Read This Way #5—I #$*%@&! Hate Censorship

Normally, I like to keep my columns upbeat and chipper because, well, it makes me happy. But I’m afraid this month I’m going to have to rant about something that doesn't make me happy. That something is the decision of supervisor Bill Postmus to remove all copies of Paul Gravett’s Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics from all San Bernardino public libraries as a result of the complaint of one overreacting parent.

This has already been making its way through the news over the past month, so most of you have already heard the story: sixteen-year-old Matt Jones checked the aforementioned book out (which was shelved in the adult section, mind you) and proceeded to alert his mother when he came across some graphic sexual images (including the now infamous fairy and hamster tryst).

His mother then complained to the library and demanded that they remove the book from their shelves. According to the Daily Press, the library initially replied by telling her that she was the first and only person to complain about the book (which had been checked out over a hundred times within the past year) and stated that it is the parents’ responsibility to monitor what their kids check out, while it is the library’s responsibility “to offer a broad spectrum of materials, not to exclude materials."

Hear, hear.

Unfortunately, their brave stance didn’t last long, as Mr. Postmus ordered the book removed, claiming that “pornography” doesn’t belong in libraries.

Except this isn’t a book about pornography.

It’s actually a really good reference material that details the history and cultural impact of manga and offers an in-depth look at many genres and styles, including cartoon strips, war comics, shonen, shoujo, and, yes, adult manga. (There are also some pretty violent images sprinkled throughout the book, but apparently Ms. Jones didn’t have a problem with that.)

The sexual content is really only a small percentage of the book and doesn’t contain anything that a sixteen-year-old probably hasn’t seen on the Internet, anyway.

It isn’t like the book is called “Hentai: Sixty Sizzling Years.” It’s not about pornography and its purpose is not to titillate its readers, but to educate them about an often misunderstood art form. Not only that, but it’s one of the few books on the subject of manga history that exist in our market.

I hate censorship, but especially the censorship of books. What is the point of a library if one person can decide what is morally acceptable for the public? Who would have thought it was so easy? Well, since they’re at it, they might as well ban all other reference books on art because they are apt to contain images of nudity and eroticism. Oh, and Greek myths have counteless depictions of bestiality and rape—with the whole hamster–fairy thing—so those should probably be banned also.

In fact, let’s just burn all those other pesky books that might offend some uppity soccer mom out there: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Origin of Species, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Fahrenheit 451. And don’t forget those brainwashing Harry Potter books with their promotion of witchcraft. Darn, I guess that means we have to ban Sabrina the Teenage Witch, too.

But, remember, it’s for the children! And for the sixteen-year-old boys who will be men in two years! We must protect their innocence before we send them off to war!

Seriously, though. Whatever happened to libraries that would proudly announce a “Banned Book Week” and raise awareness over controversial materials? I know most libraries aren’t like those in San Bernardino County. I know that that library system is just a dot on the map, but the whole situation still sets a poor example and lowers the bar for the rest of us.

What is the solution for something like this? Some claim that libraries should enact a system that prevents kids from checking out inappropriate materials. While I don’t feel it is the library’s place to police what people check out, I still feel this is a preferable alternative to removing a book altogether. I’m not a parent yet, and I know it probably isn’t easy to watch what your kids do, watch, or read every minute, but I feel like parents have gotten lazy in their parenting.

Parents need to pay more attention to their kids’ interests and hobbies. If Matt Jones checked this book out of the library, chances are he already had an interest in manga and reads manga on a regular basis. An alert parent would familiarize themselves with manga and do a little research (perhaps by checking out Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics from the local library!). They would then learn that while some manga is kid-friendly, a lot of it has its fair share of nudity, panty shots, and geeky boys stumbling into girls’ bathing houses. That’s why manga have ratings, just like movies do.

The same is true for video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Parents are too lazy to police the games their kids play, so they’d rather demand these games to be pulled off shelves than take a little while to research the games their kids ask for at Christmas or even watch their kids play and make sure it is acceptable.

That said, libraries should make an effort to shelve their books appropriately. Some put manga—all manga—in the kids’ section, not realizing that different manga have different ratings. When it comes to manga, you can rarely judge a book by its cover. The Saikano series is a good example of this.

But I guess what makes me the most frustrated is the fact that this is another bit of bad press for manga in general. There are many people—myself included—who wish to see manga become a more common, accepted, and even respected art form, but negative stories like this continue to hurt manga’s image. Stories like this fuel the stereotype that all manga are smut and that it’s a trashy medium. As I mentioned, manga, as a whole, does contain its fair share of sexuality, but individual titles vary.

As surprising as it is to hear that one person’s objection lead to the removal of all copies of Manga from all libraries in a county, I was also surprised to read this passage from within the very book that has been banned:

“It should also be remembered that, though images of violence and sex in manga are not governed by the sort of puritanical code imposed by the American comic book industry, they are far from unregulated or out of control. It’s hard to see why this unavoidably graphic art form should not be granted the same freedom from censorship enshrined in Japan’s constitution as all other media. In fact, manga have been subject to various forms of national and local legislation and are monitored and restricted in their contents by various interested agencies and citizens’ groups. The public are able to register complaints against any manga they consider ‘harmful’, a conveniently all-purpose description. The offending titles may then be put on a blacklist by the government’s Youth Policy Unit and removed from sale by local councils.” (Gravett 100)

A little ironic, isn’t it?

Extra: If you want more information on the subject, or want to write a strongly worded letter to Bill “Ban it” Postmus, go to Paul Gravett’s website .