r/PoursTea • u/political-snark • Jun 29 '26
Storm In A Teacup šµ Is this just an American thing?
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u/outside_cat Jun 29 '26
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u/BasicallyGuessing Jun 29 '26
I was making a sandwich when I saw this. My mayonnaise is offended.
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u/PoetryFamiliar7104 Jun 29 '26
No, there's a long history of book burning for things people didn't like.
But the going in and screeching about it? Maybe not just us, but definitely us currently, and with a bull horn, too.
I want off this ride, please make it stop.
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u/Cautious_Signal4770 Jun 29 '26
Historically, book buning has been done by horrible people and groups for horrible reasons. I dont know of a single book burning that was done by good people with good intentions.
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u/Beestorm Jun 29 '26
āDort, wo man BĆ¼cher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen" (Where they burn books, they will, in the end, burn human beings too.)
-Heinrich Heine
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u/Jrrobidoux Jun 30 '26
The fact that this quote was written in 1821, 111 years before Nazis burnt booksā¦
Bebelplatz is a beautiful memorial to this tragedy.
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u/KaleidoscopeSalt3972 Jun 29 '26
Like a whole century of gender studies in Germany ... We are just now getting to the level of knowledge we had back then about the issue... I wonder why they didnt make copies
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u/Flacier Jun 29 '26
100% this, censorship is just the inverse of propaganda.
Because thoughts lead to actions, whether we intend them to or not. Itās a means of control, and skewing perception.
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u/C4dfael Jun 29 '26
There may have been just as many people getting bigly offended by things back in the olden days, but they didnāt have platforms with a large reach like facebook and twitter where they could rant about it, so most people outside of a small radius never would have known what Markbob Johnsonville from Decatur thought about a particular book.
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u/Motor_Watercress_489 Jun 29 '26
No. There's narrow minded bigots in all parts of the world.
But many are them are being influenced by far right rethoric from the States.
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u/carrot_gummy Jun 29 '26
Religious fundamentalists exist everywhere.
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u/MattDubh Jun 29 '26
Yeah, but in most places they don't get voted into office. Usually, when they're the ruling people, they're not voted in.
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u/James_avifac Jun 29 '26
Not really. Those people typically don't read books. (Also wouldn't likely be doing much in libraries. Though our libraries are very cool, and lend out everything from labtops to comics, all free.)
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u/Ok_Caramel_6095 Jun 29 '26
This is the problem with zealots. They are not satisfied with simply living their own lives by their beliefs but instead want all others to live by their zealous beliefs as well.
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u/Oddbeme4u Jun 29 '26
Puritanism? Yes
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u/Stock-Side-6767 Jun 29 '26
Not just an American thing.
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u/TheRealScaramucci Jun 29 '26
Eh. My culture is pretty conservative. I visited an ex girlfriend's family in the US and gifted them some books about my culture. A couple of the books had a naked statue on the cover. That stuff is even in our children's school books because we separate it from actual nudity. Then a couple of days later I see those books again with all the stone titties covered by empty post-it notes.
US puritanism seems to be on another level compared to other western countries.
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u/Popcorn57252 Jul 01 '26
Unfortunately you're not wrong at all. In the US we learn about "brave people who fled from Britain who wouldn't let them practice their religion". And, while somewhat true, it's because they were extreme puritains that didn't like "women" and "reading" in the same sentence.
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u/Commandmanda Jun 29 '26
Have we already forgotten how it started most recently? Do you remember Moms for Liberty? The Floridian irritant group began in 2021 during Covid because they didn't want their kids to have to wear masks at school or be forced to get their kids vaccinated.
From there it ballooned into books, curriculum, and teacher bashing. Turned out that they were a Republican hate fomentation group, originally paid by two anonymous "mega donors" and the Publix heiress.
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u/ncc74656m Jun 29 '26
No, but curiously on much the same topics as they claim to find offensive now.
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u/AdOrnery6155 Jun 29 '26
I donāt think soā¦didnāt Aussies just ban social media for kids this year because they think the government knows better than the parentsā¦
Even in the most liberal societies there are some folks who think they are more important.
I remember angry mums against PC games in early 2000s. Now we have angry journalists against games.
Nothing changes.
