# Banning Books from Libraries: Harry Potter



## maequitos90

As many of you know, Laura Mallory is trying to ban Harry Potter from the public school libraries of the county she lives in. Do you agree? Why? Why not?

I personally disagree because *in my opinion * if she doesn't want her children reeading, she should simply discourage it. Why should EVERY other child in whatever county she lives in be forced to not read the Harry Potter Series? Because she doesn't like the books? Because SHE believes they mainstream witchcraft? Salem Witch Trials, anyone?

Note the text in read, please.


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## maequitos90

She's after the Public Gwyneth county schools, I think.


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## cuchuflete

Moderator note:  The question in the first post is clear: Do you agree with an effort to ban a book from public school libraries?

This is not a discussion of the book involved.  Please do not comment on any of--

-Whether you like the book or not;
-Whether you have or have not read the book;
-Your opinion of the literary merits, or lack of merits, of the book.

Thank you.


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## estudiante2102

I completely disagree with the effort to ban the book from public school libraries. Despite the fact that you may not agree with the book's morals, I do not think that anybody has the power over what material can and cannot be read by others, unless the books in question are infringing upon the natural rights and liberties of humans.

~Elizabeth


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## maxiogee

Koenig said:


> If it is a public school I would say no, but If it was a private christian school I would say no ( Only because we are against witchcraft)



What's the difference in the "no" you say if it is a public school, and the "no" you say if it is a private christian school?


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## cuchuflete

Ms. Mallory's efforts should be defeated.  She is attempting to put her personal religious views forward as a grounds for censorship of what other people can read.

She is quoted as saying, 
"My personal religious views don't agree with these books," Mallory said. "We need for our children to read things that teach good morals. Harry Potter lies, cheats and steals and there is no accountability. There are better things for our children to be reading."

By those standards, biographies of former President Richard M. Nixon and many other historical figures should be banned as well.  Nixon led a campaign of lies.   How about childrens' books about Robin Hood?  He was, albeit for a "just cause", a thief.  Should we also ban books about the many settlers of the US, and its government officials, who cheated Native peoples of their lands?

By the Mallory standard proposed, we should get rid of most, if not all, history books.  History of science should go also, as it shows repeated intolerance for truth.  

Koenig's posts imply that religious school children are incapable of discerning the difference between fact and fiction.  That is quite an accusation.   If it is true, how do the poor dears deal with fairy tales?


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## se16teddy

I think witches should be burnt on sight, and Harry Potter books with them.


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## ElaineG

se16teddy said:


> I think witches should be burnt on sight, and Harry Potter books with them.


 
I thought first we threw them in the pond, because if they sink, they're innocent?  We could try that with books... Any books that float are evil and need to be burned, those that sink are (ruined and useless) but safe.

In all seriousness, fascinating statistics on attempts to ban books in the U.S. :http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Sec...Management/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=40912


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## Bulldog22

And what will follow? Burning out "not recommended" books in a public place? Are we comming back to the middle age?


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## Hakro

I know Harry Potter is very popular but I don't know if he's worth of a discussion. He's just a character in some kids' books.


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## COF

I don't see what difference banning Harry Potter is going to make anyway, there are plenty of kids book out there with much less moral than Harry Potter.


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## ElaineG

Koenig said:


> WHAT!!?? why would of Mice and Men be on that list? I just read that book and there was nothing wrong with it.


 

According to the ALA, people try to ban it for:



> "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck, for racism, offensive language and violence.


 
http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/10/banned_books_we.html


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## LouisaB

With due deference to the nature of the question, I think one has to pay _some_ attention to what the book is, or else the question is simply: Should ANY book of ANY kind be banned?

There _are _books I'd ban - like child pornography, for a start.
There _are_ books I wouldn't want to see in a Children's Library - anything inciting to hatred, for a start.

But Harry Potter isn't one of them. Whether I like it or not is immaterial. This is an attempt by one woman to impose her own personal views on public insititutions in order to restrict others' freedom - and whether those views are religious, political, or moral is irrelevant. It's just plain wrong.

Not, of course, to be dogmatic about it...


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## maequitos90

But is a *fiction* book that has witches and wizards really the effort?
se16teddy, can you tell us why you think a fiction novel should be burnt?


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## ElaineG

> can you tell us why you think a fiction novel should be burnt?


I'm 99.99% sure Teddy was joking .


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## Daddyo

If the book weighs more than a duck, then, what do we do?
*stupified silence*
*light bulb goes off*
Burn it! BURN IT!

Sorry, can't get the Monty Python's scene outta my head. But I don't think a book should be banned for the reasons given by the esteemed Mallory person. If those guidelines were applied, then even some of the Bible's passages should be banned from public libraries. Like the part where the patriarch asks his wife to lie and say she's his sister instead of his wife, so that the king wouldn't kill him, or when the boys decide to avenge the rape of their sister by pretending to be friends with the rapist's posse and then disable them by having them cut off their own foreskin and then when they couldn't even walk because of the pain the boys killed everyone and sacked the city. Some of those verses might be in need of Mallory's efforts, I think.


