In an unanimous 10-0 vote, the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee has banned Maus, the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel written by Art Spiegelman about The Holocaust.
For its part, the school board claims that it does not object to teaching about The Holocaust but rather because of the use of words like "goddamn" and depictions of nudity.
From where I sit banning such a book a greater obscenity than the use of certain words or pictures.
In a time where people are now routinely comparing vaccine mandates to The Holocaust, it is readily apparent that teaching our children about The Holocaust is essential and imperative.
Unfortunately, the conservative school boards which see fit to ban books like Maus are predisposed to believe such things about vaccines.
Whatever one might think of the merits of CRT, the all out right-wing assault against it has put the teaching of The Holocaust in its crosshairs. This has been the case in Texas where a school board expected its teachers to present "opposing views" on The Holocaust while a GOP State Senator in Indiana earlier this month demanded teachers be "neutral" on the subject of The Holocaust. And now Tennessee is banning books about The Holocaust. If Maus can be banned today then how long will it be before Night by Elie Wiesel is banned as well?
Somehow I have a feeling it won't be very long at all.
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