NEWS: 'Catcher in the Rye' is Censored for the One-Millionth Time

Well what if they replaced Catcher in the Rye with Animal Farm? They wouldn't really be denying the kids learning about great literature, would they?

When my dad was in 8th grade, his teacher "caught" him reading this book, and confiscated it from him. My trouble-making father then went home and told his father (my grandad) who, although a mere foreman at the local mill had a fondness for reading (this may have had to do with him going to UCB to study Comp Lit). When my grandfather heard about the teacher taking the book away from my dad, he went down and chewed out the teacher, got the book back and let it be known in no unclear terms that if she ever interfered with my father's reading habits again he would have her ass in a sling....

Now when it comes to parenting and books, that is my idea of the proper protocol.

When my class read "Lord of the Flies", there were no complaints from parents. Same with "Farenheit 451" and the schlock-masterpiece "Summer of Fear". "1984," no problems there. "The Martian Chronicles," nothing.

Damn, I was lucky.

only "so" true? I thought it was entirely true, myself.

No, but I'm sure that would piss off some other parents. You can't win when it comes to this type of thing. Pretty soon, they'll be teaching Little Golden Books to high schoolers because they'll be the last PC things left.

Isn't that Kevin Bacon? Boy, he's really gotten uptight since Footloose.

I have an idea, if you don't approve
DON'T READ/WATCH/EAT/LOOK AT or SMELL IT!

I don't want Kevin Bacon to choose or 'fix'
my entertainment for me.

I can think of a thousand other things to
devote my time to then banning a book.
Does this woman walk through life with a
paper bag over her head?

Are the ideas/themes/tones encapsulated by Catcher necessary to a high school education? Are there no other books just as good that could be used in its stead?

Well THAT response had nothing to do with my point. Next.

I did address your point. My point was that replacing it with something else won't necessarily fix it because someone, somewhere will always object to what we deem "great literature".

Okay, Animal Farm doesn't deal with the same concepts, but it does deal with difficult concepts of its own.

EDITORIAL BELOW

Besides, Animal Farm's concepts are more important, harder to understand, more thought provoking, and presented in a better book.

A whole generation whose favorite literature is the Catcher in the Rye? Yeesh.

"Communism: bad."

make 'em read 1984 or a clock work orange that ought to crush their fragile little souls...

[Edited on Dec 28, 2004 by HellboundLiberal]

F-

the only reason this doesn't infuriate me is because catcher in the rye sucks. salinger isn't much of a writer...that book is mediocre at best. on the other hand, it's not a bad book to give young kids, the overall simpleness of style combined with a story they may relate to could possibly make them interested in reading, which is a quality goal. banning books is for the birds, never-the-less, even when the book is this crapfest.

Alls I'm sayin' is a satire on government is better for the kids to read than a guy does boring things, talks about ducks, and learns the words to a song.

I was talking to Koppel.

Oops, me too. Quoted one too late.