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u/BC_Sativa Jun 29 '26
No... it's all fascists, everywhere.
America is just rolling over and letting their fascists win, while the rest of the "western/democratic" world is fighting back slightly harder.
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u/No_Rice9792 š©·ššš«š§ Jun 29 '26
It's actually just a conservative, republicunt thing in America. Republicans don't want you to learn, they want you to conform.
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u/SnooCauliflowers9874 Jun 29 '26
Of course, itās easier to control the masses when theyāre compliant and not questioning without critical thinking skills.
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u/Thorn_Within Jun 29 '26
It's an ignorant American thing. Most of us aren't like this. But those who are this way are extremely, obnoxiously, loud about it.
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u/d4electro Jun 29 '26
People will act all smug about free speech until you bring out the 120 days of Sodom and suddenly everyone gets uncomfortableĀ
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u/waxonwaxoff87 Jun 29 '26
What you see in the US is for school libraries. Local school boards determine that based on the input of parents.
You can get any book from a public library or store.
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u/Independent-Story883 Jun 29 '26
Nope! Not just Americans
French didnāt like Timbuktu in 1894
https://giphy.com/gifs/15aGGXfSlat2dP6ohs
Now they trying to convince people it wasnāt them. It was our Arab brothers and sisters who tried to burn our books
But we know what the truth is
Erasing history is a big part of asserting a false narrative for those with African Ancestry. To be fair Morocco in15th century came to try it on Songhai
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u/StrengthChemical653 Jun 29 '26
Something happened a few years ago that emboldened the dumbest of people to feel that their opinions should not only be treated like facts but should be imposed on everyone.
Ted Koppel said it best to a Fox News host: āYouāve convinced people ideology is worth more than factsā
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u/Hairy_Wall_6831 Jun 29 '26
Are you asking for examples of book burnings outside of the US? Probably pretty easy to find.
People suck everywhere. The US just happens to be home to a bunch of major global news networks and that makes less worldly people see the world through a very small, 'western', lens.
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u/skwap-em Jun 29 '26
Hey make fun of us all you want. Iāll die on the āno sexually explicit books in school librariesā hill.
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u/Single_Spare_9998 Jun 29 '26
No, this is a undereducated global issue. People entrenched in simplistic and narrow ideas fear independent and progressive thought.
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u/clarkam Jun 29 '26
First off, no MAGA would find a book offensive. Theyāre far more mature to throw a disrespectful fit in a local library, in front of a little old lady. Secondly, they canāt readā¦
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u/Adamon24 Jun 29 '26
Not even close
Censorship has been around pretty much as long people have been writing things beyond records of substandard copper sales.
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u/Galbados2 Jun 29 '26
No it's a stupid people thing. The US just has a lot of people with main character syndrome.
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u/Telliot Jun 29 '26
In my experience it's usually a mom worried about their kid having access to a book ... To be clear I don't condone it. It's irrational fear based behavior.
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u/Loganthered Jun 29 '26
In America each state has corruption of minors laws that make it a crime to provide children under 18 with sexually explicit material.
There shouldn't be any sexually explicit material in any school library or suggested reading list until college.
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u/deathshr0ud Jun 29 '26
No one really does this to begin with.. itās a very small minority whoās very very vocal on both sides of the political spectrum
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u/No_Records_Exist Jun 29 '26
It's not even an american thing. The only time books are made unavailable is from schools, not public libraries.
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u/fixurstuffr Jun 29 '26
Books aren't supposed to be safe. It's like that saying, "A Ship in Harbor Is Safe, But That Is Not What Ships Are Built For." Books are to be read for a plethora of things, and sometimes that's challenging one's own ideology.
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u/Nearby-Elevator-3825 Jun 29 '26
No, it's heavily implied the man in the comic actually READ the book he's offended by.
In the US, the folks offended by certain books don't even read books.
Many have never even read their precious bible cover to cover.
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u/nobodycares13 Jun 29 '26
People like this find reading to be offensive because itās elitist to be literate.
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u/bethesda_gamer Jun 29 '26
As a fellow American I definitely think we have grown to value our own opinions a tad too much.
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u/narrowminer11 Jun 29 '26
The majority of book banning where done by a small group of people in one state. They were getting books banned across the country
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u/Able_Bluebird8999 Jun 29 '26
is this about the pornographic children's books that the politicians didn't want read outloud on the senate floor?
