Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
Anybody who votes for Mein Kampf is an unfeeling person who doesn't care about anyone else. This book should never have been allowed. I don't give a dam if this is censorship or not. It's something that is very personal and very hurtful to have it in the list and to have been allowed there. If it's not taken down, then I will be protesting to Alex to deal with it. What I would like to say about the people who nominated/voted for this book would get me banned from MR. And I feel very sorry for this book club when it's leader is allowing this to be here. This is something that needs to be addressed and addressed now! I never thought anyone on MR could be so mean and nasty.
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The option is always open for people to simply not read a book if it arouses particular sensitivities. It makes perfect sense that this would actually happen when we are deliberately nominating books that have been banned. And we haven’t restricted the category to books that were banned for what most would universally accept as stupid reasons. The category is simply “banned books.”
It’s my sense that there is no one here who has been lurking in the club awaiting the opportunity to read an evil work by an evil man because they’re seeking some input and coaching on how to encourage fascism and genocide. Nor is anyone trying to be mean and nasty to others. The club seems pretty interested in reading banned books through the lens of our current world and sensibilities to discuss their literary, historical and possibly political merits. The reason I won’t vote for the book in question is because I have read it and can discuss ad nauseam the frightening horrors it contains. I have no desire to read it again.
There are many topics or themes, sexual abuse being one, that finds its way into many very good books worthy of reading and discussing. However, in the interest of avoiding painful triggers, some individuals bow out of the reading and discussions simply to protect themselves. They don’t accuse everyone who’s interested of being cruel, mean, nasty, insensitive, uncaring, unfeeling etc.
I don’t mind hearing why you’re not interesting in reading something, in fact I appreciate that. Really! But no one in the club benefits from being called names for their reading interests.