this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2025
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Magic Tree House author Mary Pope Osborne, children’s poet Shel Silverstein and Calvin and Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson have joined Judy Blume, Sarah J. Maas, Eric Carle and Kurt Vonnegut on a mind-boggling list of hundreds of books purged from some Tennessee school libraries.

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[–] Zahille7@lemmy.world 207 points 3 days ago (7 children)

Fucking Calvin & Hobbes?!

Are you fucking kidding me right now?!

[–] Airowird@lemm.ee 150 points 3 days ago

Can't have cartoons about questioning authority,those 8y olds might get ideas!

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 42 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

These people are going after anything that might imply nudity at all. I seem to remember Calvin had an immense hatred of baths. So once his mom finally got him in, poof, that now has to go, because he's naked under all that water.

I'm surprised they don't just ban all visual art that depicts humans, since everyone is naked under their clothes.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 29 points 2 days ago (1 children)

A small kid asking for a porn movie??? BAN THAT SHIT!!!!

Calling satanic powers?? JESUS FUCKING CHRIST BAN THIS HERETICAL SHIT!!!!!!

[–] Zahille7@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago

I always loved Calvin's snowman hijinks. And Spaceman Spiff. And all the "I'M HOOoooOOOOooome!"

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I don't think that's it. It's named after philosophers, the people banning aren't always stupid. I bet Calvin seems like a left wing propagandist to them too.

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 23 points 3 days ago (4 children)

You're not wrong, in general. But in this specific case, in Tennessee, it's specifically about the nudity.

Any materials that “in whole or in part” contain any “nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse” are inappropriate for all students and do not belong in a school library.

It's "nudity" of any type, which puts the Venus de Milo in the same category as Brazzers.

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 5 points 1 day ago

So the Bible is inappropriate for all students and there's several parents I need to report...

[–] CalipherJones@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Why are Christians so afraid of their God given bodies

[–] Hazor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

They were raised to be terrified of it, and so they raise their kids to be terrified of it, and the cycle perpetuates. It's hard to break. The reasoning is usually that seeing nudity will tempt them to sin. As someone who abandoned his puritanical upbringing nearly 20 years ago, I still have a hard time just being ok with human bodies - even after being a nurse for some years, I'm still not entirely desensitized to nudity.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago

Thanks for clarifying. I was giving them more credit than was due.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I was about to jump in and defend the heck out of Shel Silverstein but it's based on a broad sweeping nudity ban?

That's fair. That man was an accidental children's book author and the best kind of weirdo.
The ban is dumb but his inclusion less so.

[–] gabbath@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I said before but my guess is that with Shel they saw the title "A Boy Named Sue" and automatically banned him.

[–] Zahille7@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Geez... God forbid there's a copious amount of bubbles or something covering anything if Calvin ever does jump back out of the bath

[–] blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

There are strips where he's running around naked and you see his butt

[–] tnarg42@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago

I have the "Complete Collection" box set, and I broke my 10 year-old son's heart when, after he finished the whole thing, I had to tell him that there were no more. I think they made him a better kid.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 28 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

No, the right wing are just that sensitive.

[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago

An inquisitive young kid with a strong imagination and who asks lots if questions is rarely seen by adults in power as a positive influence.

[–] Bonifratz@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 days ago

Also, Eric Carle? Really?

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Promotes the radical environmentalism ideology and the war on cars biking!

[–] Zahille7@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

And building character!

[–] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Did no one else clock that GRAY'S ANATOMY is in that picture? The fuck?

The foremost anatomical textbook, so well-devised and illustrated that it is still in use today?

Well, let's hope that nobody's trying to teach anatomy in those schools, because even pictures of the _dissected musculature of the pubic area is sufficient to result in a ban

Also, it seems we're ignoring the fact that every single book touching on ANY kind of mythology or history of the ancient world is being banned.

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

On the other hand, at least they got rid of The Complete Book of Cats. Absolute filth, I can't believe they let kids read that

[–] negativenull@lemmy.world 177 points 3 days ago (1 children)

🎶 take a look, it’s in a book, reading rainboooooow 🎶

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 64 points 3 days ago
[–] sinadia@lemmy.world 67 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Those ‘guidelines’ are pretty wide open. The Bible certainly makes the grade for a ban.

[–] MightBeAlpharius@lemmy.world 45 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Actually though, can we get some malicious compliance? Schools banning the Bible based on rules written by Christian conservatives would be hilarious.

"We have considered several excerpts, and deemed this book unfit for schools. The book opens with everybody naked, and goes on to feature violence on a massive scale, as well as some weird incest, and a man who collected two hundred foreskins. Frankly, we believe that this book should have never been on the shelves here at Li'l Tykes Elementary."

utah did repeatedly until they changed the law to explicitly allow the bible even though it does not meet the standards.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Lot was drugged and raped by his daughters. Surely that meets the standard for banning.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

Not in Alabama

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 40 points 2 days ago (2 children)

children’s poet Shel Silverstein

What? Is that the same Shel Silverstein as 2 time Grammy winning, Johnny Cash swongwriter, Academy awards and Golden Globe nominee, and Playboy Cartoonist, also prolific one act playwright, Shel Silverstein?

The answer is yes.
I just think he needs someone to shout out his other works in here in case you didn't know.

[–] gabbath@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm 1000% sure they banned Shel because of "A Boy Named Sue" which they probably thought was about trans kids.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Hard KeK and quite possibly the right answer.
I figured it was Tatooin Ruth who literally is nude except for his tattoos or all the other butts he drew in his comics.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Tbf if many here heard his album Fuck 'em they'd want to cancel him too lol. I Love My Right Hand is one of the most tame songs on it, There's No One I Hate is a wild one.

Pretty funny album though, if you can get past that sort of thing.

[–] CluckN@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

His headshot absolutely horrified me as a kid.

It absolutely horrifies me as an adult. Love you Shel

[–] Kintarian@lemmy.world 46 points 3 days ago

Having a well educated population capable of critical thought is a direct threat to the oligarchy.

[–] SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago

Restrict the kinds of ideas children can learn about, and you get evangelical MAGAs. Dictatorships always restrict information.

[–] HEXN3T@lemmy.blahaj.zone 34 points 3 days ago

Fear is control.

[–] PunkRockSportsFan@fanaticus.social 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Nazis

Arm yourselves.

This doesn’t end without millions dead

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

we should get credited trump's mishandling of a pandemic tho

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

he's going to get us to relive the sum total experience of two world wars in one generation yaaaaaaaaay

And he's going to do that in part by giving us a third one

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago

Damn, Tennessee right wing. Y'all some backwards-ass motherfuckers.

[–] don@lemm.ee 14 points 3 days ago

Making sure those kids have play-dough brains.

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I can't empathise with these book banners. If I had a kid, I'd probably be happier with them reading a book by a conservative ideologue than them not reading anything at all.

[–] FuckFascism@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

*American south

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