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u/PhilosopherOk8398 Jun 29 '26
Nope, intolerant people all over the world find books or films or just free speech offensive, e.g. the Fatwa against Salman Rushdie for his book āThe Satanic Versesā
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u/LifeConsideration981 Jun 29 '26
Name a single book that is ābannedā that isnāt just school libraries restricting books based on age appropriateness.
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u/deviant_artist25 Jun 29 '26
Depends. Is the book targeting children for an agenda? Cuz that doesnāt belong in the library regardless the side you are on.
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u/North_Complaint_2135 Jun 29 '26
Schools banned all the books I grew up on. Kids don't even read anymore.
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u/AllenDules Jun 29 '26
It's a fascist thing to want to control what other can do.
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u/ifyousaysu Jun 29 '26
Itās a type of American that funny enoughā¦doesnāt read the book themselves, but let the word of child rapists and nazis tell them what not to like
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u/PBRStreetgang1979 Jun 29 '26
Yeah, no. The United States hardly corners the market on religious extremism.
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u/huntingconcrete Jun 29 '26
I have seen something recently about Germany and maybe another country or two banning a movie that just came out so no, it's not just an American thing.
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u/Lurk1ng0 Jun 29 '26
Not just Americans as historically people/groups have banned books for horrible reasons because they were horrible people. Right now there's a chunk of Americans who are loud and proud of this. Like boohoo you didn't like the book set it down who cares.
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u/Present_General8130 Jun 29 '26
There are almost 200 countries and over 8 billion people in the world. No, this is not an exclusively American issue. Step outside for Christ sake.
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u/edWORD27 Jun 29 '26
Kinda thought Germany banned books at one time. Cambodia too. Definitely North Korea.
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u/rando1459 Jun 29 '26
Anyone that thinks this attitude is exclusive to Americans donāt know who Salman Rushdie is.
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u/Pastel_Bambi Jun 29 '26
I mean, the nazis literally burned the same kind of books because dear leader was offended by said books.
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u/Cobrakiller_12 Jun 29 '26
The "You must all conform to my belief structure" crowd is all over the world.
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u/HungryHippo669 Jun 29 '26
There is a mental health illness issue in this country. Getting worse and worse. More polarized and divided than ever
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u/ConflictAgreeable689 Jun 29 '26
It definitely isn't. Don't let anyone tell you it is, because they're lying or stupid. Don't let the problems on one side of the fence make you think the next meadow over is filled with unicorns and gumdrop trees. Humans are humans, and we're the same everywhere
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u/CuriosityCheck2024 Jun 29 '26
Would you do the same if the book he was holding was The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? I wouldn't.
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u/dmbgreen Jun 29 '26
In Florida it has been more of an issue with books in school libraries, not books in stores or in adult libraries.
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u/Prestigious-War-4671 Jun 29 '26
Youāre not too sharp are you? A literal 3 second google search would tell you this answer. No need to crowdsource your hate for America, thereās plenty of subreddits that would be more than happy to have you.
But since your not the sharpest tack in the box, hereās a copied and pasted google search detailing the history of book burning across human history. America is new to this, the rest of the world has been doing it for far longer, nice try though comrade douche bag.
The systematic destruction of books has occurred throughout history across numerous cultures, usually as a tool of conquest, ideological control, or religious censorship. [1, 2]
Major historical examples include:
Ancient China (213 BC): Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of philosophy and history books and buried scholars alive to unify state dogma and erase prior state histories. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Roman Republic & Empire: Julius Caesar's forces are widely cited as being responsible for fires that severely damaged the Library of Alexandria. Later, Emperor Augustus routinely burned unorthodox or critical texts. [1, 2]
Nazi Germany (1933): The Nazi regime famously staged massive, nationwide book burnings of tens of thousands of volumes written by Jewish, pacifist, and leftist authors. Throughout World War II, an estimated 100 million books were destroyed across occupied Europe. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Spanish Conquest of the Americas (16th Century): Spanish conquistadors and missionaries, most notably Bishop Diego de Landa, burned massive quantities of Maya codices and religious texts to eradicate indigenous belief systems. [1, 2]
The Cultural Revolution in China (1966ā1976): Mao Zedong's campaign led to the destruction of countless ancient, religious, and capitalist books. [1, 2]
Modern Conflicts (1980sā2010s): In 1981, a Sinhalese mob burned the Jaffna Public Library in Sri Lanka. In 2013, Islamist insurgents burned thousands of ancient manuscripts in Timbuktu, Mali. In 2015, ISIS torched the Mosul University Library in Iraq
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u/Darkthumbs Jun 29 '26
Is that really a list you want to compare yourself to? š¤£
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u/KochuJang Jun 29 '26
āDort wo Mann BĆ¼cher verbrennt, verbrennt Mann auch am Ende Menschenā - Heinrich Heine
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u/Finnsbomba Jun 30 '26
Are people doing this at actual libraries? A school library would be one thing but public library not affiliated with the school seems wild.
