The "Invisible Library" dataset is free to download. It contains detailed information on book bans by school district across the United States up to June 2022.

A snippet " The Topic Concentration chart above lends the clearest picture into the implied rationale behind the bans. Namely, the bans are not and have not been about the physical removal of a book from a shelf. The bans instead are meant to:

Virtue signal by people in positions of institutional power to voting-age parents interested in school choice, parental rights, and wedge social issues to the detriment of non-voting age students

Reject and exclude topics that challenge a perceived status quo from the public discourse (e.g. non-heteronormativity, non-cis identity, non-traditional gender roles, and non-Judeo-Christian books are targeted) "
  • @[email protected]
    19•1 year ago

    I grew up in the 80s and remember all the panic and censoring of music that was being paraded in front of us in America that led to parental warnings being put on albums. I had never heard of “2 Live Crew” until I was told not to listen to it. So of course me and all my friends bought it to listen to it.

    It’s awful to see that people on my generation grew up to be idiots trying to do the same shitty thing that we grew up with to our own kids.

    • @barrio_libre
      1•1 year ago

      I remember rather enjoying hating Tipper Gore and all that ludicrous PMRC bullshit. I don’t think we ever took it that seriously… it’s not like they actually managed to ban anything; they just slapped some really effective “buy me!” labels on a few records.

      Today’s version feels more insidious. I never felt like Tipper Gore was one step from decompensating and starting a race war. These folks, though—there’s violence just under the surface.

      • Funderpants OP
        6•1 year ago

        When the restrictions come at the expense of marginalized or minority members of society who are every bit as deserving of representation in government services as normative groups.