Stand Up for Authors' Rights; Don't Let People Change Works of Literature

 

It started when libraries banned Dr. Seuss. This is violating the 14th Amendment. Now, "Sensitivity Committees" want to rewrite Roald Dahl's books to make them "sensitive" to today's audiences. How can they know what Dahl wanted his characters to be. They are his characters. Only he knows what they are thinking and doing. No one can say, "It was meant to say this." That is the first problem. 

The second problem is that if "Sensitivity Committees" rewrite characters and books, they are making everyone the same. That will read quite boring. In the real world, people say negative things, do negative things, do not care about being sensitive or politically correct, and act whatever way they want. Most people know what is right and wrong. Therefore, fiction should reflect life. That is why these stories stand the test of time. They reflect life, and readers can relate because they know people like the characters.

The third problem is rewriting books is illegal! It violates the copyright of the owner of the work and their descendant. We can't keep letting groups do these things. We must fight or soon we will have no copyrights at all. When does it stop? Huckleberry Finn will be next or To Kill a Mockingbird will be found offensive, but at the times they were written, that was what common. You can't impose 2021 political correctness on 1960s or older books.

Goes Against Constitution

We have a Constitution and first amendment that guarantees free speech, which includes printed books, electronic books, information on the Internet and newspapers. While the publisher is within its rights to remove books from print and not sell certain books, the libraries are not allowed the same permission. The libraries are a public entity, which are required to abide by the 14^th amendment, which applies the first amendment to states and cities. Therefore, when the libraries started removing the books to be “politically correct,” they violated our right to free speech. We have a guarantee in the Constitution to say what we wish even if that language might be offensive to one party. And, in the last year, the Constitution has been under attack in exchange for public health. For example, churches were not allowed to be open and offer a place to worship to their congregation. Trials by jury were not held. Therefore, innocent people were not given their right to a fair trial. And, the federal government was making decisions for states, which violates the 10^th amendment. We can't let attacks on our Constitution to continue or we would become a police state or a dictatorship. We would have to defend our Christian faith or be afraid to leave our house.

Dr. Seuss Accomplishments Should Outweigh the Problems

Almost every child in the United States learns to read by using Dr. Seuss books. His rhymes and funny words helps children understand the language and pick up reading more easily. Those books about culture diversity are not as easily read as Dr. Seuss. His books also have a message that all children need to learn. The Lorax teaches children to be environmentally aware. Horton Hears a Who tells children that everyone matters regardless of their looks or nationality. Green Eggs and Ham teach children to try food before they say they don't like something. Others allow children to dream and reach for the impossible. How the Grinch Stole Christmas shows children that Christmas isn't about the gifts or stuff but about Jesus and love for each other. These are powerful messages that would be lost if we listen to a few noisy people. And, without Dr. Seuss illiteracy is likely to increase.

Division Growing

Much of what is termed offensive is a move toward dividing our country. We are no longer Americans. We are this group or that group. Discrimination is growing. We are offended easily, which means that we are ripe for people to attack us and hurt us greatly. We need to stop worrying about what people say and remember that they have a right to say it even if we don't like it. We need to stop making decisions that are wrong, such as allowing transgenders in the military, and start working together again. We must protect our freedoms before it is too late. The United States is the only democracy that guarantees free speech. In the United Kingdom, the government can remove information if it chooses. We need our Constitution to survive the dangers in the world. We need our freedoms that our founding fathers worked so hard to protect. We need each other. We need God in our lives.