[HPforGrownups] Shocked and Apalled!!

[Amanda Lewanski]

No: HPFGUIDX 7181

Ye gods, Stephanie, where are you? I'm just south of San Antonio, and haven't
heard any furor.

--Amanda

Stephanie Becvar wrote:

> Be Forewarned: Angry Rant to Follow
>
> I live in Texas, and sometimes i am extremely disappointed to say that here,
> people live up to a bible banging hick stereotype.  In a school district
> near me, October brought up a nasty fight between district administrators
> and parents.  What were they fighting over, you ask?
> The Harry Potter books of course!  MANY parents who had refused to allow
> their children to read them "based upon witchcraft and wizardry and magic"
> were complaining about the availibility of the books at school.  So what did
> the district do? They banned the books from the library.  Also, while yes,
> if your parent permits you to read the book, you may bring it in, BUT the
> kids arent allowed to talk about the book or lend them to each other.
> Parents were also petitioning for the adding of a non-Harry potter
> merchandise to the dress code etc, aka no Harry Potter notebooks or tshirts
> etc.  When i saw the parents complaining, it was before i had read the
> books.  I said, well, ok i guess that makes sense.  Then i read the books.
> I mean, they obviously celebrate christmas and easter dont they?  They fight
> the evil dark forces dont they?  I mean, they portray the FAIRY TALE version
> of a witch, not the new crap we are subjected to today where i walk down the
> halls and see people in all black claiming to be satanists.  I can not even
> begin to state my anger, banning books, flashback to the 50s
> much?!?!?!?!?!?!
> While yes, i will say that the books may not be appropriate for children of
> some ages.  My electronics teacher was telling me that his wife reads the
> books aloud to his kids (who are 6 and 8 but LOVE th books) and leaves out
> things she does not feel they are ready for...aka violence....bad
> language....and specifics about torture, and fills in gaps with toned down
> versions of the material.  But i mean, these people are acting out on
> religious grounds and this makes me wonder if they have even READ the books.
>   I would call myself fairly religous(I am lutheran not that it is
> important) and the books dont bother me AT ALL....Anyways...to end m rant, i
> am shocked and appalled at this act and wonder when people will realize that
> fiction is fiction, that their 9 year old will want to fight the bad
> side....i mean, kids KNOW that Magic doesnt exsist as well as grown ups do.
> Maybe more so.  I can not tell you the innumerable conversations my mother
> had while decorating the Christmas tree, using about 30 strings of lights,
> pretainging to our wish for a wand and an "Attatchio" spell to make our
> lives that much easier.  Thanks for listening and let me know if you think
> that the administrators were within hteir rights to do so.
>
> Stephanie, The Shocked
>
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