Book-Banning

[plinsenmayer at yahoo.com]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C924
From: plinsenmayer
Subject: Book-Banning
Reply To: [Yahoo! #917] Re: April Fools, huh?
Date: 4/4/00 9:16 am  (ET)

Iago said:

<Two points:

 1. Yeah, but HARRY POTTER books???? Where's the sex? Where's the little
 boys feeding on eachother's flesh???>

Well, my whole point about book banning is simply this: even though you
and I and the rest of us on this board don't find anything objectionable
in the HP books (and in fact we LOVE them!), lots of other people do
find them objectionable. You mention it in your second point -- the whole
"witchcraft, in league with Satan, giving impressionable young children
bad ideas" argument.

2. When you act as your enemy does, you become your enemy. Which was
really my main point. Unless you engage these people in open debate --
unless you open the discussion and practice your response -- you will
be broadsided unknowingly and not know HOW to respond. Or, on the other
hand, you will never learn that you were wrong to begin with. Because,
there's always the chance that the Fundamentalist Anti-Potter Brigade
has a good point, and that JK Rowling is turning all
our children into Satan-worshipping demons. . .>

Gee Iago -- I think we're on the same page. Isn't your second point above
*exactly* Skimmel's point yesterday? I'm not sure where your objection is
to what Skimmel was discussing yesterday. He said (and Skimmel correct
me if I'm getting this wrong) that we should be prepared to defend our
views. He was soliciting opinions about the best way to counter critics
of the HP series. And, of course, you're right -- we should be open to
listening to well-reasoned arguments from the anti-HP side.

Penny