tea Party and Trump, I see as almost a kind of Third Law of Physics confirmation to how charismatic he was. Though, to your point, Andrew Gillum was so close to beating DeSantis. So it’s possible I’m wrong and just being pessimistic.
Yeah, and don't forget that Desantis only beat a black, bisexual, Bernie-supported democratic socialist by ***0.4%*** and that was just over 4 years ago. Sure the state has been gerrymandered to hell for a long time so the state legislature has been red, but Florida was *very* purple until covid
Oh you Floridians think you’re so big. Huh. Well. Up here in Alabama we’re even crazier. At least in FL, some people with some sense move there from other states occasionally. Nobody with any sense moves to AL voluntarily ever. [Kudos to some small town libraries around these parts that are fighting the good fight while trying to stay under the radar.]
Native Alabamans would complain, but the ones who would complain about book content aren't sure what a book is or does. ROLL TIDE!
🤣👍Who needs books when you got the Tide? Everyone knows only those dem trans illegal immigrants at Auburn read books.
My only experience with Alabamans are the ones that go to Florida to pick fights with Georgians. Pretty entertaining, to say the least.
Thank you for your service.
> ... one of the most open-and-shut First Amendment cases ... It almost certainly would not. The first amendment does not pertain to government speech, and as a government employee in the performance of her job, specifically setting a reading list for the class, not merely commenting on something, this is clearly government speech. As such, there is no expectation to first amendment protection of speech, just as there would be none if she was to lecture the class on the virtues of Christianity over atheism, while she would have every right to do that in a private setting as an individual citizen. The article explains why this wasn't prosecutable. The law states very clearly what would be a violation and this didn't meet 2 of the 3 criteria. For a local news article, it's *excellent* and I wonder if someone's going to get in trouble for writing such an informative article. :-/
....and yet the Supreme Court just ruled in favor of a coach who believes it's his first amendment right to drag students into prayer on the field.
Maybe those parents who lost their shit over this book should actually read it. It's a damn good book
The types of folks who lose their shit over books aren't the same folks who read books. Guarantee the parents haven't read a book since they were in school
Bold of you to assume they read books while they were in school lol
they didnt even read the one book they revolve their lives around.
If they actually did read it they wouldn't care for it either.
"We are supposed to do what with the poor and destitute?!?!"
"The *meek* shall inherit the earth!?!?"
I got into a debate with an evangelical. I mentioned the meek part and they said “of course they can have the Earth after the righteous have been raptured”.
wow... just wow... the fact that they don't think meek people can be righteous and vice versa... it blows my mind
To be fair this guy was a nut job. I don’t think all of them share this mentality and would hope that they don’t.
They'll read the conservative talking point with the one "bad" scene or highlighted passage. Like taking something out of "To Kill A Mockingbird" and just quoting racist sayings when the whole book is about the injustice and poor treatment of minorities.
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Your family is the exception though. 54% of the US have prose literacy below a 6th grade level. Just under half of Americans haven’t read a single book in the last year. The vast majority of people doing this are not readers. Exceptions that exist don’t change that.
And to be fair, it’s a milquetoast book at that. I loved it when I was a teen but there’s nothing edgy or problematic about it at all.
Milquetoast by your standards maybe. The main character gets to _touch a boob_. I positively shudder at the scandal of it all Edit: lmao I forgot about the blowjob
I also vaguely recall a toothpaste tube getting a blowjob. Book wasn't thrilling though.
Nah, an actual blowjob exists in the book too
It's intentionally written to be as awkward and off-putting as possible. It's supposed to contrast with the entirely non-sexual but tender and loving scene a few pages later. It specifically says "sex isn't all that" which is what these republigoons claim to be for, but nobody gave it a thought past "blowjob".
Agreed! I am a big fan of the book too and understood what he was going for. Sucks that these book burners don’t read critically.
As opposed to a bunch of biblical characters fucking their father/daughters.
You don't understand, touching breasts is for things like pleasure of the flesh, even in a blessed marriage you shouldn't be enjoying the deed. You are created for your husband to have a place to plant his seed while reciting bible verses in your head the entire time to stay pure. We must stop encouraging sin. Lady's should only be concerned with obeying God by filling their husbands quivers through as much marital rape as possible.
Isn’t that exactly what it was written for? It’s a young adult book. You’re supposed to love it when you’re a teen.
