Christian Nationalists fear education, knowledge and learning. If you doubt this, just look at their ongoing attacks on books.
Four states have recently enacted new laws that restrict access to certain books, The New York Times reported recently. The laws in the states – Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah – are worded differently but share certain themes: Each claims to be protecting children from “obscene” or sexually explicit material.
The problem is, terms like that are notoriously slippery. The U.S. Supreme Court offered a definition of “obscene” material in a 1972 case, but other terms that are being tossed about lately, such as “sexually explicit,” “indecent” or “harmful,” lack legal meaning; individual people define them differently. What shocks and appalls one reader may not even mildly titillate another.
Time and cultural changes make a difference as well. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was common for novels to be banned if they even hinted at sexual relations outside of marriage, even though no sex acts were described. Most Americans today would chuckle at the idea that such books could be labeled “obscene,” but don’t expect that to stop Moms for Liberty.
It’s also pretty clear that some of these laws are designed to harass libraries to the point where they’ll decide to get rid of anything that could be problematic. Idaho’s new law, for example, requires public libraries to put any book that deals with “masturbation, homosexuality, sexual intercourse [and] sadomasochistic abuse” in a separate area. Small libraries might not have the space to create separate sections, and staff might not have the time to comb through thousands of books looking for problematic paragraphs.
Another provision in the Idaho law gives anyone who complains about a book a $250 bounty if the book is not relocated within 30 days. This is obviously designed to give malcontents motivation to harass libraries; after all, they’ll get a reward.
Polls consistently show that most Americans oppose book banning. Yet laws like this keep passing, mostly in red states. It’s nothing more than an attempt to enshrine ignorance as official state policy.
Americans who value the freedom to learn had better speak up before the library shelves are stripped completely bare.
