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Harmful books
From our friends at Human Events online, the top ten books for starting a campfire:The Communist Manifesto
Oh hell, I'm too depressed to finish the list. Go read it yourself.
Mein Kampf
Quotations from Chairman Mao
The Kinsey Report
What kills me is that the people who put these lists together are the same folks who tell us guns aren't dangerous, because guns don't kill people, etc. OK, I agree with that. Guns can be used for good or evil, much like chemicals, automobiles, or Rob Schneider movies. So why doesn't the same idea apply to books? Even an odious work like Mein Kampf has value, if only to give us a glimpse of how the fascist mind operates. Chairman Mao told us guerilla fighters are like fish swimming in a sea of peasants, who provide logistical support. Are you listening Donald Rumsfeld?
Also, if you can stomach linking to the Human Events site, scroll down to the list of also-rans: books that scare wingnuts, but not enough to push Kinsey aside. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson didn't quite make the cut for top ten dangerous books, but would have made a top 30 list for sure. Carson's book, which was the subject of my master's thesis, relied on scientific facts to argue against indiscriminate use of pesticides, and called for such dangerous practices as integrated pest management.
Hat tip to Milwaukee blogger Folkbum.
2.6.05 17:10
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harini calamur / Website (2.6.05 21:58) The first step is to classify books as dangerous. the next step is to burn them. And the next step. Well, Heinrich Heine puts it “Where they burn books they will, in the end, also burn human beings” |
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harini calamur / Website (3.6.05 19:30) hi there is a book tag meme happening. .almost as a reaction to the most subversive books. join in! this is the link http://calamur.org/gargi/2005/06/03/book-tags/ |