The book banning in Tuscon Arizona has plenty of opinions waiting to be expressed but it seems that the biggest concerns at the moment are that of the books being taken out of class rooms, and the cloudy reason as to why it happened at all. In fact the school at which the books were taken out of has had one of the best programs for Mexican American studies that have continuously improved for the last ten years. However do to the law that was passed the classes are no longer allowed to teach anything with a central theme of oppression, race, and that are designed for a particular group such as latinos, or even things that could cause resentment towards a certain group. However it becomes confusing because as one side has the new law behind it while the other side is trying to challenge the law. There are some good points that were discussed within the video regarding both sides of the arguments such as the TUSD not actually banning any books and instead have basically put them away for the time being while the court decides upon the case. The books can still be found in the library. Also reports of Shakespeare’s work “The Tempest” was also banned however that is simply not true. The people that are trying to save Mexican American studies have claimed that the law has caused this situation to arise in the first place yet it is too vague therefore void. The fact that no actual examples are given to follow make the law seem unrealistic. Also they feel as if the program and school is being blackmailed because if they don’t comply with the law it will fine them fourteen million dollars. That’s a huge sum of money from a school district where the students are not exactly doing the best. Also do to the technicalities the students are the only ones allowed to legally challenge the new law in place. The bottom line seems to be that as one side wants to save the course, they want to be able to share the history of a certain people and give people a different way to think and view the world. However the opposing side is trying to create a future society where people aren’t given a reason to hold resentment towards a certain group of people. It’s not about hiding information, or banning books, but rather delivering it in a more effective way to actualizing their goals. Both sides have valid arguments but to choose one side means you have to agree with their purpose.
Sources
2. http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2012/01/17/tusd-banning-book-well-yes-and-no-and-yes
3. http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/18/debating_tucson_school_districts_book_ban