Banned

Is it right to ban books? I think most people would answer, "yes, but within reason." Banning books is a good thing in some ways, but is bad thing in others. I can understand where libraries are coming from with limiting their selection of books. They probably don't want people coming to the library to stock up on porn, instead they want to fill the shelves with books of good taste. Joking aside, supporters of book banning have a point. Parents should want to protect their kids, right? Is it going too far for parents to impose their will on the libraries if they deem a book inappropriate for their children? I think it should be the parent's responsibility to choose for themselves, instead of depriving someone else of a book that person may want to read. For example, if one of my beloved Giles Milton books was banned at the library, I would be leader of the opposition.

It isn't only overprotective parents, it could also be a person with some kind of agenda. If someone wanted to minimize other people's opinions, isn't that against the First Amendment? Free speech comes with strings attached, again it is a "within reason" thing. If everyone could say exactly what they think, things would be chaotic. However, what human being has the authority to choose what is and isn't reasonable for everyone else? The alternative option is just common sense. If common sense was the only restriction, some idiots would go too far and their actions could then be used as reasons to have more restrictions.

Both sides of the argument have a valid point, but both have extremes. There should be a balance, some kind of compromise. If only we could get there...