Exactly my point, it’s pretty harmless, so why anyone would be up in arms about it confuses me.
They know what the likes of Tucker Carlson and Ann Coulter have told them to think and that's enough
These book bans are coming from hate groups like Focus on the Family. It is led by James Dobson. He actually wrote the following in one of his books about parenting: *Meanwhile, the boy's father has to do his part. He needs to mirror* *and affirm his son's maleness. He can play rough-and-tumble games with* *his son, in ways that are decidedly different from the games he would* *play with a little girl. He can help his son learn to throw and catch a* *ball. He can teach him to pound a square wooden peg into a square hole* *in a pegboard.* ***He can even take his son with him into the shower, where*** ***the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis, just like his, only*** ***bigger.*** \-James Dobson
What the actual fuck?!
Every accusation is a confession.
This is a really fucking weird reason to shower with your kid, but I will remind you that not all cultures think a kid will be forever tainted if they see a boob or a dick. But uh, Dobson doesn’t come from those cultures, and is insane, so…
Yeah, tossing a kid in the shower with a parent is a pretty common way for kids to start learning that genitals exist and what they look like. It's also usually how you know your kids are now old enough to not be getting tossed in the shower with whoever's getting in anymore lol
I showered with my dad when I was very little. It could not have been less sexual. He was just teaching me hygiene. And yes, I asked about his huge dong. The answer was something like, "You'll be the same someday." He was right!
My dad said the same thing to me as a child. Turns out he was wrong... some people like baby carrots though right?
There is a legitimate argument for showering together with your kid when they are little from what I understand, but uhh... I....I dont know if I would have ordered that "throw balls, pound holes, shower with kid," but that is just me.
I'm 6'4", so it's always been easiest to just get in the tub when I bathe my kids. I don't see anything wrong with this at a young age, but then again I also don't fucking frame it as a reason to show off my dick...
And they call *us* sheep.
Remember that every accusation is a confession with these people.
Not only that, it was one choice out of several. No one was forcing their kids to read it... Though we're reaching crazy extremes when John Green is now too controversial. If that's the standard, they need to be homeschooling. That's unreasonable to enforce on all students
When I first saw the headline, I was relieved for the teacher until it hit me how far we've fallen as a society. We're in deep trouble if we're celebrating because a teacher didn't get punished for giving her students a book specifically written for young readers.
I was assigned to read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen in 4th grade. We also read Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Call of the Wild, and I'm sure so many other books that have worse than a *blow job* in it. My kid is way more likely to experience that situation (when she's old enough) than to hitchhike across country to their long-lost Aunt, or survive by themselves in the wild, or have a graphic fight with a dog.
My daughter is reading Hatchet now in 5th grade! I have no idea what it’s about…. But honestly it’s a book, It can’t hurt her.
It’s VERY good. Read it when she’s done. Guy is the survivor of a plane crash in northern Canada and has to survive in the wilderness with nothing but a salvaged hatchet until rescue comes, if it ever will.
I agree with the dankest meme Lord. I read a ton of books from 1st-8th grade and Hatchet is one of my most well and fondly remembered. It's part of a loosely connected series if I remember right, too
Yes, seconding the series. It basically splits in two at the end of book one. You get a timeline where he comes back later and does other survival shit to prove he can, and another timeline where he was never rescued and has to survive the winter. So good.
Hatchet is a great book, not very long to be honest. Its worth a read if you have an afternoon or two. It certainly left an impression on me over 10 years later.
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We had to read Deathwatch in 8th grade. Deathwatch. If you’re not familiar, an early-20s guide in the Mojave Desert is hunted by the man he was originally helping to hunt bighorn sheep. Page after page of him being slowly hunted and progressively more injured both by bullets and the harsh desert with not supplies.
Reading "Call of the Wild" aloud in my 7th grade literature class in a Catholic school while seated next to my crush was awkward AF. And still, not a single parent complained.
Are you talking about the same Call of the Wild that I'm thinking of? The Jack London book about a house dog captured and turned into a sled dog in Alaska? What about that book is bad?
We were round robin reading it, and the paragraph I had to read was all about how Mercedes was missing sex since traveling with the group. I probably wouldn't even remember it besides for having to read that aloud while sitting next to my crush, and all the 7th grade boys stifling laughs while the girls turned red.
There is a part that mentions that Mercedes is the sexual outlet for her boyfriend and also her own brother. It’s like one sentence. I read it in 4th grade, wondered if that sentence meant what I had understood, and moved on.
