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Old 09-05-2008, 12:34 PM   #39
Elsi
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
It is, I think, reasonable to assume that books aimed at young children will not contain obscene language. It's not a matter of "freedom of speech", but what sort of language you'd want your own children to learn is appropriate to use. Children of that age are not in a position to judge for themselves what is, or is not, good language use - how many 10 year old are going to know what the word means, do you think? Isn't that one of the reasons that we encourage children to read, to improve their command of the language?

If you buy a children's book it's perfectly reasonable to assume that it won't contain sex scenes, strong language, extreme violence, etc, IMHO.

I have no issues with the use of such language in books aimed at an adult audience, obviously.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
Do you read in advance every book that your children get their hands on to make sure that it's appropriate for them?

I'm sorry to disagree, but I think that it's perfectly reasonable to expect certain "standards" in such things as sex, strong language, violence, etc, in books aimed at young children. And I'm certainly no "prude".

There ARE standards for such things in TV (at least in the UK, no such things are permitted to be broadcast before 9pm).
I'm one of those parents who read every book before giving it to my children -- up until they were 14 or 15. And, I read every book that was assigned to them in school so that I'd be aware what they were being exposed to in the classroom.

When some parents at the kids' school petitioned to have a book removed from the high school library for foul language, I bought a copy and read it. The novel (can't remember the title or author right now) was about a 16-year-old boy who steals his older brother's ID and joins the army to "go fight the Germans" in WWII. The foul language was spoken by the drill instructor at boot camp. In other words, it was appropriate in context.

Parents must assume the responsibility for deciding what their children will read, view, and hear. It is wrong for those same parents to impose their own choices on others. My kids weren't allowed to watch The Simpsons on TV, because I didn't think they were mature enough to understand the irony/sarcasm inherent in the story lines. I would have been opposed to any movement to remove the show from the lineup.
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