Friday Night Lights Banned Books Project
Jared Motley
Yeam
H. English 2
18 November 2015
Is it right for a book to be challenged or banned? This has been going on all throughout history and books continue to be banned today. There is much controversy on this subject as many believe that some books contain information that needs to be censored while others believe that books should be available for everybody to read. Although Friday Night Lights includes material that may be seen as offensive or unsuitable for younger readers, it is relatively mild and does not negatively impact the main plot.
The history of Friday Night Lights is very controversial. It was banned in the Beaumont, Texas school district in 2009. There were parents that were upset to know that this book was available in schools. This novel was banned for a number of reasons. “The book and its screen adoptions have been noted for their frack portrayals of students’ use of profanity, sexual situations, and racism at the school and the wider community” (NDLA Online). The main cause of it being banned is the many racial issues that are very prominent in the society in Friday Night Lights. This leads to discrimination that is clearly shown through racial slurs and other demeaning actions. The entire town is still racially segregated despite the novel taking place in 1988. “Odessa’s values were old-fashioned as well when it came to race, still rooted in the days when the line between white and black was bluntly defined by the American version of the Berlin Wall--the railroad tracks that inevitably ran through the heart of the town” (Bissinger 99). The other elements of this book that were deemed inappropriate are very minor and very much overshadowed by the racial issues. There are some instances of players swearing at each other during a couple of the football games. “It didn’t really matter what it was, just as long as he whispered something every time he fell over Mike Winchell, just as long as it was foul and filthy” (Bissinger 345). These were seen as offensive by some citizens in Beaumont, Texas who complained that Friday Night Lights was inappropriate for children.
Many citizens of Odessa, the town the novel is based on, were angry with the way Bissinger portrayed them. “They charged that he grossly slandered the achievements of Permian High's football players, coaches and the city with his biting inside look (he lived in Odessa for a year) at not only the football mania that gripped the town but also the unrelenting racism that indelibly stamped it” (LA Times). When Friday Night Lights was written in 1990 racism was still an issue in society. However, there were steps being taken to end it. This could have played a role in why the novel was banned. ‘The 1980s took African-Americans to even greater heights than before. More visible than ever, African-Americans became a formidable presence in entertainment, politics, and science” (uts.cc.utexas.edu). Odessa texas, the town in Friday Night Lights, was incredibly behind the rest of the country when it comes to equal rights. “School desegregation, imposed by a federal court over bitter protests, did not take place until 1982” (Bissinger 100). Theses racial problems clearly influenced the writing of the novel and that is not something people want to hear about in a book when the current focus in society is getting rid of racism. Friday Night Lights was banned only six years ago in 2009 and society today is very similar. It is easy to see that issues regarding racism are very prominent. Friday Night Lights would still be banned today solely because of racism. The racial separation would do nothing more than aggravate people. “Racism, xenophobia, and intolerance are problems prevalent in all societies. Each and every one of us plays a role in either contributing to or breaking down racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes” (United Nations).
Friday Night Lights should not have been banned. It is reasonable that it may have been challenged in certain circumstances but it should not have been taken as far as to ban it completely. It is easy to see why young children may need to be shielded from some of the extreme parts of the novel but the majority of older students would be fine. “Yes, it does contain some profanity and references to sex and racism. How about that? Three things that are present in life itself” (Beaumont Enterprise). Profanity, sex, and racism are the three main reasons for the banning of Friday Night Lights. “It doesn’t help to shield students from these realities. It helps to educate them so they can deal with life’s challenges” (Beaumont Enterprise). It is not right to ban a book for everybody because somebody finds parts of the material it contains to be offensive. Like many things, whether or not a child can read this novel should come down to the decision of a parent with each case taken separately. Parents can choose when they want to expose children to some things but past a certain age, people need to be exposed to the reality of the world. There is no real reason to ban this book for everyone. Simply put, it tells a great story and these sensitive issues are very rarely the focus.
