There needs to be a ban on ignorance

Here we go again.

‘Ban Harry Potter or face more school shootings’

A woman who maintains that the Harry Potter books are an attempt to teach children witchcraft is pushing for the second time to have them banned from school libraries.

Laura Mallory, a mother of four from the Atlanta suburb of Loganville, told a Georgia Board of Education officer that the books by British author J.K. Rowling, sought to indoctrinate children as Wiccans, or practitioners of religious witchcraft.

Referring to the recent rash of deadly assaults at schools, Mallory said books that promote evil – as she claims the Potter ones do – help foster the kind of culture where school shootings happen.

That would not happen if students instead read the Bible, Mallory said. [dailymail]

The article is worth reading the rest of, and so is this one. However, it should go without saying that banning anything is the worst thing that you can do. Banning books from a school library will not solve any situation. The next thing you know, kids will be sneaking away from their parents house to read. Oh the horror!

I was thinking about this a little bit futher today, and there has to be another side to the argument that we’re not getting. My assumption would be that the fact that you can read Harry Potter in the school library and not the Bible would probably be it. Obviously, religious text like that would be banned. Seperation of church and state would stand to reason.

The two publications, in their raw form, are just that. They are books. Their texts take on different meaning across the vast number of societies that make up the world, yet alone a tiny school district in Georgia. Just as you teach a child to read, you can teach a child to help understand that difference between wrong and right, good and bad, selfish and self-less, and so on. No one, and certainly not banning something, will do that any better.

There is also something to be said about stopping at Harry Potter. Do you ban everything by J.R.R. Toilken[wiki]? What about Phillip K. Dick[wiki]? Stephen King[wiki]? Witches and fantasy might lead us down a rabbit hole full of authors that we should wipe from the shelves, simply for telling us stories of the imagination.

When I was 13, I read The Boys From Brazil[wiki]. That freaked me out. Nazis, human cloning, little Hitlers? It was one of those rare book projects for school that I actually recall enjoying, not to mention the amount of times that I shivered from the chills it gave me. Even though the book was of fiction, I still sought to find out if cloning was even possible, which it wasn’t at that time.

And who was this Josef Mengele[wiki] guy that was in this story? There seemed to be more detail there that begged me to find out more, as I have forever been attracted to WWII history. Fact was darker than fiction when I discovered the true tales of that man. The fact is, I was inspired to learn more.

The printed word is a powerful thing. The Bible is a book that society uses to teach a way of life. There are many versions of it. There are also many interpretations of the things written inside. Not everyone takes away the same meaning, nor is it free from violence, corruption, darkness, and tales of evil. Simply saying reading that instead will not solve the problems of gun violence in schools.

I also find it incredibly ironic that a podcast called The Secrets of Harry Potter exists, and that it is created by a catholic priest. As it says on the site, “Fr. Roderick explores themes and symbols in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.” According to his podcast, The Daily Breakfast, he breaks down this argument of the books being pure evil and examines the connections to christian themes. Maybe Laura Mallory should subscribe.

What’s more Vancouver than Douglas Coupland?

Douglas Coupland signed a book for meIn a last minute dash of cool, free things that Rebecca seems to win a lot lately, the streak continued when she was selected for a CBC Radio One live taping of North By Northwest yesterday morning. The entry went in on Friday, we got the word on Monday morning, and the event was that night at 6:30 PM at VCC.

Douglas Coupland was the guest last night, and it was an excellent event. Rebecca’s been a fan of him for most of her life[her post], and “City Of Glass” was one of the first things I read when I got out here. I have more of his stuff that I want to read, but sitting down to read a book has always been a challange for me. Regardless, his works is a great way to familiarize yourself with Canadian culture, more so the ins and outs of what makes up Vancouver.

Coupland was not what I expected, but I like him even more than before. He’s scattered, smart, random, geeky, educated, and entertaining. This is just my impression of him as a person during the recording. I have yet to really say anything solid about his writing.

Douglas CouplandStill, I’ve come into contact with many authors during my days in college and public radio. Among all of those experiences, this guy ranks up there with some of the best. And by best, I mean some one who is cool. That goes a long way with me.

When I gave him “City Of Glass” to sign, he asked if we were from out of town. Of course we’re not, but I told him that, yes, I am from Iowa and this was one of the first things I read while living here. That kind of peaked his curiosity, and he asked what brought me here. While I told him that it was because I married the girl standing next to me who has lived here all her life, he signed my book, “To John from Iowa, Douglas Coupland.” Pretty neat. 

I Just Finished Reading “The Da Vinci Code”

My plan for months was to read The Da Vinci Code[amazon] prior to the movie coming out.  I actually wanted to read it long before Opie, aka Ron Howard[wiki], said he was going to do the movie[imdb].  It’s one of those things that you stick on a list of things you want to do.  Of course, it was until a few weeks ago that I actually picked it up so I could get through it before we saw the movie.

If you are wondering why I haven’t been keeping up with the blog or the podcast for the past week or so, now you know.  We’ve been looking forward to this film for quite some time, but the reviews[slate] are less than stellar.  At the same time, I hate critics.  It doesn’t help that everyone is a critic, and I can be just as staunch as the next person.  I hold hope that I’ll enjoy the film, no matter how good or bad it might seem, but we’ll see.

I liked the book a lot.  It’s one of those things that will really pick you brain, and I’ve heard a lot of these historical facts in the numerous documentaries I’ve watched on TV during my lifetime.  Anything that makes me want to just keep reading until the end is a good thing.  This falls back on the premise that I tend to find things to enjoy out of anything I read, watch, or listen to.  Adventure, geekiness, and religious discussion?  What isn’t there for me to like in this story?

We’re actually on a mission to see the film tonight, hence my desire to finish reading the last 150+ pages this afternoon.  Being opening day, it might be difficult to find a theatre that isn’t sold out until the late, late shows.