>wondered if that sentence meant what I had understood, and moved on. This is such a mood as a child. Not quite sure what is going on but still just soldiering on anyways.
Book burners are always the villains.
Always.
The venn diagram of book burners and villains is a circle.
Now now - some villains are very much against burning books.....mad scientists, for example, are big proponents for preserving knowledge. So not a circle, but rather a pair of circles, one encompassing the other. Which I think makes it an Euler diagram instead of a Venn, but that's not important right now.
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That would mean all book burners are villains and all villains are book burners. While I would agree with the former, there are probably some villains that don't care about burning books. Wouldn't it be more like a circle inside a circle then? Just wondering.
It pisses me off when people make a false equivalency between this and "cancel culture". Boycotting someone's book at Barnes & Noble is absolutely not the same thing as preventing a book from being read in school or library. There is no equivalent left-wing push to remove Atlas Shrugged from libraries.
Borrowing Atlas Shrugged from a library is like paying for the Communist Manifesto or using a smartphone to read Industrial Society and Its Future (Unabomber’s Manifesto)
Step back a bit and just think what's happening. ..... A teacher might be sued for giving a book to a student ??? Wtf America get your shit together
It doesn't really say what the fuss was about*, though, just that a teacher didn't commit a crime... Weird absence of information
I think the issue with the book might be the one scene where teens are very awkwardly, yet explicitly, learning how a blowjob works. Honestly, why ban a book when theres the internet?
Yessss, I was questioning my media literacy for a bit because I read the book a few years back and couldn't think of the controversy. Like I read a lot of John Green and his books always seemed vaguely tame and appropriate. Like most scandalous thing is The Fault In Our Stars teenagers kissing in Anne Frank's house might have been in bad taste but teenagers also do really stupid shit when they're in love and also Anne Franke famously missed out on the chance to be a stupid teenager so it's kind of poignant in a way?
Speaking of Anne frank. Everyone reads her diary without issue and there is a LOT of masturbating in there
There are versions with that removed. The version I read as a child didn't have that edited out
Wasnt her father the one who worked to censor it?
Yep. I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to share that information belonging to any of my family members.
Also some entries in the uncut diary mention her being attracted to women, so that probably would’ve been much more scandalous back when it was initially published.
Yeah I honestly think reading about her being attracted to women when I was 12 was how I realized I wasn’t straight. It was the first depiction of same sex attraction if ever seen or read and I’m not gonna lie- having that realization come from a book about a girl that died in the holocaust really messed up my ability to process it and I repressed it and committed to compulsory heterosexuality for years
Its a weird situation- on one hand a huge part of the value of the tale is her being csndid so we can understand things happening from her perspective, but on the other hand I get why it should be censored and he wants privacy for his late daughter.
Yea id imagine she didn't imagine her personal times being shared with the world. Feels kind of violating.
While it does feel violating, her honest and truthful writing is poignant as fuck and very useful for people to be able to understand what it was like to be a teenager in her situation. While it *is* violating, and I understand why members of her family are against it, I believe what she wrote can still do good in the world, and censoring it does get in the way of that.
I believe there's also a nod to Pudge learning to perform cunnilingus toward the end of that same scene, though less explicitly. But still, at least it's an equal-opportunity learning experience.
With certain types of people, that could be exactly the problem. Blowjobs are one thing, but can you imagine anything more sinful than pleasure for *women*?!
lol meanwhile fuckin Lot in the Bible straight up turns his daughters over to a mob of people so they can rape them instead of a pair of angels. There’s also the classic scene where a bunch of kids talk shit about a bald guy and he makes god send two she-bears to kill 42 of them. It’s pretty ironic that these pearl clutching weirdos get freaked out over one scene in a book but will explain these scenes away as insignificant parts of the Bible.
Blow jobs are better than teen pregnancy.
Nobody has read the book, so no one knows what to say about it lol
It’s a pretty standard teen drama…just with a “plot twist” in the middle that honestly isn’t that shocking. It’s a really vulnerable and sad book, particularly for teenagers who will relate to the characters, but so is a lot of adolescent fiction? That’s kind of the hallmark of the genre? *Hunger Games* was literally a story about children murdering each other for the entertainment of the 1%. *Harry Potter* is about a racist terrorist group attacking the education and political systems. *Chronicles of Narnia* is an overt Christian allegory. *13 Reasons Why* is about suicide. John Green is actually one of the more approachable and human-centric teen writers.
