Tirades and why I'd join a cabal.

Where has the last year gone? I haven't written due to limited time and brain power, but now I have a little of both (graduation T-minus one class!), and I've been paying more attention to intellectual freedom issues. Especially since I've been starting tirades when I hear about challenged books. My little blog seems safer than alienating random strangers.

Recently, there was some controversy at Comedy Central when an episode of South Park was banned. Not surprisingly, Matt and Trey then aired an episode about censorship. The kids of South Park were told that Catcher in the Rye was controversial. So of course they all read it ASAP. When they were so disappointed that it didn't meet their standards of controversial, it made me giggle. Basic human psychology at play. Catcher in the Rye should be banned, BTW don't think about pink elephants. All of the sudden, I'm googling pink elephants while placing a book hold. Tada! While some might think the episode is just a message about freedom of speech (yay!) it actually made me think more about reading as a social activity.

At Game Couch, Aramis shares a story of a random teen patron recently coming to look for (surprise, surprise) Catcher in the Rye. Wonder where he got that idea? As they were looking for the book, he also checked out Dante's Inferno because he played a videogame of the same name. LOL, I imagine a cabel of tenth-grade English teachers rubbing their hands together, chortling as they ship boxes of the game to unsuspecting teenagers. This example illustrates my point that people, especially readers (and apparently gamers), want to join the literary conversation. What's so great about Catcher in the Rye? Is Inferno as cool as the videogame*?

So, what's the point? Reading is not a solitary activity. Sure, there are those books that seem like they were written just for me, books so profound to my life that it is almost like they were sent from a higher power. Yes, I am talking about Harry Potter. :) The other 99.9% of the time, books are entertaining, thought-provoking, or infuriating (wave to Ann Coulter!). Yes, books are awesome. They are fun to read, but it is so much better when you get to talk about them! Not interpret or study, but just have a conversation about what you liked or disliked, related with or disassociated from. Reading can't be considered a solitary hobby. Books are meant to be shared and discussed. If you have a good network, books become their own best marketing tool. An interesting book is the original grassroots campaign, where word-of-mouth is the advertisement and a large part of the product. So, thank you South Park for mentioning Catcher in the Rye, because now your demographic is wondering what all the fuss is about.

* Have no idea whether said videogame is cool or not, because I have never mastered eye/hand coordination. So sad.

PS. No, I don't think Ann Coulter's books should be banned either. But ask me about Mimi Roth when I'm not wearing my librarian hat.

PPS. "The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs," was just okay, but the Towelie Intervention episode "Crippled Summer," was hilarious! I < heart > Towelie!




References

Aramis. (2010, May 11). Video games score one for literacy. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.gamecouch.com/2010/05/video-games-score-one-for-literacy/

Parker, T. (Writer and Director). (2010). The tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs. South Park. Culver City, Calif.: South Park Studios.