Censorship & I

Censorship is not a good thing. Why do you think that the first amendment is freedom of Speech, Religion, Press, and Right to Assemble? Because the British were oppressive and total jerks to the Colonies. Do you really want to treat someone like that? Governments still censor people today, like The People's Republic of China employs some 30,000 Internet police to monitor the internet. So, if you think that is unfair, how is that any different from telling someone what to read, write, wear, listen to, or feel?
My parents don't censor me and never have. They feel that it isn't good to grow up in a glass bubble that can break at any moment as knowledge is surged at me. My mom grew up in a very Mormon household. She was only able to read the Bible and books that were approved by the Church. She was also a long distance runner and would get in trouble for wearing sweat pants over her shorts until she got to the mailbox. She feels that might have been why she wanted to leave her family so early. My mom still reads some of my books and has never been, "Sarah, you shouldn't be reading this." Some of her recent favorites have been The DUFF, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Crank.
The DUFF has sexual content, but so does TV, Movies, and a lot of music. And so do Teens! I probably got exposed to more sexual content, when I went to a normal high school, then the last three years that I have been home schooled. Will Grayson has depression, homosexuality, and porn. Okay, I have been depressed, my sister has been depressed, and I bet my dog has even been depressed. Depression is a fact of life and sure some bad behavior can happen from it. But would you rather have a teen be depressed or read books with depressed characters. I don't personally think that people should be put in group, because who they love or attracted to. I think that is one of the worst thing to censor. I believe that people are born as they are and God loves you as are. The two main characters meet in a porn shop. I actually found that to be hilarious, because I don't think that people want to talk about that. Crank has drug use and rape. Drug use happens. It isn't a wise thing to do, but people want escape their lives, but instead of picking up a book or watching a movie. They decide that this is the only way to find freedom is by diving into something that will destroy their lives. I have seen this happen to friends and family members and rather just read about it. Rape is a horrible thing, but I have seen campaigns to censor books in which a character is experiencing or has experience rape. I know someone that read these books and found hope, which I find amazing for her, since she is afraid to use her voice.
Things happen in life and you can’t censor them, so why do that with what you read. I personally find book banning to not be a sign of wisdom, but one full of only idiotic reasoning. A lot of the time, parents say that their children are too innocent or not ready to take a subject on, when they censor. Recently Ellen Hopkins was uninvited to an event, because a librarian and a group of parents that have not read her books, decided that her books weren’t fit for the event. I read Crank when it came out in 2004, and felt that it was a better book, then the Christian YA that my extended family was trying to push on me.
Anyways, I am a nineteen year old girl from a religious family that has never limited my reading of a book or series. I find books to be relaxing and wonderful, they are an escape into a brand new world. Anyways this is all just my opinion and I don’t mean to personally offend someone.
Other places to read about Censorship are:
The Page Flipper
Bookalicious
Harmony's Book Review
Ellen Hopkins