My family through my late Uncle has been instrumental in funding most of the new book purchases for our local town library for many years.
Each year they send us a list of what books or material they bought with the approx 7 grand a year this endowment fund kicks off.
I study the list because I wonder what is new. The books all seemed very normal.
IMHO, every book of every type belongs on a shelf in a library, up high if need be, and in a locked case if need be. But it should be there.
This is an intellectual second amendment. You can debunk and ridicule, but you can't ban. I always thought that was part of the freedom we all assume.
Freedom of choice, I don't have to read that if I don't want to. Mein Kampf belongs somewhere.
Even though that madman gassed a dozen of my family. It's literature.
I also sit on a school board that is indirectly involved in what young minds read. I find the whole topic fascinating. Folks have a lot of concerns and fears and
always kids should be physically protected. Mental protection goes off into the weeds, wide range of opinions on what and when kids should be exposed, even know about, certain things.
If I had kids I would be very protective of them. Often telling someone they can't read or see something just makes them want it more.
Trick is to substitute better choices, that's where parents should lead. Hopefully by example.
I went through a small public school in a small town that was perfectly safe, no crime, no drugs.
No electronics. It isn't likely the norm for today.
I'm not sure I can think like a sixteen year old any more and wonder what the world is all about.
We had chores, we had homework, we had dinner right at 6pm and woe if you didn't show up with freshly washed hands.
I talk to my teenage relatives and they seem way too worldly for their age.
But then I don't text. Or Facebook. I'm just not with it.
