With ‘obscene’ material, obsession becomes compulsion

0
342

The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette

The Indiana GOP’s obsession with “obscene” and “harmful” materials in libraries and schools has reached such an absurd level that lawmakers are doing a classic switcheroo of stripping the language from one bill for another. The supermajority did this last year to shove the permit-less carry gun law through the legislative process despite strong opposition from the Indiana State Police, the state sheriffs’ and police chiefs’ associations and a preponderance of Hoosier citizens.

Instead of hearing Senate Bill 12, which dealt with the materials in libraries and schools, the House Education Committee on Wednesday “completely stripped language in Senate Bill 380, which dealt with graduation rates,” according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

In the original language of SB 380, school corporations would publish the graduation rates for each high school in the corporation on their website. SB 380 would’ve amended the graduation rate calculation and removed a provision providing that at most 1% of cohort students may receive an alternative diploma established by the state board of education, according to the Legislative Services Agency’s fiscal impact statement.

So, in the “Stranger Things” upside- down-esque of the General Assembly, a worthy discussion on graduation rates and calculations was shed for new information-banning processes and inane proposals such as removing “educational purposes” as a valid reason for public schools and libraries to keep material available in the library.

“I’m not encroaching on parental rights,” said the proposal’s author, Rep. Becky Cash, R-Zionsville. “There’s not a protection to say, ‘I want this rampant sexual content available to my child in the school.’ ”

You would not be alone if your reaction to that ridiculous non sequitur were, “Wait, what?”

And what defines “rampant sexual content”? Is a discussion of menstruation considered sexual content, as in Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”?

Is Robert Cormier’s “The Chocolate War” placed in the “rampant sexual content” bin because of an implied rape scene?

We cite two of the most banned books in America because the Republican education committee members didn’t cite examples of books on the shelves of schools and libraries waiting to warp young minds. And the two we mentioned are books praised by librarians and parents because of their honest storytelling.

Why should legislators listen or consider ramifications if they genuinely believe they’re doing the will of the people despite apparent flaws in logic? This is just one of the many annoying and irrational tactics at play in a culture war few find worthy of the effort.

Some members of the House Education Committee – and by extension, members of the supermajority – act as if librarians, teachers and administrators live outside reality, only appearing as if by magical incantations in our realm.

Sound ridiculous? It’s because it is ridiculous, as is the belief that because one or a handful of parents find something “objectionable” or “obscene,” superintendents and library directors must satisfy that conviction.

Schools and libraries have a duty to listen to concerns, just as citizens ought to respect that their fellow citizens are trained professionals and not just customer service representatives.

What is objectionable is that the villains in the GOP’s narrative are taxpayers, homeowners, churchgoers, coaches, parents, aunts and uncles, and siblings in the communities they serve. If there’s a reason why the supermajority believes librarians, teachers and school officials would want to knowingly or unconsciously harm children, we’d like to hear it.