At 09:59 10-11-97 -0600, Martha Bartter wrote:
>_Stranger in a Strange Land_ raised some eyebrows when first printed, but
>the big controversy accumulated about the Manson group after their
>killing spree -- turned out that they used the book as a kind of bible.
>Some opined then that Heinlein should never have written it, though it
>seems like a bad idea to hold an author responsible for the misuse of his
>text by an impressionable group led by a nut case.
>
I agree that it is a very bad idea. People will read what meanings they
wish according to their needs and conditioning. Other people will use any
excuse to censor a book that they perceive as critical of their favorite
obsession. Someone gave the example of the Heinlein novel being censored by
some religious groups. (Personally, I don't call that religion but that's
off-topic.) Right now, there is a high-profile murder trial going on in
Washington where I live. A teenager brought a gun to school, entered his
classroom, and killed his teacher and two students. His lawyers claim that
he was influenced by a Stephen King story. They also claim that he has
Bipolar disorder though psychiatrists testifying for the prosecution found
no evidence to verify that. Regardless, over a million people suffer from
Bipolar (aka manic depression) and it's safe to say that most haven't
killed anyone or otherwise lost their moral centers because of their mood
disorders.
So people will read into the Heinlein novel whatever they wish. In the
60's, the Manson group interpreted one message that surely wasn't really in
the book. It could have happened with nearly any book that had some depth.
And if people had their own motives for disliking the book, they jump on
that as an excuse to ban it. It won't surprise me if the rural county
library where the Washington murders occurred suddenly decides to ban
Stephen King. Some of his work has already been pulled from the school
library, albeit quietly.
Cary
~~~~~~~~
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