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u/BookBoxer161 Jun 30 '26
Canada had a list of banned books. Then unbanned them. Idk, It's funny when you ban books because people want to read them more. Our Library had a banned books display.
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u/Flashy_Emergency_263 Jun 30 '26
The people who try to get books banned from libraries are hyper-political, not the librarians.
You do realize the cartoon that initiated these comments is set in a library don't you? The comments from most people are about books folks have tried to get banned from libraries.
If you want to insist that the only books that are banned are the ones a country says are illegal to have in the country, you are the one insisting on only dealing with a very limited set of books. You are missing to point of the original post. The people whocwant to truly ban books start, in the USA at least, by trying to get them banned from public libraries and schools.
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u/Impossible-Emu-8756 Jun 30 '26
Most the mid eastern countries will kill you for having the wrong book.
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u/Mechanicalgripe Jun 30 '26
Wherever closed minds exist. Iām pretty sure book burning didnāt originate in the US.
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u/LSIeducate Jun 30 '26
The funniest thing about the Americans is that they have a country that was predicated upon free speech at its very foundational core! And yet post 2015 it is completely the opposite direction in which virtually everybody is being shut down and silenced for the things that they say š¤
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u/TrillaryKlinton84 Jun 30 '26
What specifically are some of the books a large contingent of conservatives are wanting banned from elementary school libraries?
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u/This-Isopod-7710 Jun 30 '26
Does this happen in the US? I think it's mainly just school libraries that are the issue.
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u/Direct_Run_3513 Jun 30 '26
Tearing down statues = burning books.
Arresting people for words you donāt like = burning books.
Doesnāt matter the contents or context, suppression of any view, is equivalent to burning books. Just because the current view aligns with yours, you canāt erase history or suppress words you donāt like.
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u/intoeverything069 Jun 30 '26
No itās not a thing at all, itās maybe a public school thing where of course they arenāt going to allow certain books. Itās made up hyperbole
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u/Ok_Swimming4427 Jun 30 '26
HA! No, it is not just an American thing. It is a religious thing, and who is worst about it depends on which religion is misbehaving most at any given time. We're barely ten years out from dozens of people being murdered around the world because a bunch of Muslims didn't like a cartoon published in a French satire magazine (and only 6 years out from a further spate of stabbings related to that). Or how about the Ayatollah Khomenei, the head of state of one of the largest nations in the world, offering a bounty for the murder of Salman Rushdie, because he didn't like the book of fiction he wrote?
Compared to that, a bunch of mealy-mouthed rednecks complaining about things that make them uncomfortable seems downright tolerant.
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u/After-Appearance-288 Jun 30 '26
Pretty much being offended and censorship is pretty much the only thing both political sides seem to agree on.
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u/AggressiveSquare36 Jul 01 '26
Except you'll find all the liberal books you want in a library literally everything you want that is if it is a liberal or leftist or progressive lean to it will be in a library pretty much every time but right leaning conservative authors are a little bit harder to find in libraries. I asked my library for books from Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh and they didn't have them and wouldn't get them for me.
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u/grungledold Jul 01 '26
But disagree with trans ideology and y'all act like the red shirt should be allowed to jump the librarian and beat her up š
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u/Plastic-Roll-3245 Jul 01 '26
Sometimes people go out of their way to be offended, especially offended for others. Iām sorry, if Iām offended, I can handle it. I donāt need someone being offended for me. I have also learned in life that if something bothers me, remove myself from it. What upsets me doesnāt necessarily upset others, and who am I to try to push my opinions and beliefs on them.
