A quote from Phillip Pullman on the banning/burning of books (stolen from boingboing.net)

[superbigrobot]

"Because they never learn. The inevitable result of trying to ban something - book, film, play, pop song, whatever - is that far more people want to get hold of it than would ever have done if it were left alone. Why don't the censors realise this?...
In fact, when it comes to banning books, religion is the worst reason of the lot. Religion,

Comments

[metalborioso]

I love it, and Chiv, we need to go see Religulous when it comes out.

[faebouche]

<3 Phillip Pullman. Have you seen the New Yorker article about him where he rips into C.S. Lewis and Tolkein?

[superbigrobot]

no, i haven't, linky?

[faebouche]

Check it.

[mdm_sosostris]

Meh. I love Pullman -- he was the final chapter in my first thesis. But for all that I agree with him quite a lot of the time, his treatment of Narnia is...how you say...facile. Shallow. There's a lot of really interesting gender stuff happening there, which frankly Pullman doesn't seem to take the time to notice. I do think Lewis had some *big* problems in his understanding of gender roles, but sex=bad in Narnia just doesn't cover it.

Also, on behalf of my people, I must say Pullman's slamming "religion" is problematic. "Religion" doesn't do anything. In the case of censorship, religious authorities do. And since he's made quite clear that his main target's Christianity, I think he oughtta be more specific.

PS Nobody talks smack about Tolkien and gets to keep their kneecaps.

Nerds ho!

[metalborioso]

I agree with what you said about religion...which reminds me of, I think it was an Eddie Izzard video, where he says "I know guns don't kill people, people kill people, but guns surely do help!"...replace it with religion and there u go..

[lazarus141]

Ironically I've heard of several churches leading drives to try to have Pullman's books banned. Ah, irony. It's like when Ray Bradbury first heard his book Fahrenheit 452 had been burned in a book burning.

[embryomystic]

It's ironic, but this is the first thing that comes to mind:

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
-C.S. Lewis

(P.S. Hiya. I'm Isaac.)

[superbigrobot]

Hey,
we've been introduced...via jenni.

how is the great white north

[embryomystic]

I am... awful at responding to comments sometimes.

The Great White North is cold and snowy, mostly. It thanks you for asking.

How's the Deep South? Hot and muggy?