Moms for Liberty and John Birch Society join forces to ban books and make the world safe for ignorance!
Ladies and gentlemen, we live in a world where some people believe that banning books is a good idea. Yes, you heard that right. Banning books. In 2023. I mean, what's next? Banning oxygen because it's too liberal?
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The recent trend of right-wing groups pushing for book bans in US public schools is a serious issue. These groups, like Moms for Liberty, are campaigning against teaching sex education, LGBTQ+ rights, and racism in American history. Because why teach kids about the world when you can just keep them in the dark and hope they don't turn out to be decent human beings?
But this isn't a new phenomenon. Book banning efforts in the US can be traced back to the John Birch Society in the 1960s. According to the author of a new book on the Birchers, they were likely the most visible group promoting book bans at the time. And while they may not be the only group promoting these bans today, they certainly seem to be leading the charge.
So, what are their tactics? Well, it seems that branding certain ideas as "pornographic" or "communistic" is a surefire way to mobilize supporters. Because nothing gets people riled up like a good old-fashioned scare tactic. And who needs facts when you have fear?
But let's not forget about the impact of these bans. Book bans in US public schools have increased by 28% in just six months. That's not just a statistic, that's a problem. When we limit what our children can learn, we limit their ability to grow and understand the world around them.
So, what can we do about it? For starters, we can stop treating education like it's a political football. We can stop using scare tactics to push our agenda. And we can start trusting our children to learn and grow in a safe and open environment.
Because at the end of the day, banning books doesn't just limit what our children can learn, it limits what they can become. And that's no laughing matter.
Moms for Liberty, meet John Birch: the roots of US rightwing book bans https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/06/moms-for-liberty-john-birch-society-far-right-book-bans?CMP=share_btn_tw