This year's Freedom to Read Week runs (officially) from February 20th to February 26th.
Once again, Marion Quednau and friends will be reading from 'challenged' materials.
Of special concern this year has been the many new forms of censorship we are seeing. A CRTC ruling saw radio stations 'bleeping' the Dire Straits hit, "Money for Nothing" for its inclusion of the word 'faggot'. And while I'm the first person to complain when the word 'gay' is used as an insult -- really, a song from so long ago seems a bit like the revisionist version of Huckleberry Finn that's been in the news. Besides, if you want to get down to it, Knopfler's song includes the term 'chicks' in what could certainly be construed as a derogatory manner -- 'chicks for free' -- come on. And heck, the dirtiest word of all is also in there: 'money'.
But much more frightening is the censorship going on in the Middle East, the blackouts that occurred in Egypt and now in Libya.
Every week needs to be a time for Freedom to Read -- and write.
1 comment:
Thanks to you and Marion for keeping this event alive. Wish I could have been there.
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