Magic Tree House author Mary Pope Osborne, children’s poet Shel Silverstein and Calvin and Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson have joined Judy Blume, Sarah J. Maas, Eric Carle and Kurt Vonnegut on a mind-boggling list of hundreds of books purged from some Tennessee school libraries.

  • @SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world
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    1911 hours ago

    Restrict the kinds of ideas children can learn about, and you get evangelical MAGAs. Dictatorships always restrict information.

  • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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    3213 hours ago

    children’s poet Shel Silverstein

    What? Is that the same Shel Silverstein as 2 time Grammy winning, Johnny Cash swongwriter, Academy awards and Golden Globe nominee, and Playboy Cartoonist, also prolific one act playwright, Shel Silverstein?

    The answer is yes.
    I just think he needs someone to shout out his other works in here in case you didn’t know.

    • lemonaz
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      710 hours ago

      I’m 1000% sure they banned Shel because of “A Boy Named Sue” which they probably thought was about trans kids.

      • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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        510 hours ago

        Hard KeK and quite possibly the right answer.
        I figured it was Tatooin Ruth who literally is nude except for his tattoos or all the other butts he drew in his comics.

    • @Airowird@lemm.ee
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      12916 hours ago

      Can’t have cartoons about questioning authority,those 8y olds might get ideas!

    • @tnarg42@lemmy.world
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      1211 hours ago

      I have the “Complete Collection” box set, and I broke my 10 year-old son’s heart when, after he finished the whole thing, I had to tell him that there were no more. I think they made him a better kid.

    • @HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world
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      1112 hours ago

      An inquisitive young kid with a strong imagination and who asks lots if questions is rarely seen by adults in power as a positive influence.

    • @dhork@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      These people are going after anything that might imply nudity at all. I seem to remember Calvin had an immense hatred of baths. So once his mom finally got him in, poof, that now has to go, because he’s naked under all that water.

      I’m surprised they don’t just ban all visual art that depicts humans, since everyone is naked under their clothes.

      • I Cast Fist
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        2213 hours ago

        A small kid asking for a porn movie??? BAN THAT SHIT!!!

        Calling satanic powers?? JESUS FUCKING CHRIST BAN THIS HERETICAL SHIT!!!

        • @Zahille7@lemmy.world
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          1313 hours ago

          I always loved Calvin’s snowman hijinks. And Spaceman Spiff. And all the “I’M HOOoooOOOOooome!”

      • @pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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        1414 hours ago

        I don’t think that’s it. It’s named after philosophers, the people banning aren’t always stupid. I bet Calvin seems like a left wing propagandist to them too.

        • @dhork@lemmy.world
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          1714 hours ago

          You’re not wrong, in general. But in this specific case, in Tennessee, it’s specifically about the nudity.

          Any materials that “in whole or in part” contain any “nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse” are inappropriate for all students and do not belong in a school library.

          It’s “nudity” of any type, which puts the Venus de Milo in the same category as Brazzers.

          • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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            413 hours ago

            I was about to jump in and defend the heck out of Shel Silverstein but it’s based on a broad sweeping nudity ban?

            That’s fair. That man was an accidental children’s book author and the best kind of weirdo.
            The ban is dumb but his inclusion less so.

            • lemonaz
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              210 hours ago

              I said before but my guess is that with Shel they saw the title “A Boy Named Sue” and automatically banned him.

      • @Zahille7@lemmy.world
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        313 hours ago

        Geez… God forbid there’s a copious amount of bubbles or something covering anything if Calvin ever does jump back out of the bath

    • BarqsHasBite
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      716 hours ago

      Promotes the radical environmentalism ideology and the war on cars biking!

  • @sinadia@lemmy.world
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    5516 hours ago

    Those ‘guidelines’ are pretty wide open. The Bible certainly makes the grade for a ban.

  • Optional
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    2415 hours ago

    Damn, Tennessee right wing. Y’all some backwards-ass motherfuckers.

  • @PunkRockSportsFan
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    3016 hours ago

    Nazis

    Arm yourselves.

    This doesn’t end without millions dead

    • Optional
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      715 hours ago

      we should get credited trump’s mishandling of a pandemic tho

      • LousyCornMuffins
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        129 minutes ago

        he’s going to get us to relive the sum total experience of two world wars in one generation yaaaaaaaaay

  • @jsomae@lemmy.ml
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    11 hours ago

    I can’t empathise with these book banners. If I had a kid, I’d probably be happier with them reading a book by a conservative ideologue than them not reading anything at all.

  • don
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    1215 hours ago

    Making sure those kids have play-dough brains.