As an institution, the United States of America not only has a long, intricate, and controversial history but it’s also home to a diverse number of people and cultures. As a melting pot where so many divergent thoughts and opinions meet, it stands to reason that at some point, you’re bound to encounter something that’ll rub you the wrong way. Perhaps it’s for this reason that so many controversial issues abound in the country today.
At the top of the list of issues that are likely to get tongues wagging are elements like the LGBTQ2+ community and people of color (POC). It doesn’t bear pointing out that, in the past, there was a certain (and oftentimes less than satisfactory) way in which these subjects were viewed. However, as our society evolved, there has been a reason to revisit these issues and view them through different lenses. Central to the process of reassessing society’s stand on these matters are a couple of thought-provoking books. These literatures have served to enlighten the masses, helping them see that there’s more to these concepts than they might’ve initially surmised.
Sadly, certain schools and libraries in places like Illinois seem to actively seek to undo this decades-worth of progress by banning access to these books. Based on nothing other than personal preference and ideology, these supposed places of learning are making a not-very-subtle move to condition the minds of young readers by showing them only things that they deem “acceptable” for this audience to see.
No right-thinking government should allow such actions to stand and the Illinois State Government has been swift in responding to what can only be described as an assault on the foundational principles of democracy and freedom. The likes of the Governor of the state (JB Pritzker), the Lieutenant Governor (Juliana Stratton), and the Secretary of State (Alexi Giannoulias) have put forward a first-of-its-kind legislation to combat this pervading evil.
The long and short of this policy is that it’ll effectively cut off public funding for any school or library that makes a move to ban books.
On the surface, this action might seem a bit extreme in light of the current situation. However, one only needs to take a moment to analyze and understand the true implications of banning certain books in places that are supposed to be the foremost locations for pursuing early knowledge.
Let’s objectively consider the potential ramifications of banning a book about people of color for example. The first and arguably most important thing that this will do to a child is that it’ll thrust them into a false reality. This is because it may compel the child to grow in an environment that doesn’t fully register the importance or relevance of POC. The immediate offshoot of this is that, subconsciously, systemic discrimination will begin to grow deep roots in society. To add to this, it’ll also provide fertile ground to even outrightly deny the existence of discrimination, to start with!
In all of this, it is easy to forget that if the United States of America has gotten any better at accepting POC and the queer community (and some would argue that it hasn’t), that progress is based off the back of the fact that it remembers history. It remembers the inhumane way things used to be and is determined to be better than it was in the past. Taking away the books that were integral to achieving this level of enlightenment is essentially tantamount to slowly drawing the nation back to some of the darkest parts of its history.
Of course, taking these books away while leaving certain others available subtly passes another message to these young minds; some things are worth reading about and some things aren’t.
Now, if the state government is saying that it will withdraw funding from establishments that will willingly and willfully wreck this type of havoc, the simple truth is that they aren’t doing too much.
If these schools and libraries believe that some books shouldn’t exist simply because they offend their sensibilities, then it’s only right that they not exist, either. Again, this might seem rather harsh but the truth remains the truth.
What makes this matter one that mustn’t be taken lightly is the fact that, for all the progress that America has made when it comes to POC, LGBTQIA2S+, and other such controversial issues, we’re still a very long way from where we should be as a community. The hate and marginalization that these groups receive are real and still threaten to take over. If we’re not actively preparing to be better in this regard in the future, then what exactly are we doing?
The purpose of giving any establishment or institution public funding is to ensure that it serves the interests of said public in its entirety. After all, what would be the point of having firefighters if they refuse to put out certain fires? Or why have police officers who will intentionally avoid fighting certain types of crimes?
If these places don’t serve the purpose for which they exist, then they don’t deserve the people’s taxes, to begin with.
If there is one place in the entire world where the learning spirit of young adults should be given free rein to flourish and grow, it’s in a school. To purposely compromise this sacred place just because certain content offends you should be classified as an actual crime.
The Illinois State Government is carrying out its duties to the letter. Withholding funding to schools and libraries that would ban books is right and just. The only downside to this legislation is that it took so long in coming.
