Parenting IS Censorship

A censor is “A person authorized to examine books, films, or other material and to remove or suppress what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable.” Good parenting is censorship. So when I heard that “Utah PTA supports anti-porn registry” I was really pleased.

The act went into effect July 2005, allowing parents of minors to enroll their child’s e-mail account on a list to keep it off lists that spammers use.

Everyone seems to have latched on to a good idea, except the pornographers who are looking for their next generation of customers. It was very encouraging to see parents who want to protect their children supported in this way. (Although I also strongly suggest NOT allowing your child to have an internet connection in their bedroom, pre-screening their email to catch the spam, and only allowing them to IM people you have met in person.)

Then I read “Poison In Our Libraries,” about parents in Fayetteville, Arkansas who are trying to get inappropriate material geared for elementary school aged children out of the school library.

Some of the books include graphic descriptions of incest, homosexuality, masturbation, bestiality, and child molestation. For instance, Push is the story of a young girl who is pregnant with her father’s child. The local newspaper, the Northwest Arkansas Times, which opposed the effort to limit access to the book, admitted that it contained “materials that are patently offensive.”

Another book is advertised as being “the most controversial young adult novel ever,” and describes an adolescent boy’s love affair with a teacher, and two teens who become addicted to heroin. Oh, and by the way, the book won an award as “an outstanding book for children.”

They wanted those books moved to a restricted-access section of the library, so that parents could “opt-in” to allow their children to read those books.

The Fayetteville librarians, in accordance with the principles of the American Library Association, testified that they believed in “intellectual freedom” for all students. This sounds very noble on the surface, but what it means in practice is that the librarians do everything possible to obscure the reading habits of students — who are required by law to attend school — from any attempt by parents to learn what their children are reading. This is done by virtue of a computerized system for tracking books in circulation that automatically erases all data concerning who checked out what books immediately upon the books being returned to the library. Unless a parent actually finds her child reading an objectionable book, that parent has no way of discovering what the child has been reading.

The concept of intellectual freedom for children is patently stupid. It’s an ideal that sounds high-minded but is extremely harmful. These are not just height-challenged adults, capable of making mature, wise decisions for themselves. There’s a reason why we are physically unable to procreate until we reach a minimal age. Because children require care from older, presumably more mature, people. And part of that care is restricting the information flow for children to topics that are age-appropriate.

Though he died in 1937, Marxist Antonio Gramsci’s influence on American academia is profound and has been quite openly implemented in the last three decades. The academic leftists at the heart of our educational system take Gramsci’s words very much to heart:

In the school, the nexus between instruction and education can only be realised by the living work of the teacher. For this he must be aware of the contrast between the type of culture and society which he represents and the type of culture and society represented by his pupils, and conscious of his obligation to accelerate and regulate the child’s formation in conformity with the former and in conflict with the latter.

They actively seek to “regulate” your child in conflict with your values. These are the people who won’t allow your child to carry Tylenol in her purse, but will drive her to the abortion clinic without your knowledge. Bibles and religious information are harmful at any age, but reporting with an apparent total lack of irony that “Some straight couples use anal sex as a way to preserve the woman’s virginity” as the Planned Parenthood website did goes unnoticed. And it’s not just the academic elites via the school system but it’s society at large. Here’s an amusing quote from the movie True Lies:

GIB: Yeah, but you’re not her parents, anymore, you and Helen. Her parents are Axl Rose and Madonna. The five minutes you spend a day with her can’t compete with that kind of constant bombardment. You’re outgunned, amigo.

There’s no use being angry about it, because it’s our own fault. These things have expanded to fill a void left by parents. Romans 12:21 really embodies the principle of replacement. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” I’ve learned that I can’t just take something away without replacing it with something else. I wanted to stop smoking, so I had to replace the perceived benefit of smoking (I really enjoyed it) with a new car purchased with the money I used to spend on my 2+ pack a day habit. When I want to stop thinking about something, I have to actively choose to think of something else. Parents can’t rely on external controls to censor what information their children take in. If you only rely on opt-in lists, spam filters, school “responsibility,” and parental control features on your television’s remote control, you are failing your children. Those tools are a good start, but they can’t take your place, and the absence of objectionable material doesn’t positively convey your values. By all means, use the tools, but take the time to fill the information void they leave with something better.