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## cuchuflete

Koenig said:


> I think the Bible is banned from public librarys......



I think you should visit some public libraries.  Bibles are easily found in the ones I've been using for many decades.  So are the holy books of other religions.

I disagree with the idea that books that incite hatred should be banned.  How can scholarship take place in the absence of source materials?

Not every book belongs in a children's library, but I can think of no book, no matter how offensive, that should be banned from a research library, just because its content is offensive.


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## übermönch

Considering Cuchufletes answer, does anyone agree with the ban on Mein Kampf, as it is done in several countries including Denmark, Finland, (partially) Germany and Spain?


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## maequitos90

I want to read the book Hitler wrote. Although he was responsible for one of the worst homocides in Human History, he was an amazingly able leader. 

And Mallory's claim was denied by the county courts, so she took it to the state court.


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## Victoria32

son that if one book (Mein Kampf) is banned, 





übermönch said:


> Considering Cuchufletes answer, does anyone agree with the ban on Mein Kampf, as it is done in several countries including Denmark, Finland, (partially) Germany and Spain?


No, for the reason that if one book (Mein Kampf) is banned, then it makes it harder to resist banning any or all as some authority wishes!

If _Mein Kampf_ is banned, then those who follow Hitler's ideas become martyrs of a sort.


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## Alicky

Both Mrs Mallory and I are christian. And I don't understand her religious views.
No book should be banned from anywhere.
Regardless of the book being fiction or not. Especially if the book is fiction. Fiction people! It means it's not true! 
Is a special disclaimer needed? This book contains good moral. This book was written by the Devil. 
How do you support your claim? I don't want my children to be bad people so let's burn them all. What about your responsability as a parent? 
I'm interested in reading Mein Kampf. I want to know what Hittler thought. But that doesn't mean I support his ideas, far from it. Does the fact that I want to read this book mean that I suffer some kind of moral disease? I have all six Potters. I've read them a thousand times. Do they make me do all kinds of horrible things like push old ladies and kick puppies?

What worries me the most is that now we are talking about banning a book because of it "being bad". What's next? Ban a religion because it's different than mine? Think less of people who have a different skin colour? Exile those who doesn't share my political views? Oh wait....


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## Brioche

According to this dear lady "_Harry Potter lies, cheats and steals_." 

I have read most of the Harry Potter books, and I don't recall much lying, cheating or stealing on Harry's part.

Did I miss something?


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## Victoria32

Brioche said:


> According to this dear lady "_Harry Potter lies, cheats and steals_."
> 
> I have read most of the Harry Potter books, and I don't recall much lying, cheating or stealing on Harry's part.
> 
> Did I miss something?


Nope... 
I have read all of them, and they're actually very moral, as I am sure we all (but not Ms Mallory) are aware! 

She doesn't have to read them or let her children read them, but they will want to! What's that saying about forbidden fruit?


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## maequitos90

Mallory reccommended children read something like the Chronicles of narnia. She says that the scene at the end of HP and the Goblet of Fire where Voldemort regains his body is a clear manifestation of the book's true nature.
ASlan was sacrificed by the WITCH. The Middle child betrayed his family, and she recommends that?


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## maxiogee

Koenig said:


> I think the Bible is banned from public librarys......



Of course it is, there's at least one mention of "witch" in it


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## .   1

I love these banning attempts and wonder if some are orchestrated by the publishers as they virtually guarantee high sales in the disputed areas.
To even attempt to ban books such as these give kids the idea that there is something real in the books that is of danger and kids are drawn like flies to the honeypot.
I much prefer Lord Of The Rings but my tin lid reckons that the Harry Potter series is a fine morality play and good brain fodder for the younger reader.
This attempted ban has little to do with the contents of the book but is a reflection of the contents of the mind attempting the ban.
I agree that the books could only be properly burnt if there was at least one real witch used as fuel for the fire but as witches are as real as leprauchans I see little chance of a conflagration.
Does anybody believe that witches similar to or as depicted in Harry Potter are real.

.,,


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## Etcetera

Should fairy tales be banned too? There's usually plenty of witches and wizards in fairy tales! OK, let's ban _The Wizard of Oz_, then. 
I've read all six books about Harry Potter, and I don't think that witchcraft is the main focus of the saga. Rather, it's the eternal question of what is good and what is evil, what is true friendship, and so on. _Harry Potter_ is, in fact, just a modern fairy tale. 
It is said that _Harry Potter _is the first book for a pretty long time which could withdraw children from their TV sets and computers. That's the case with my sister: she didn't like reading before she was given _The Philosopher's Stone._ But since then she's been reading like there's no tomorrow. 
There are books I would ban from all libraries, but... all of them are banned already. And _Harry Potter _isn't one of them.


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