[QUOTE=Poppa1956;1044756]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl
A book may be offensive to some because it supports a good cause. Case in point: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe carries strongly anti-slavery/pro-abolitionist views. It was even banned at some point.
In the present day some on the political extremes would silence opposing viewpoints.
I would suggest attaining prudent familiarity with that some offensive materials. Simply put Know thy enemy. WE are almost constantly barraged with data and opinions, they cannot all be right (it is possible they can all be wrong), and no one person can know all there is to know. So you need to be selective.
While I wouldn't suggest Mein Kampf for most people, or what ever books and article were written in favor of slavery in America, I would recommend that everyone have some kind of grasp on the extent evil can reach by reading something about those two awful eras.
I am not Muslim, but I decided to have nothing to do with Satanic Verses from the time it first came out because of the level of offence it (seemingly with purpose and spite) carries with it. For the most part, books that are (or appear to have been) written the the intent to offend, make their way off my reading list post haste.
BTW, did you know that the late Senator Alan Cranston was sued by Hitler for Copyright Infringement, and The Fuhrer won? Cranston (and I believe one other) noticed the English translation had been "clean up" (the antisemitism being removed, among other things) and he decided that Americans had a right to know everything Hitler had to say.
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The books I had to put down were a Stephen King (Lisey's Story) and a Greg Iles (The Devils Punchbowl), just plain old fiction books. I ended up finishing the latter after skipping some pages.