"Videodrome is offensive"

[jerkface11]

Videodrome creeped me out. But it did have Debby Harry naked in it. You should however ban Howard The Duck.

[Mordecai]

Howard the Duck? LOL, I've always wanted to watch that while stoned.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Manos the Hand of Fate needs to be banned. Never seen it? Never heard of it? Count yourself lucky. It's only watchable when viewed in MST3K format, and even then it's awful.

[Salted Grump]

Being awful does not mean it should be banned though. Besides, without MST, you'd never get character names like Crunch Biffsteak, or Manly Hardcheese.

To be honest, I think the only book that's generally considered Permanently Banned in the vast Majority of the world is Mein Kampf, for obvious reasons that invoke Godwin's Law.

As for Videodrome, well, the most awesome thing in it is the gun that shoots cancer. Arguably the Most SickWrong thing ever, unless you've watched eXistenz (also from Cronenberg)

[Lala]

This thread made me go look up the ALA's challenged book list. I was surprised to see Bless Me, Ultima, which I read in high school for a competition and thought was brilliant.

Once, while standing in line at a video store, I hear this commotion from the next line. A customer was ranting to one of the workers about Angels in America and how it shouldn't be out because it was about gays and AIDS. Apparently she didn't actually know what it was about; she just saw 'Angels' in the title and took it home. I think she was quite surprised.

[Red_Dazes]

Have you read And Tango Makes Two?

It's about gay penguins who adopt an egg. True story.

And Tango Makes Three. ^_^ Just wanted to clear that one in case anyone went looking for it. It's a very nice story. ^_^

I grew up in a Christian school. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But We were severely censored in what we could read at school. Heck. I brought a vampire novel to school once and the teacher confiscated it and sent me to the principals office.
I don't think it's okay to ban books. Ever. Everything is going to offend someone, so if it offends you, leave it be and dont read it.

[wagegoth]

There are people who wanted to ban "Happy Feet." Yes, yes, they did.

[Toujin]

There are people who wanted to ban "Happy Feet." Yes, yes, they did.

Why? Are dancing penguins really that offensive?

[trunks2k]

Our local library has a shelf of "banned books" so you can go straight to them, they even have a banned book week where they have all of them on a central table with labels explaining who/ where and why they are banned.

I was shocked by some of them, they were classics that I had been MADE to read at my school! Catcher in the rye even...

My favorite is seeing "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Giver" on those sorts of lists.

[AriRashkae]

Where's Waldo is a perennial favorite for banning. Some people apparently find "inappropriate" images hidden in the scenes.

[Android Kaeli]

I read and watched The Outsiders in middle school and read several of the now banned books. Those were good reads!

Why would someone ban "Happy Feet"? Granted I never saw the movie but still -- isn't that supposed to be considered a kid's movie? And Waldo books? Well, if anyone can see inappropriate images in those books then they had a gutter mind to begin with.

[lordlundar]

I grew up in a Christian school. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But We were severely censored in what we could read at school. Heck. I brought a vampire novel to school once and the teacher confiscated it and sent me to the principals office.

My condolences. I grew up in a catholic school (maybe that's the difference) and asked a teacher who was arranging an overnight event if I'd be able to bring in my playstation and Xenogears to play. He had no problem and asked why I felt I had to ask. I told him why and he said "so long as it didn't break current school rules (loud profanity or pornography) it would be fine."

(For those of you wondering, it pretty much insults any structured religion pretty solidly, as well as bringing up the debate between evolution and Creationism)

[SG15Z]

This discussion on banned books makes me glad I went to a private school for my middle and highschool years, where we read books like '1984', 'The Outsiders', and 'The Chocolate War', books that probably been banned in most public schools.

I was in public school and I read '1984' for a research paper.

I think it varies from one school to the next on what is and isn't banned. I don't care it's not like it'll stop me from reading it.

[Bandit]

I was in public school and I read '1984' for a research paper.

Both 1984 and Animal Farm were on the required lists at my high school.

So were the Bronte Sisters. I'd rather amputate my own leg without anesthetic than have to go through another Bronte book.

B

[Ringtail Z28]

The Great Gatsby should have been one of the books banned from schools for being so damn boring.