Book burning

[Jenzebelle]

I just found out my SIL is part of a Church organization that is burning all books written by French authors and all movies/cd's of those who have spoken out against the war

Burning books is completely and totally unacceptable.

 

[JAP]

Good grief! What is wrong with people???

 

[SuiteDisney]

Originally posted by Jenzebelle
Burning books is completely and totally unacceptable.

You are absolutely right!

 

[Jeff in BigD]

So are they buying them to burn them?

 

[nkjzmom]

Wow....this world is really becoming a scary place.

 

[aahmom1]

That is so beyond ridiculous!! Are people just plain insane??

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

tell me what vaules your SIL is showing by doing this? certainly not the ones I thought were American -- freedom of speech and expression, freedom from fear.

they burned books in Nazi Germany. gives me shivers to think about anyone doing that here.

 

[Jenzebelle]

Not necessarily Jeff, many of them own French novels.

I know they would have a field day at my house.
BR- unfortunately my in-laws are extremely closed minded and think banning/burning books is a way of protecting children from bad influences

 

[MosMom]

Maybe I'm an idiot but why is France being singled out? I don't get it. Why aren't we buying Heineken anymore or changing the name of German Chocolate Cake to GeorgeBush Chocolate Cake or something equally stupid? Why aren't we tossing Vodka out and burning those little Russian nesting dolls. Have I missed something?

 

[mamajoan]

Oh dear LORD IN HEAVEN!!!! What kind of idiotic bunch of hysterical numbnuts does that kind of thing..........???

sorry, but I have just about had it with stupid people doing stupid stuff all while waving a flag..... and I bet members of this church organization goes around beating their chests uttering
"I am a Christian".... funny isn't it?.....

jmho.. I am sorry if I sound harsh.. really.. I just am really tired of it all...... I know I sound like a Rodney King joke but dang it
Can't we all just get along?

 

[Matty_Disfan]

"Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings."

Heinrich HEINE
Almansor: A Tragedy, 1823
Used as inscription on memorial at Dachau concentration camp
German poet (1797-1856)


Send that to your SIL and when she tells you that it doesn't refer to them, ask her what the germans in 1938 thought that it referred to.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

if you don't like what someone wrote, you don't have to read it. simple as that.

and I believe there's a better way to teach children values. it's called talking to them. and another one -- being a role model.

 

[lilboo]

Unbelievable and frightening.

 

[bsnyder]

Who's books are they burning?

The ones they own?

At a library?

At a school?

If it's their own books, they have every right to do what they want with them.

How is this any different than burning American flags?

 

[caitycaity]

How is this any different than burning American flags?

here is the difference, in my mind anyways:

every time i have heard about people burning the american flag, it is a symbolic protest; they are not trying to burn american flags so that others cannot have them or use them.

every time i have heard about people burning books, it is not only symbolic, it is an attempt to prevent others from reading them and their messages.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

Originally posted by caitycaity
here is the difference, in my mind anyways:

every time i have heard about people burning the american flag, it is a symbolic protest; they are not trying to burn american flags so that others cannot have them or use them.

every time i have heard about people burning books, it is not only symbolic, it is an attempt to prevent others from reading them and their messages.

exactly. I'd have a different reaction if they were burning the French flag. I don't agree with them, but let them burn that if they want.

but to burn a book is an attempt to kill an idea. and I cannot condone that.

 

[Keli]

If they are buying the books to burn them then it would seem to me that they are defeating their purpose of somehow hurting french interests in the US (assuming that's the purpose? kinda unsure really, what their purpose is ) If they are buying the books then they are putting money into the hands of the publishers and french authors giving them more incentive to write and publish more books. Hummm, I just don't understand this one from any point.

 

[AirForceRocks]

First let me say that I think it is idiotic to do such a thing.

But unless they are pulling them off of library shelves and burning them to keep others from reading them, it seems to me that it's no different than burning a flag or burning someone if effigy. It is just a way (albeit silly, but then I think flag burning is silly too) for them to express their feelings about France.

Again, if they are taking their own books, CDs, etc and burning them, how is it any different from taking an American flag and burning it?

 

[caitycaity]

it seems to me that it's no different than burning a flag or burning someone if effigy.

Again, if they are taking their own books, CDs, etc and burning them, how is it any different from taking an American flag and burning it?

effigies and flags are symbols, not ideas. no matter the intent (and i wouldn't be so sure that their intent is not to prevent others from reading them...) burning books is destroying ideas.

if they didn't want to read them anymore and didn't want anyone in their house to read them anymore, why not just donate them to a library, used book store, homeless shelter or give them to a friend? by burning them, they make sure that those copies will never be read by another person.

 

[Jenzebelle]

I believe they are burning their own books, as well as purchasing some, and checking them out from the library and burning them.

My SIL bought all the copies of the Little Prince from Borders and "donated" then for burning, as well as a copy from the library.
This is a woman who can barely feed her own kids, but I guess that isn't relevant for her.

here is the difference, in my mind anyways:
every time i have heard about people burning the american flag, it is a symbolic protest; they are not trying to burn american flags so that others cannot have them or use them.

every time i have heard about people burning books, it is not only symbolic, it is an attempt to prevent others from reading them and their messages.

but to burn a book is an attempt to kill an idea. and I cannot condone that

I agree completely. This was exactly what my problem is with this.
As far as burning the French books. Why are they singling out the French and not others? And for the most part, they are burning books written over 100yrs ago. What does long dead authors have to do with the current French government and their policy on Iraq?