Should books be banned?

Mousetrap

No book should be banned, no matter how controversial a topic is. As analytical humans, we know what views and ideas we personally subscribe and what we don't - so if you think a book might not be what you'd like, just stay away from it.

Banning books is like an insult to your analytical abilities! More likely than not, it is politicians who involve themselves in the banning of books and movies for their own gains.

cynic

Again playing the devil's advocate.

What if a book is causing massive public unrest and banning a book is the only way to douse it? If you had to decide, would you ban the book?

Meself

cynic 26-4-2018 08:14 PM
Again playing the devil's advocate.

What if a book is causing massive public unrest and banning  ...

God people and their sentiments. I seriously don't see the point behind banning a book. In this day and age everything is available for free, all over the internet. Satanic Verses is banned in Indian yet most of the reader's coterie has already read it. Did the ban help in containing the book?



Also this public outrage and unrest is because of the political swing taken by people. Did you not see what happened with Padmaavat? If something offends a person they have a choice to not read it. What will banning that particular book do? And do these people really believe that banning it will mean people won't flock to it?




Let's get real and practical, ban something and you are publicising it for free.

jhsurti

Meself 27-4-2018 02:36 PM
God people and their sentiments. I seriously don't see the point behind banning a book. In this da ...

You nailed it. Free publicity! Banning will increase the curiosity quotient. And the result? More people will be drawn to the banned object. As you pointed out the case of 'Padmaavat', it was banned in some states and still is. But one can easily watch it on Amazon Prime! So what did the demonstrators achieve? On the contrary they caused so much damage and difficulty for the general public who perhaps had no interest in the whole thing! Bans seem more for political gains than sentiments to start with. Public sentiments then take over.

cynic

jhsurti 27-4-2018 06:21 PM
You nailed it. Free publicity! Banning will increase the curiosity quotient. And the result? More  ...

Ditto. The whole Padmavat controversy was more political than anything else.

So what does make powers that be ban the book? An easy cop out, appeasing the protesters?

Meself

Padmaavat is a below average film in my opinion, yet it did a tremendous business all thanks to the free publicity provided to it. Similarly, Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses. A very average stuff yet it has achieved a cult classic status all thanks to the ban. Even Dan Brown's work have been banned by a few catholic countries and the result is, both the film and book did phenomenal business.


Banning isn't really a solution. If something offends you don't pay heed to it. That is how things should be dealt with. Creating chaos will only force people towards the subject that is under scanner.

Meself

cynic 27-4-2018 11:31 PM
Ditto. The whole Padmavat controversy was more political than anything else.

So what does make pow ...

I think a dialogue must be arranged asking these protestors what exactly is their problem? Most of the times these protest take place without knowing the subject matter. Someone screams something about it and dang! people begin with their protests. This policy of appeasement is what pisses me off badly. Why should I change my work that I have put painstaking amount into; if you have a problem after reading it let me know. But witgwit even knowing what's inside the publication these people begin to scream and shout. A dialogue is okay but appeasement is not.

jhsurti

Meself 28-4-2018 12:10 AM
I think a dialogue must be arranged asking these protestors what exactly is their problem? Most of ...

Agree. Even I did not find Padmavat exceptional. Below average if you ask me compared to his earlier films. He seems to have lost it to grand sets and all.

A dialogue with the masses can never take place. In the initial phase of the whole objection, may be, IF they are prepared to listen. But I guess those who start it know that they want to convert it into a mass movement and so they will not come to the dialogue table at that stage! And once it is mass hysteria, there is no hope. So it's okay for us to discuss but in practice, it will seldom take place.

cynic

jhsurti 28-4-2018 01:15 PM
Agree. Even I did not find Padmavat exceptional. Below average if you ask me compared to his earli ...

I agree. The ones who start the whole controversy would not want to nip it in the initial stages. That would serve no purpose.

surekh

Mark Twain said, "Censorship is telling a man he can't have steak because a baby can't chew it." Enough said.