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Should books have ratings like movies to warn parents about inappropriate content?
Results so far:
| No | 47% | 1698 votes | Total: 3649 votes | |
| Yes | 53% | 1951 votes |
No
by Jonathan Victor
Created on: October 07, 2010
More than a decade ago, when I was fourteen years old, I put a book on hold from the library because I gained an interest in a particular topic and wanted to read about it on my own. When the library automatically called our house to inform me that the book came in, my mother picked up the book from the library for me. Well, she would have, that is, until she noticed the subject matter of said book. Needless to say, she called me and told me I would not be reading such a book because of its content. Her reasoning behind this was not because the book contained any violence, gore, sexuality, or inappropriate language. No. It was the mere topic of the book that instigated her censorship. It was a book about ideas, about philosophy, something apparently deemed inappropriate to expose to a fourteen year old mind.
Everyone holds different standards of what offends them.
So a catch-all label is not really going to mean much. Yes, there are general concepts that a majority can agree upon being offensive topics or words. But sensibilities really vary. The written word requires a lot more imagination than the television or movie screen, where images of violence are thrown up in all their high definition splendour. The concerned parent really should pick up the book themselves, do the heavy lifting, and read the actual content if they're that concerned. Then they should decide if they feel it is inappropriate for their particular household.
Putting a warning label on books is only going to make the content more desirable.
If you put a label on something, or tell a child that it is banned, taboo, forbidden, what do you think will be the result? Some children will take that at face value and give up on their quest for information. But if the child is like myself, and the topic is important to them, they will pursue other ways to read about the content you are censoring. In fact, kids might find it a lot more cool or mysterious or exciting if a warning label dictates it is not appropriate to read about.
The more you try to cover something up, the harder people will try to uncover the secret.
We see this happen with television shows and movies and music. The same could potentially happen with labelled books. When I was banned from reading the books I wanted, I started to search on the internet for that very same information.
Coddling children from real life is not protecting children.
Some argue that by putting a label on a book, this will protect the children from disturbing ideas. Children are going to be exposed to the harsher sides of real life in one way or another. A parent is not doing them any favours by keeping kids ignorant of the world. Do you really want them to be unprepared for the real world as adults? It would be much better to have a discussion with them about these disturbing things, as they come up. If your child attends public school they have probably been exposed to worse things than what they might read in a young adult book marketed at their age group.
Read the content yourself and hold a discussion with your child about the book.
Parents read books to their children when they are in their youngest stage of life. But with the passing of time this practice seems to disappear. It could be that parents may not have enough time to read the books themselves. Censorship of reading material by way of warning labels is not the answer. More open dialogue between the parent and their kid is really the solution.
Learn more about this author, Jonathan Victor.
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Yes
by Megan Smith
Created on: November 12, 2008 Last Updated: December 21, 2008
As our society degenerates, it becomes increasingly imperative for the following generations to be protected. I'm not saying that they should be ignorant, but there will be plenty of opportunities later in their lives to learn of the harsher things in life. They don't need to read graphic details of murder or sex. If I could pick one quality of the older movies that I truly admire, it would be the discretion directors and writers used when portraying specific scenes. One that comes to mind is the scene in Gone With the Wind where Rhett sweeps Scarlett off her feet and carries her up the stairs. The viewer knows exactly what is going to happen, and doesn't need to be shown them removing their clothes. Movies similar to Gone With the Wind never needed a rating until the people behind them felt the need to show exactly what they were trying to get across to the viewer. However, we are not discussing movies; the issue at hand is the censorship of books.
The Awakening is a short novel about a young woman dissatisfied with her life. At the end of the book (for those who have not read it, I apologize for ruining the ending), the protagonist walks into the ocean to end her life. The author, Kate Chopin, doesn't need to mention the horrible sensations of suffocation one would feel as the water seeps into the lungs, driving all air out. The reader is aware that she is walking into the water with the intent to kill herself and that to drown is a wretched death. Nothing else is needed for that conclusion to be drawn.
One novel that would be considered for a mature rating is Gregory Maguire's Wicked. It is a fascinating portrayal of the early life of the Wicked Witch of the West. However, it does have a few items that would garner a warning for anyone who would want to read it. Anyone who would be offended by swearing or intense sexual situations would, I'm sure, be grateful for any kind of warning.
I do not believe book ratings to be a censorship in the way of "WARNING! This book is banned from anyone under [some specific age]". If books were ever to have ratings, it would probably contain a simple parental advisory stating what it contained (ie: graphic violence, sex scenes, etc.) This would give the reader and the parent of the potential reader a caution on the content. While this might deter the reader from reading a phenomenal book, the choice is still there, if and/or when they are ready.
A ratings system for books should not be a deterrent for anyone wishing to write as the moment takes them. People who make "R" rated movies still sell tickets at the box office and DVDs. Designers of video games aren't limited by the "Mature" rating; they continue to produce games they know will sell. There are those parents who allow their children to watch "R" movies and play "M" rated games. This is their choice and prerogative as parents. This same option should be given to consumers when they are looking through bookstores and libraries. As an avid reader, I would appreciate the opportunity of deciding if the book I was interested in was something that would meet my personal standards, instead of purchasing it and finding out later that it offended my sensibilities.
We need to protect our children from discovering the harsher realities of this mortal existence. We've already done it for movies, television shows and videos games, why restrict it solely to the entertainment industry? Why can't we conceivably attach ratings to books and thereby making the world a little safer for our children? Everyone learns by example; if our children aren't given bad role models in literature, just as they aren't in the other forms of media, they will, hopefully, grow up to make the world a better place.
Learn more about this author, Megan Smith.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
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