Postby Arkaeon » Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:02 am
I read 1984, Slaughterhouse 5, Farenheit 451, and Brave New World as english/literature class assignments at various grades. I think I was lucky in having some cynical teachers. My high school librarian turned me on to Stranger in a Strange Land, as well as to Frank Herbert’s books. (Frank Herbert would have gotten banned if more people could have understood him.)
Regarding the 1984 discussion, I would point out that some concepts of the book are still very relevant. I’ve seen tons of people engaging in the “5-minute Hate” as consolation and confirmation for their beliefs. Watch yourself closely and see if you do it, too. Watch people around you; it’s hilarious. Controlling people through fear of foreigners, the unknown, or the future, is a still a common tactic in politics and commerce. The “fear-factor” of television ads is like having a load of bricks dumped on your head. If you recognize major corporations as essentially nation-states of their own, the continued relevance of 1984 gets really obvious.
Regarding Clockwork Orange: saw the movie. There’s no way I’d wade through a novel-length of that kind of incoherent slang to get such a simple premise, that good and evil are products of the same kinds of emotions and perceptions.
Other things banned in USA:
Christmas was banned in Boston (also banned in England 1657-1660)
Eating peanuts in a church is banned in Massachusetts
"The Moon is Blue" a movie, was banned in the 1950's. G-rated-type film but included the word "virgin" in dialogue
Giraffes are banned from being in home bathtubs in New York City
...it never ends.
In case you didn't realize it, I DO have a sense of humor. How about you?
"I will not fear. Fear is the mind-killer... I will face my fear. I will let it pass over and through me, and when it has gone, only I will remain." --The Bene Gesserit
"Time is a spiral. Space is a curve. I know you get dizzy, but try not to lose your nerve." -- Neil Peart
"I'm not in the ship. I am the ship." -- River Tam
"The truth is simple. It's the lies that get complicated." -- me
"No matter where you go, there you are." --Buckaroo Banzai