NLB's ban on children's books depicting same-sex families
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Aiyoh, I can hear the hornets buzzing already.
I am pretty upset about this issue too, but I am not in your camp. It is hard for one side to understand the other in this issue. But I have this to "say":
1. To me this is not about gay theme books for kids. It is about the library’s role and responsibilities.
2. In terms of book selections, I do not see the books as gay themed books. Penguin book is science (what about fishes and creatures that can change sex??), it is so clearly non fiction!!! For the other one, it is about adoption and different family set ups. Homosexual parents were only one example, and not the overarching theme!
3. The library PULPED the books??! REALLY??? I am aghast!!! I can think of many other books that should be pulped first based on poor writing and content but are on best selling lists. They can move it to restricted section if they must (even if I think it is overreaction), they can put a parental guidance sticker to warn challenging content, they can put it as on request basis books. But NOooo, they have to pulp it. I think someone is being lazy, very lazy.
4. The decision was taken in three days, right after the said complaint. What?? Are you kidding me? No panel, no process, suka suka just like that?
Our NLB is world class, the buildings, the computer system, the selection is impressive. I am so proud of it. Who is this idiot running it?
Why don’t we all send letters now to demand for all the books we don’t like to be removed? Maybe it will be our lucky day too. -
ammonite:
Ammonite, :goodpost: I agree completely.Aiyoh, I can hear the hornets buzzing already.
I am pretty upset about this issue too, but I am not in your camp. It is hard for one side to understand the other in this issue. But I have this to \"say\":
1. To me this is not about gay theme books for kids. It is about the library's role and responsibilities.
2. In terms of book selections, I do not see the books as gay themed books. Penguin book is science (what about fishes and creatures that can change sex??), it is so clearly non fiction!!! For the other one, it is about adoption and different family set ups. Homosexual parents were only one example, and not the overarching theme!
3. The library PULPED the books??! REALLY??? I am aghast!!! I can think of many other books that should be pulped first based on poor writing and content but are on best selling lists. They can move it to restricted section if they must (even if I think it is overreaction), they can put a parental guidance sticker to warn challenging content, they can put it as on request basis books. But NOooo, they have to pulp it. I think someone is being lazy, very lazy.
4. The decision was taken in three days, right after the said complaint. What?? Are you kidding me? No panel, no process, suka suka just like that?
Our NLB is world class, the buildings, the computer system, the selection is impressive. I am so proud of it. Who is this idiot running it?
Why don't we all send letters now to demand for all the books we don't like to be removed? Maybe it will be our lucky day too. -
definitely not. I support NLB’s move to remove them from the shelves.
But why are they there in the first place? No one vets? -
Oh and in the end who really loses out? Children of parents on either camp? NOOOO… All our kids are fine and cocooned in their typical family set ups.
It is the children of unconventional family set ups who suffer. Because the entire hoo ha just shows to them that they are pitiful, damaged, society’s undesirables, and despite what everyone says (relatives, teachers, friends, counsellors), the newspaper and Facebook and Minister Yacoob are blaring loudly that Singapore does not want more of them.
Well done everyone, well done. -
sparks:
It was a one person decision to remove the books. The person so scared now send an underling to take the bullets. It was a coward's decision.definitely not. I support NLB's move to remove them from the shelves.
But why are they there in the first place? No one vets? -
ammonite:
I tot gay couples can't have children ... unless they adopt or thru surrogate means. :evil:Oh and in the end who really loses out? Children of parents on either camp? NOOOO... All our kids are fine and cocooned in their typical family set ups.
It is the children of unconventional family set ups who suffer. Because the entire hoo ha just shows to them that they are pitiful, damaged, society's undesirables, and despite what everyone says (relatives, teachers, friends, counsellors), the newspaper and Facebook and Minister Yacoob are blaring loudly that Singapore does not want more of them.
Well done everyone, well done. -
I feel sad when I read NLB's remarks in the papers this morning.
While there are local writers who want to boycott NLB, so be it, there are enough people to support it too.
As writers, if they do not want to support NLB's event, it is to their detriment. NLB has a strong support of readers. Without readers, what good are writers?
What concerns me is this standoffish and irresponsible attitude of the writers who withdraw from NLB events in a childish manner at the eleventh hour. What good is it if we have writers with good English but poor attitude?
Quoting from Straits Time,
\"Ovidia Yu resigns from steering committee of Singapore writer's festival. Gwee Li Swee, Adrian Tan, Prem Anand and Felix Cheong cancelled their panel to be held today at the central Public Library as part of the !Read Singapore initiative.\" Is this behaviour more right? LOL Sorry, not to me.
I hope they understand and learn to respect the people who know their instrumental role in their job.
Lastly, now there is a group of people who are showing more defiance by running a public event to showcase two of the books that were banned.
Is this the kind of Singapore we want, no room for reasoning? Sheesh.... :slapshead: What difference is this from rioting?
NLB provides a myriad of genres for everyone's reading pleasure. Such themes just require age appropriateness. They carry such books for the right reading age on their shelves so I feel it is only fair to accord them the rights to determine the age appropriateness based on the content of books.
Don't lose our minds just because there are many ways to air our views these days. Swing to the extreme, the world will go into darkness one day. -
thsheng99:
Would you like your kids to have access and read gay theme books in our public libraries?
This is what we will call... a leading question.
Alternate leading questions are:
1. Would you like your kids to have access and read a book that promote cohabitation between 1 woman and 7 men?
2. Would you like your kids to have access and read a book that encourage abusive behaviour from step mother/step sisters towards another step sister?
Both books are still in the library BTW. -
The NLB did not give anyone a chance to engage in "reasoning" before they removed the books. What does that say about them?
Indeed, the world (or maybe just Singapore) will go into darkness one day when certain person’s (or demographic) intolerance for others and their beliefs get to dictate what a public institution puts on its shelves.
One thought keeps recurring in my mind - do those people who object to the books being put on the shelf not have faith in their own ability to teach and parent their kids? Our children come across all sorts of wrongdoing everyday - rudeness, dishonesty, murder, theft, cheating, bad behavior in school. Is it not our duty and job as parents to be the one to teach them and rationalize with them what’s right and what’s wrong, according to your own beliefs?
Would you rather be an ostrich and stick your head in the sand and hope they grow up thinking that same-sex families, single-parent families, and basically any family structure other than Father/Mother/Kids, should be viewed as not pro-family? It is the reality that these other structures exist, and it is really to our future’s detriment that we generalize and deem that all of them are not pro-family.
what is family to you? Is it a matter of substance or form?
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