More dangerous influences exist for kids than books

To any person wanting to ban books, I would ask if you have read the entire book and understood the context and message or just read pieces sent to you. You who are suddenly up in arms over books must also take other necessary steps if you seriously want to protect your children. What do you know about the video games your child plays? What websites does your child visit? What movies has your child seen? What music do they listen to or what TikTok, Instagram, or latest social media sites does she watch? Can they access porn on television or the web? Are they aware of child sex trafficking? What does your child do when out with friends? Who are they communicating with on social media and are they being lured by shadowy people and places? Exactly how many of these questionably age-appropriate items do you closely, frequently monitor like you believe you have those books?

I’m sure I’ve missed all the problem areas out there for kids, but it seems to me that those who want to ban books are picking the conveniently low fruit off the tree. It’s a "feel good because you're doing something to protect kids" sort of thinking. There are so many larger, more urgent kid issues to tackle, but those scary problems aren’t being brought up because they’re much harder to solve. Instead of doing the hard work of taking on monstrous problems, it’s simpler and quicker to attack librarians and teachers.

Karen Carlton

Waukon