Introduction While encompassing censorship is protected by the First Amendment in the United States, content deemed to be offensive can be regulated in terms of accessibility and the nature of presence. Despite America’s increasing liberalism as it moves past gender roles and other forms of conservatism now considered extreme, censorship of content as seemingly non-offensive as Harry Potter books continues to provide rationalizations for formal examinations and actions taken by the judicial system. This discussion and analysis examines such a specific case of censorship, focusing on the Counts v. Cedarville School district case which involved an accusation of witchcraft inclusion in the book and a request for censorship (Simpson 6). The background
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Examining the Case This specific case of censorship involves controversy which has decreased but not yet managed to be removed from aspects of modern culture held with such regard by the organization of the judicial system. It also involves people challenging a ruling, showing that censorship can give rise to counteractions as well as initial actions while prolonging amplified controversy (Blume para. 1). A complaint from the parent of a student, regarding the presence of witchcraft in the world famous children fantasy stories regarding a young wizard, led to a regional school board voting to remove the books from the open areas within their local libraries. The Harry Potter series had been approved for integration into Lego toy and video game lines, but the parent viewed it as too wicked for children to be exposed to it. Enough people (leading to a 3-2 vote from the school board mentioned) agreed with this perspective for the series in Lego toys, and in other items easily accessible in public toy stores, to not be within the reach of children at their local …show more content…
They explained that the case involved the aspect of Arkansas and being located in the ‘Bible belt,’ of the country, where people are seemingly most likely to associate ideas with a reality of evil witchcraft. Once the school board had voted in favor of action being taken, the school’s principle removed copies of items from the series and ensured that only library staff would have access to them. As a case in the judicial system, the court discussed the issue while considering whether such a school board decision was truly a violation of the First Amendment, with the required permission element being a critical factor in making such a determination. There were further concerns that the books could facilitate disobedience and disrespect among students, stemming from potential influence of witchcraft and ‘the occult’ (DeMitchell & Carney 163). A board member attempted to defend his decision by claiming that the books teach that, sometimes, rules should be disobeyed (and apparently not applying this to books such Dennis the Menace or other children’s stories involving forms of rule breaking). Considering that the school district in question was for public schooling, the courts felt that the
Examining the Case This specific case of censorship involves controversy which has decreased but not yet managed to be removed from aspects of modern culture held with such regard by the organization of the judicial system. It also involves people challenging a ruling, showing that censorship can give rise to counteractions as well as initial actions while prolonging amplified controversy (Blume para. 1). A complaint from the parent of a student, regarding the presence of witchcraft in the world famous children fantasy stories regarding a young wizard, led to a regional school board voting to remove the books from the open areas within their local libraries. The Harry Potter series had been approved for integration into Lego toy and video game lines, but the parent viewed it as too wicked for children to be exposed to it. Enough people (leading to a 3-2 vote from the school board mentioned) agreed with this perspective for the series in Lego toys, and in other items easily accessible in public toy stores, to not be within the reach of children at their local …show more content…
They explained that the case involved the aspect of Arkansas and being located in the ‘Bible belt,’ of the country, where people are seemingly most likely to associate ideas with a reality of evil witchcraft. Once the school board had voted in favor of action being taken, the school’s principle removed copies of items from the series and ensured that only library staff would have access to them. As a case in the judicial system, the court discussed the issue while considering whether such a school board decision was truly a violation of the First Amendment, with the required permission element being a critical factor in making such a determination. There were further concerns that the books could facilitate disobedience and disrespect among students, stemming from potential influence of witchcraft and ‘the occult’ (DeMitchell & Carney 163). A board member attempted to defend his decision by claiming that the books teach that, sometimes, rules should be disobeyed (and apparently not applying this to books such Dennis the Menace or other children’s stories involving forms of rule breaking). Considering that the school district in question was for public schooling, the courts felt that the