Censorship

As I've said before, Ender's Game is one of my favorite books. So you can imagine how appalled I was when my best friend directed me to this article in The Guardian. A parent of a 14 year-old filed criminal charges against a South Carolina middle school teacher for reading Ender's Game to students because the parent called it "pornographic." According to the New Oxford American Dictionary pornographic is defined as "printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings."

Um, pretty sure this word in no way describes anything that takes place in the book. The school has placed this teacher on administrative leave because they found the content to contain swear words and situations that were not "age appropriate." When I was 13, my English teacher gave me a copy of Ender's Game. That was in 1994--18 years ago!! No one ever thought to consider it "pornographic" or age inappropriate. What is wrong with people?? You know what should be protested is the fact that a BDSM erotic story made 1st place on the trade paperback fiction New York Times Best-Sellers List. That is truly "pornographic" fiction and is a seriously sad statement on where our moral compass as society is pointed.


I don't fault people for having their opinions and opting out of their children being taught certain things at school. But, give me a break! A teacher has encouraged students to read Orson Scott Card, Agatha Christie, and Victoria McKernan and been punished for it by the school district and investigated by local police to make sure nothing criminal occurred. There are worse things going on in the world than reading good books that challenge you to think. If I had children I would have no problem with them reading the books this teacher read to students. There's worse language and topics discussed on prime time network television and amongst students in the hallways of schools than anything presented in these books. Shame on that parent for dragging this teacher's name and reputation through the mud.