College Declines Student's Request to Ban "Persepolis," "Sandman"

[FanboyStranger]

Slightly off topic (and perhaps reopening old wounds), but as time has moved on, I feel my biggest problem with the Manara scandal is that the hacked out Spider-Woman cover is likely to be the only Manara work that most people on both sides of the divide are ever going to look at.

Which, I guess, is also part of the problem I have with this student-- it's fine to read Batman for a class, but something more meaningful like Persepolis needs to be off-limits.

[Spike-X]

Which, I guess, is also part of the problem I have with this student-- it's fine to read Batman for a class, but something more meaningful like Persepolis needs to be off-limits.

That's something a lot of these religious nuts seem to have in common - they're scared to death of seeing or hearing anything with any kind of actual, meaningful content.

[Darrell D.]

Slightly off topic (and perhaps reopening old wounds), but as time has moved on, I feel my biggest problem with the Manara scandal is that the hacked out Spider-Woman cover is likely to be the only Manara work that most people on both sides of the divide are ever going to look at.

Which, I guess, is also part of the problem I have with this student-- it's fine to read Batman for a class, but something more meaningful like Persepolis needs to be off-limits.

I see that point as well..Manara has done a LOT of beautiful and meaningful work over decades. It is like judging Moebius based on the one Silver Surfer story he did in the 80's. It's barely a blip on his career.

[John Aston]

Good for the school.

Also, it's a common tactic for people of any point of view to shut down the an opposing point of view, not just limited to this political party or that social group.

And, it's okay to agree video games should feature strong, female leads and enjoy looking female breasts. I wouldn't want to live in a world where I am allowed only a certain opinion and tastes dictated by anybody from any group from any conservative or traditional religious sect to over-sensitive politically correct clique in fear of being publicly smeared.

The one-and-zero thinkers in this world are driving me nuts.

[Double 0]

Well, no. We're allowed to criticize ****, too, even if we don't pay for a copy.

And, with that, in particular, there were people screeching full volume if you dared to criticize it on any level. Because not liking a lazy, poorly considered piece of art from a man who can do better is tantamount to hating freedom and opening Dauchau. Same with the Batgirl cover that was pulled, or whatever homage to the Manara piece Cho drew this week. Or, the dumber parts of any Gaiman or Moore comic, really.

As you say, the bs crying comes from all ends of the spectrum.

It's not even the majority of people, I think, it's just that the loudest people are often the ones who can't stand any other voices. Which, might even be more depressing.

Agreed on all of this. But I'm expecting a backlash, a suppression of critique where "art for art sake" neo-romanticism is promoted, no matter what propaganda it spews.

And minorities once again will take the brunt of the negative propaganda. I'm fine with less censoring of art, but I want more critique. Critique is how art gets better. And that includes social critique, which I'm surprised is being seen as a bad thing in this thread.


And no, I don't side with the student. If I have to read Huck Finn, Heart of Darkness, and a ton of junk not meant for black people, Persepolis shouldn't be a problem.

[Indigo Al]

It's been ages since I read Persepolis, so - were there shocking scenes of sex and violence in it that I just can't even remember?

[Spike-X]

It's been ages since I read Persepolis, so - were there shocking scenes of sex and violence in it that I just can't even remember?

I'm sure there were, just like Gilbert Hernandez's Palomar is totally full of child porn, you guys.

[Indigo Al]

Here we go. And here is probably the 'questionable' panel.

Pathetic.

"As Chicago students themselves pointed out, the few panels in Persepolis depicting torture techniques that were used on Iranian dissidents are no more graphic than images encountered while studying other true events such as the Holocaust or slavery. Moreover, many of these same students are exposed to real-life violence daily in their own neighborhoods, so the official CPS justification for the restriction of a modern classic in the nation’s third-largest school district remains unconvincing."

[Stony]

Keep it on topic.
Discuss comics and censorship.

[Spike-X]

The course is now going to come with a disclaimer, so students have some idea of what they're getting into. I've taken the liberty of preparing one they could use:

"Disclaimer - you're supposed to be grownups. You're going to be reading about grownups doing grownup things. If you can't handle that, don't be a whiny little bitch and try to ruin it for everyone else."

[lancerman]

There is a difference between "I don't like/feel comfortable with this and here is why..." and "I don't like/feel comfortable with this and it should be banned so I don't have to be subjected to it".

[Spike-X]

There is a difference between "I don't like/feel comfortable with this and here is why..." and "I don't like/feel comfortable with this and it should be banned so I don't have to be subjected to it".

Absolutely. And it's not so much that she doesn't want to be subjected to it; it's obvious that they're not going to rest until they've made sure that nobody in that school is reading books that they personally disapprove of.

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

Yeah, this spat of hypersensitivity masking itself as progressivism is annoying at heck, especially when it attacks an art form that we all respect. But what can you do? College used to be about exposing yourself to different ideas and learning how big the world was, not picking out the parts you didn't like. Good for that College for sticking up for itself.

[Darrell D.]

Yeah, this spat of hypersensitivity masking itself as progressivism is annoying at heck, especially when it attacks an art form that we all respect. But what can you do? College used to be about exposing yourself to different ideas and learning how big the world was, not picking out the parts you didn't like. Good for that College for sticking up for itself.

College should be a wide open place for learning and experiencing new things, and prepare you for your adulthood, not a shelter from reality.
Very good move on the college's part, I agree.

[Darrell D.]

The course is now going to come with a disclaimer, so students have some idea of what they're getting into. I've taken the liberty of preparing one they could use:

"Disclaimer - you're supposed to be grownups. You're going to be reading about grownups doing grownup things. If you can't handle that, don't be a whiny little bitch and try to ruin it for everyone else."

Need a like button on this heah site, pardners.