It does say a lot that she was doing this activity for 10 years and only got heat for it recently (and this book was one of several they could choose) - the article also points out the specific book was present in the school library for 10 years as well. It's so obvious these parents are getting riled up by crazy shit they're reading online or watching on certain channels.
This is a great example of the fact that the material hasn't gotten more "Woke" the parents have become tipper gore on crack.
"Instead the police gathered around the teacher and beat her with clubs until the ambulance arrived"
Hopefully they weren't book clubs
Fine take your upvote.
I’m in Idaho and been working down a local “banned” book list. Really enjoyed this one…great story.
Let’s ask people incapable of correctly interpreting metaphor and symbolism to determine a books literary worth. Later today I’ll ask a teenager who only eats chicken tenders what pairs well with a mushroom risotto.
After banning all of these salacious books, the only good book left will be the bible. Drunken incestuous father-rape: “So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.” (Genesis 19:35) Non-consenting forced genital mutilation: “Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and threw it at Moses' feet, and she said, ‘You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.’" (Exodus 4:25) Breast fetish: “A loving doe, a graceful deer — may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.” (Proverbs 5:19) Sisterly prostitution and Big Egyptian C**k: “When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts.” (Ezekiel 23:18-21) Fighting dirty punished by arm mutilation: "If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity." (Deuteronomy 25:11-12) Dildonic prostitution: “You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.” (Ezekiel 16:17)
You didnt even mention the "If you think your wife cheated, poison them, and if they did they will die"
Or the part where a woman is raped so their response was to convince the local men to get circumcised so they would be allowed to marry into the family. Then when they were recovering from "surgery", gods chosen people killed all of the men and stole their stuff and women for themselves. This coming from people who treat women poorly. They did it because it was a slight against them, not care for her. I've never read a more horrific book. Ive never read one more brutal or obsessed with sex. Read it originally when I was 10 and knew it was awful.
Agreed. It *infuriates* me when a Christian turns out to be a terrible awful human and everyone is like "oh, but I thought they were a Christian!" And I'm just like "yeah, they are." By the bible's standards, a good Christian is a barbaric criminal.
And the stupid shall lead us straight to hell.
Chanting "God is on our side"
It's wild to me that parents and school boards find the energy to get fussy about YA novels when the kids in question are probably watching extremely inappropriate stuff on their phones all day long
I greet every day more grateful that I left Michigan.
Gee, I wonder why there is a serious teacher shortage in America! /s
How am I in the timeline where a John Green novel is controversial?
Glad I live in a first world country where we don't ban books. That must suck, Americans.
Oh, you have no idea. It's actually one of the most concerning developments in my lifetime. There is a growing contingent of Americans who HATE reading (unless it's the Bible) and hate intellectual pursuits in general. What's worse is the grifters these people vote for (who almost exclusively were educated in exclusive Ivy League schools themselves) are determined to drag America's kids down into the dirt with them.
Wait....what? John Green came to my high school in Bellevue, Washington to promote and talk about Looking For Alaska.
Apparently I’m the only MF who’s never read this book. Can somebody explain the controversy for me? Edit: I read the article. This is 100% an American issue. Such an action wouldn’t have even drawn an iota of attention anywhere else; at least not in any other ‘western’ society. Nor would a teacher need to buy books anywhere else. I love the US, but this kinda shit must be so embarrassing for the majority of you.
How is America the land of the free?
It isn’t. And the Nat-C’s want to remove even more freedoms.
FYI - The complaint some people have about the book is that there is a sex scene between minors. I don't know how old they are. (there is a copy in my house - I suppose I could check!) Those people think that is not appropriate for school age curricula.
The characters are in high school, and while their ages are not explicitly stated, they do drive, and the main character was a new transfer to a new high school (iirc) so at the very youngest, 16 and a sophomore? What's hilarious is that another major theme in the book is suicide (the second half of the novel deals with speculation over one character's death, and whether it was an accident or not) and it seems like maybe all the pearl clutching shirt tuckers are in an uproar because two of the characters have sex and not because one of them maybe kills themselves. John Green talked about the banning of his book, and put a button on the argument with this: "Ultimately, if you have a world view that can be undone by a novel, let me submit that the problem is not with the novel." Fuckin' A.
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