Censorship in America

A new CBS News poll shows that the U.S. is not as close to book-burning parties as it seems. Well, at least not in schools.

In answer to the question “Should books ever be banned for criticizing U.S. history?” 83% of respondents said NO. In addition, 85% said books shouldn’t be banned for opposing political ideas, and 87% said no books should be banned for depicting slavery or race.

Beyond book-banning, the majority of respondents think racism is a major problem in the U.S. both today (58%) and in the past (71%). The poll also asked about critical race theory (which is not a thing that is actually taught in primary schools). Not surprisingly, 50% of conservatives said they had heard a lot about it, and 86% of Republicans are not fans, while 39% of liberals had heard a lot about it and 81% of Dems have favorable views.

So let’s talk about race! My kid came home the other day with a whole info sheet about being safe around guns. That kind of thing and active shooter drills are unfortunately necessary in this world, but so is the ability to learn in school. If talking about race or kids’ own identities (I’m looking at you, Don’t Say Gay bills) isn’t allowed, how public are public schools anymore, really?

A new CBS News poll shows that the U.S. is not as close to book-burning parties as it seems. Well, at least not in schools.

In answer to the question “Should books ever be banned for criticizing U.S. history?” 83% of respondents said NO. In addition, 85% said books shouldn’t be banned for opposing political ideas, and 87% said no books should be banned for depicting slavery or race.

Beyond book-banning, the majority of respondents think racism is a major problem in the U.S. both today (58%) and in the past (71%). The poll also asked about critical race theory (which is not a thing that is actually taught in primary schools). Not surprisingly, 50% of conservatives said they had heard a lot about it, and 86% of Republicans are not fans, while 39% of liberals had heard a lot about it and 81% of Dems have favorable views.

So let’s talk about race! My kid came home the other day with a whole info sheet about being safe around guns. That kind of thing and active shooter drills are unfortunately necessary in this world, but so is the ability to learn in school. If talking about race or kids’ own identities (I’m looking at you, Don’t Say Gay bills) isn’t allowed, how public are public schools anymore, really?