By Roger Vise
Cynthia Parkhill”s column on banned books brought several thoughts to my mind. I will delve into the banned books story. The best English teacher I ever had in public school was Calvin. He had been fired from the all-white, private school in Eutaw, Ala. for using several books that school did not allow in the classroom.
He was hired in Greensboro, Ala. by the public system. This would have been 1969, two years before the forced busing started that they still do today for racial balance. He brought me out of a shell. He started me writing and gave me many new ideas. That year he also had the seniors. He was fired for having them read “Catcher in the Rye.” My father hired him to feed catfish at the farm. He did that until he retired. I spent a lot of time with him in my late teens and early 20s. No one opened my mind to possibilities the way he did.
Banning books and passing laws to force us to be the same is retarded. This is not an insult, but a restricted view. People who use that word as an insult only show that the system has worked by retarding their understanding of what a living language is about. Remember, Mother Nature does not make retarded people, only people who are different than you.
In the physical world, retarding something is often a safety feature. I know that in my life I have made some retarded choices and that applies to all the meanings I understand of that word.
I believe we need to stop trying to force people to conform and open the door of choice. I believe that given many views will lead us to be retarded in our approach to what we can or should do on most levels of interaction with each other. Hopefully in a non-negative way.
Roger Vise
Lower Lake