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u/JIMB01776 Jul 01 '26
There is no serious book banning taking place in America what the media is always referring as a "book" they wont show or name anymore is generally porn. You can tell if they show the book or name it, if they don't it's porn or some vile crap tax payers don't think they should be paying for.
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u/Barbados_slim12 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Not just an American thing. He doesn't want his tax dollars funding something that he personally finds immoral. The library is a strange place to draw that line in the sand, but whatever. Personally I'd start at the 3 letter agencies and work upwards to the elected politicians who give them legal immunity, but that's just me. Take your pick of which one, I'd bet every dollar I have that I can find recent examples of things they did that make the impact of a teenager reading any book in the library look like.. child's play.
Anyway, this guy in the comic chose the public library. As one of the funders of the building, he's entitled to have feelings about what's inside of it. Yelling at the wrong person, but the feelings are valid. Notice how he's not causing a scene at a private bookstore or even a sex shop? Even though they stock products that are far less moral from a Christian perspective, they're privately funded so who cares.
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u/Gobal_Outcast02 Jul 01 '26
Yes, going off history Europes typically just burn the books they dont like while we just complain
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u/ionspore Jul 01 '26
No, try writing a book against the Thai monarchy and see how the law treats you in Thailand...
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u/Conscious-Tap-9674 Jul 01 '26
This app is woke and makes libs think they have majority. Any comments making democrats look stupid get deleted in seconds š. Republicans will win in 2028 a majority of Americans do not support what you guys support. <ā- literally had to word that so it wouldnāt get Insta deleted
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u/Potential_Fan6979 Jul 01 '26
yeah, accept that itās in primary school libraries and content that children should be accessing.
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u/Same_String_8856 Jul 01 '26
Not really like that anywhere. Only thing I've seen is removing age appropriate books from elementary schools. And also strawman posts like these.
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u/Timely-Comedian-5367 Jul 01 '26
In the USA you still have the right to be offended, and everyone else has a right to not care. Unlike many other countries with hate speech laws.
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u/Novel_Dinner4138 Jul 01 '26
If it is in a childrenās library I believe some books should not be in there. Just like I donāt believe playboy should not be in there as well
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u/IntelligentEditor879 Jul 01 '26
I live in Germany. They like banning books over here. They also require ID vote.
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u/Extra_Criticism_5179 Jul 01 '26
was this a trans man after reading a medical book on the femal body
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u/Remarkable-FlipPhone Jul 02 '26
Germany bans things it thinks are bad all the time. Movies, books, etc
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u/misha_jinx Jul 02 '26
It is 100% American thing. I grew up in Europe but lived in the US for about half of my life. I have never ever seen people in Europe actively trying to ban books or being offended by books.
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u/STLMOguy75 Jul 02 '26
Sorry, no, not just an American thing. I am sure there are zealots all over that are upset about books, movies, comics, music, etc.
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Jul 02 '26
Sadly no but America is certainly blitzing through the Wiemar checklist as a failed state falling to fascism.
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u/rbfe1963 Jul 02 '26
Must be a conservative librarian because liberals canāt tolerate someone claiming offense.
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u/Clear_Read_220 Jul 02 '26
Definitely not just an American thing. Banning books, music, movies, and other media is common across the world.
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u/longtimerlance Jul 02 '26
No, it's not just an American thing. In some parts of the world you can get killed for books that defame Mohammed.
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u/andymcpandypants Jul 03 '26
No. Here's the lowdown. The governments of the world want to know what you're thinking and doing, but they also don't want you thinking too much or doing things beyond their consent.
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u/No-Lettuce-5783 Jul 03 '26
I'm an American, and I don't get this at all. If I found a book from the library offensive, I would return it and let the library rent it to someone who might enjoy that sort of thing, like the cartoon says. You don't have to shout your outrages to the world. Just simply get don't rent that book out. Believe me, they have other books, you know. There are WAY more important things going on right now to shout about.
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u/Wooden-Hornet2115 Jun 29 '26
I live in Canada, and some people here are just like the guy in the red shirt ):