I just went to the library today,as a matter of fact!

One book I wouldn't be surprised to see banned one day is the Bible! However,with all the different versions coming out,and so many alterations,it's almost the same thing!

Originally posted by Mr Magoo
What about Dr. Wilhelm Reich? Born in Austria in 1897 and arguably Sigmund Freud's star pupil and No.1 assistant.
In 1955, not only was he sent to prison (where he would soon die), quite literally tonnes of his books and papers were burned in public in the States.
Indeed, Reich is still best known for his psycho-analytical writings, although one of his later inventions, 'the Orgone Accumulator' was described by Dr. Theodore Wolfe (a pioneer in psychosomatic medicine) as, "the most important discovery in the history of medicine...Bar none!"

Reich arrived in the US in the 30's and coined the term 'Orgone' for the life energy force that is also known a Chi, Ki, and Prana.

It was this discovery along with his legendary Cloudbuster (should have been called the 'droughtbuster') which motivated the authorities to 'remove' him, although Orgone can be also used to power motors as a free energy source, amongst it's many other potential uses.

I personally consider his arrest and subsequent suppression of his works, the greatest crime that the US of A has ever perpetrated.
Forget the moon hoax and atomic bombs, forget the drug wars and genocides (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Central America, Iraq Afghanistan etc.), the progression of all humanity has suffered enormously thanks to a small few Yankees during the 40's and 50's.

Check him out...

Yeah! this is a great conspiracy! - the authorities were really scared of this man and his knowledge!

A now dead relative of mine actually had some books by Dr. Wilhem Reich and I read them when I was much younger and found them to be very interesting but also a bit obscure and hard to understand for a kid and therefore I would like to read them again as an adult.

I have since then as an adult tried to hunt down those books by asking all living relatives about them, but noone yet seems to know where they ended up?

(they are probably in someones home or basement/attic, but our older relatives in the family sadly don't know which books I'm talking about) ...

The Catcher in the Rye is another great book for a conspiracy discussion! - it just scary how many murders and assassinations which are connected with this book! - some say it was used as a tool by MK-ULTRA and contain trigger words?

I remember reading it in school, but still today don't know what all the fuzz is about regarding this book - I have some memory of that I found it boring and depressing! - maybe I need to read it again and analyse it further and deeper?

The rest of the books on the OP's list was like many said; mandatory reading when I went to school, and they still are - so I guess the banning and censorship is mainly occuring with schools in the United States and not here in good ol' liberal Europe!

They probably "ban" these books to sell more copies. Cause i too would rather read a "ban" book than a socially acceptable one.

^^^wow i hope they get a burning permit before all that burning.

I met and talked with Allegro when I was living in England years ago. His contentious contention was that what evolved into the Old Testament was largely based on a Sumerian mushroom cult. Psychotropics were the first induced conscious altering state. Much of the older material is actually codified.

Terrence McKenna (sp?) has written a history of civilization from the perspective of drug induced states that is of great interest. Think it's called "Food of the Gods."

I would be surprised if Allegro's works were prohibited anywhere. Maybe some Christian Fundamentalists in Southern States found them blasphemous.

If you look on Bookfinder, Alibris, or various search engines you can usually find a cheap reading copy of almost anything from the latter half of the 20th Century, I've found.

Worh contacting book dealers directly too. Sometimes they have items they fell have so little demand they don't even bother to list them.

As far as reading goes, we are in the Golden Age with the Internet. Everything ever in print is available in some form.

You can even track collectors and bug them to send you scans of the most obscure articles from old magazines. And ther are a huge number of newspapers, some with searchability.

Too bad it all came together at a time when only 5% of the population even read books any more.

Mike

Great post!

I originally had thought Farenheit 451 was a post nazi world. Especially the reference in the original movie when they are burning a library but the policeman picks up and glances at mein kampf (sp?) while burning the rest...


Does Behold a Pale Horse come in at 11 ??
Anarchist Cookbook up there?

the most important out of all those books was 1984.

we can all see now as to what Orwell was saying,

I got Slaughter-House 5 and Catcher in the Rye for Christmas last year... mind blowing! Gotta say they changed my life and I loved them so much I read in like 2 sittings.

I dont see why you would ban, I think the 'obscenity' actually makes it REALISTIC, not this idiotic everythings'all'right # we get in pop music and feel-good-movies.

Whole point of Catcher in the Rye, I thought is to make you feel like you're not alone, everyone feels frightened, and alone, and doesnt know what to do sometimes... I felt like it was written of me really.

Originally posted by Jim Scott
I find it appalling that a person in high school would be exposed to the filth in some of these books. I had a son in elementary school that had required reading a book called "Clan of the Cave Bear" and it was filled with crap about sex, too.

I dont think it is appalling I think it is necessary. Sex and violence and swearing are facts of life... unless you live in a cult community you will be exposed to, might as well be prepared...

I can tell you, with Catholics you grow up one of two ways generally, you end up being the most deeply religious person in the world always concerned about purity, or you end up cynical about religion and do everything thats bad for you.

So many people I know were deprived of things young, well it doesnt just disappear. It all come out at once after no outlet...

Originally posted by LiveForever8
So what are your opinions?

Are we right to censor certain books that contain violence, blasphemy, profanity, sexual material etc…

Are there hidden hands at play here, wanting to deprive us of knowledge and truth?

Does censorship do more damage than good?

I have made my opinions clear (I hope), so what are yours?

The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen. ~Tommy Smothers

Peace.

Censorship is no good, never, in my opinion anyway.

People are curious by nature and often it works in the opposite direction. If anyone tries to censor something, in this case books, it gets more appealing to read them.

Even when those books contain and I quote you here; 'violence, blasphemy, profanity, sexual material etc…'

I believe people read what they want to read, they are attracted by certain books for a lot of reasons; still I think curiosity about the content of a book is the main reason.

Why should anyone ban books nowwadays? It's not like we live in the Dark Ages anymore!

Is it good moral to prevent people of reading some books? Even when the content of these books is debatable, I think no book should ever be banned.

Banning is the ultimate end-station, cutting off freedom (to read) in every sense is like clipping the wings of a baby bird.

Freedom to read and to write and to say what you want is one of the highest goods the Western World cultures have.

Censorship is killing the creativity of both: the reader and the writer!!

The only true morality lies in the fact the NO person should FORCE or MANIPULATE another person by censoring anything. Because that would be nothing more then thinking your vision is better then another person's vision.

No view on, in this case, the content of books, is better of worse then someone else's view. It just IS.

The world would be a much better place, in my humble opinion that is, if people stop judging each other about what they do or not do, within the current rules of the law that is.

There are f.e. many movies or videogames that have more visible horific content then any book. Books tickle the imagination, let that never be any different please.

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I have a funny story about this book. About a year ago I stumbled across this book, and for some time had trouble finding it. Well, I finally found it on ebay and got out bid the first time. Now, the second time I found it I won the the auction, however, and the funny part, I accidently sent it to my parents house. Since im in college now, my debit card address is to my folks place back home. Anyways, it was an accident, and it was right around father’s day. I bought my dad that book, Liberty and Tyranny, and I had it sent to the house, however the book I bought, The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross, also got sent to the house at the same time. Now, mind you I am from Texas and from a pretty conservative background, my dad thought that I had bought him the book, The Sacred Mushroom, and he trashed it hahahaha. When I found out I was soooo mad, mainly because it was so hard for me to find, and that I paid around $40 for it. Although, in the end I got a good story out of it.