| May 08, 2023 |
So, About Those “Pornographic†Books in Florida Libraries… |
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Decades after he originally sang them, musical satirist Tom Lehrerâs words still might be the best underlining of the preposterousness of laws prohibiting âobsceneâ depictions and descriptions: All books can be indecent books, though recent books are bolder, for filth (I’m glad to say) is in the mind of the beholder. When correctly viewed, everything is lewd. I could tell you things about Peter Pan — and the Wizard of Oz, there’s a dirty old man! These lyrics appear in Lehrerâs âSmutâ â a pre-Miller Test classic that somehow feels as timely now as it did in the 1960s, thanks in large part to the antediluvian proclivities of certain elected officials around the country, who have been busily finding reasons to exclude books from school and/or public libraries. A recent Twitter thread started by independent journalist Judd Legum homes in on book banning efforts in Florida, specifically, and reveals something about the allegedly âpornographicâ content of those books that is as ludicrous and depressing as it is predictable. 1. On March 8, @RonDeSantisFL held a press conference & insisted Florida wasn't banning books, it was simply removing PORN He based it on a survey of 23 school districts But the survey was kept secret Until now The books Florida is banning as "PORN" is absolutely wild |
