Lauren turned 10 today. I can hardly believe it. We ate out for her birthday last night, then played video games at a local hangout, before heading to the store for her to pick out her birthday present. We all had fun last night. My nephew Blake came along for the ride with us, as well as, Lauren's friend Cheyenne. (She met Cheyenne during her short sojurn in public school last year.)
Her friend spent the night and they spent the morning riding bikes, with poor little Hannah trying to keep up on her tricycle. No sooner than Hannah had made it to the top of the hill with the "big girls" than they were racing back down. Hannah was so discouraged, she finally came in side to mope around the house. It is so hard to be four.
I went to a yard sale this morning where I managed to pick up a goodly amount of baby clothes for Candi. The clothes were in excellent shape! Afterwards, I cleaned up as much as I could before fizzling out. I feel great today! I believe my sinus infection is totally gone! That herbal stuff works great!
This afternoon, I headed over to drop the baby clothes at Candi's before I headed over to pick up some free American Girl books that I read about on Freecycle. I spent the evening researching possible unit studies using the American Girl series of books. I was pleased to locate a book that has compiled the lessons in one place, similar to the Prairie Primer. I had planned to use the E.D. Hirsch series and lesson plans next year, but may incorporate the American Girl unit studies in there somewhere. We'll see.
I also managed to pickup one of those lare Igloo dog houses. I thought it would make a good goat house or chicken coop, and since it was free, and in good shape, I didn't have anything to lose.
After Lauren's friend left, I bathed the girls, and got them ready for bed. Had them settled down to watch a video, while I baked cookies for them. Everyone's asleep, except for me now. I was finishing up an assignment for my Mass Communication course.
I'd like to share my assignment with everyone here. The assignment was to write an argumentative paragraph either supporting or not supporting the United States in censoring books. Here is what I came up with after thinking about it all day. It was the most politically correct I could do....Okay, I realize this is supposed to be only a paragraph, so it will be a long one. I thought long and hard about my response to this question. I read several items, including the text, to try and formulate a thought provoking argument. This topic could prove to be very volatile. According to most resources I studied, just the term “censorship” brings to mind negative images for most, of dictatorial governments suppressing the rights of the people. When governments try to use the law to censor books from the public it insults the intelligence of the general adult populace. Personally, I am of two minds regarding censorship. On one hand, I am fearful of the government becoming more involved in the daily business of its citizens, but on the other hand, I believe censorship has its place. In a perfect world, it would be nice if only the “good books” made it through publishing. But this is so hard to define. With so many people, come many beliefs, and opinions.
While I believe it is wrong of the government to tell me, as an adult, or other adults what we can and cannot read. I do believe we as a society should “self patrol” meaning that what we want to read is fine in the privacy of our homes, but not all information is suitable for all people, especially children. I am not an advocate of allowing children to decide for themselves what is appropriate, and what is not appropriate. That is what a parent is for….As a parent, I take my responsibilities seriously, and strictly censor the books my children read. I take into account the age of the child, the ability to decipher fact from fiction, and the content of the book. For instance, there have been several controversial books on the market recently that I would not allow my daughter of 10 to read, but at an older age, say 14 and up, I would be more inclined to allow it. Not EVERY book is worth reading just because it is published. As a home schooling parent I try to balance the educational need for a book versus the recreational need for a book. I read every book before my child reads it, so that I will be able to ascertain the appropriateness of the book, and if I allow my child to read it, then I will be able to discuss the book with her/him. I have compiled a list of required literature, from among the great literary classics. My children are allowed to supplement with additional books after they have read the required readings, and are aware of the topics that are not allowed. If there is a question, they always discuss it with me, and I will make a decision. Again, the age of the child is always my first concern. In the interest of self censorship, I also believe just because I am an adult that there are those books, magazines, etc., that I shouldn’t read either. I would rather read something that would improve my mind, rather than fill it with trash. I can never get the time back that I waste on a book that isn’t worth the paper it is printed on, and would rather read something that would improve me intellectual, morally, spiritually, and so on. I do believe because of the immaturity of some authors, that some censorship will always be with us. So, in summary, while I definitely do believe censorship has its place, I would not want the United States to exercise censorship on a regular basis, because as soon as I take someone’s right away to read something, then my rights are potentially infringed. .
******************
Let me know what your take on censorship is, and I will share with my class/instructor. Who knows I might get extra credit points! LOL!
Hope everyone has a great Sabbath!
1 comment:
Absolute freedom brings slavery. In a society with no rules anarchy reigns and those with evil intent and violent natures impose their will on the rest. So there must be standards which translates into a form of censorship. Regardless of the standards there will be some who object but the standards need to be that which promote a healthy society and culture, a place we can all live in a degree of peace and harmony. I suppose a speed limit or any law can be considered a form of censorship. Those who desire to be unfettered by moral or ethical strictures will always fight to be "Free" of them. A line must always be drawn but over the eons it is always pushed back a little farther.
Hey Amy, Your right regarding the self patrolling but...You can do that within your sphere such as your church family but you can't patrol other groups. In a society without God there is little basis for morality. Achieving balance in this country or any society between all the differing belief systems requires the wisdom of Solomon. Unfortunately he's dead.
Post a Comment