The themes of censorship and book banning in Fahrenheit 451 can be connected to the banning of Friday Night Lights is Beaumont, Texas. Friday Night Lights was brought to the attention of school administrators by a parent who complained that sections of the novel are inappropriate for a school library. “Kids today often grow up too fast and are exposed to things their young minds can't handle. It's unfortunate, but it certainly shouldn't happen in a public school classroom” (Beaumont Enterprise). In essence, it was banned to keep people satisfied with the schools. Actions were taken in order to keep disagreements and dangers away from the school. In Fahrenheit 451, books are said to contain things that would hurt society so it is best to keep them censored. “A little learning is a dangerous thing” (Bradbury 106). This is the same thing as saying that the racism and profanity in Friday Night Lights will do nothing but hurt people only on a much larger scale. “Read a few lines and you go over the cliff” (Bradbury 106). Bradbury says that by keeping people from reading, unnecessary and possibly dangerous ideas will be kept out of their minds. The idea of banning Friday Night Lights is to keep people from developing bad ideas from bad themes depicted in the book.
All books have something in them that could cause them to be challenged or banned. In some cases the challenging or banning of a book is not easily justified. The reasons why Friday Night Lights was banned are fairly clear. Even so, it seems like an extreme measure to take for this specific novel. Censorship can have benefits and drawbacks. It takes a lot away from everything and it is disappointing that people are being shielded from very important information.
Yeam
H. English 2
18 November 2015
Is it right for a book to be challenged or banned? This has been going on all throughout history and books continue to be banned today. There is much controversy on this subject as many believe that some books contain information that needs to be censored while others believe that books should be available for everybody to read. Although Friday Night Lights includes material that may be seen as offensive or unsuitable for younger readers, it is relatively mild and does not negatively impact the main plot.
The history of Friday Night Lights is very controversial. It was banned in the Beaumont, Texas school district in 2009. There were parents that were upset to know that this book was available in schools. This novel was banned for a number of reasons. “The book and its screen adoptions have been noted for their frack portrayals of students’ use of profanity, sexual situations, and racism at the school and the wider community” (NDLA Online). The main cause of it being banned is the many racial issues that are very prominent in the society in Friday Night Lights. This leads to discrimination that is clearly shown through racial slurs and other demeaning actions. The entire town is still racially segregated despite the novel taking place in 1988. “Odessa’s values were old-fashioned as well when it came to race, still rooted in the days when the line between white and black was bluntly defined by the American version of the Berlin Wall--the railroad tracks that inevitably ran through the heart of the town” (Bissinger 99). The other elements of this book that were deemed inappropriate are very minor and very much overshadowed by the racial issues. There are some instances of players swearing at each other during a couple of the football games. “It didn’t really matter what it was, just as long as he whispered something every time he fell over Mike Winchell, just as long as it was foul and filthy” (Bissinger 345). These were seen as offensive by some citizens in Beaumont, Texas who complained that Friday Night Lights was inappropriate for children.
Many citizens of Odessa, the town the novel is based on, were angry with the way Bissinger portrayed them. “They charged that he grossly slandered the achievements of Permian High's football players, coaches and the city with his biting inside look (he lived in Odessa for a year) at not only the football mania that gripped the town but also the unrelenting racism that indelibly stamped it” (LA Times). When Friday Night Lights was written in 1990 racism was still an issue in society. However, there were steps being taken to end it. This could have played a role in why the novel was banned. ‘The 1980s took African-Americans to even greater heights than before. More visible than ever, African-Americans became a formidable presence in entertainment, politics, and science” (uts.cc.utexas.edu). Odessa texas, the town in Friday Night Lights, was incredibly behind the rest of the country when it comes to equal rights. “School desegregation, imposed by a federal court over bitter protests, did not take place until 1982” (Bissinger 100). Theses racial problems clearly influenced the writing of the novel and that is not something people want to hear about in a book when the current focus in society is getting rid of racism. Friday Night Lights was banned only six years ago in 2009 and society today is very similar. It is easy to see that issues regarding racism are very prominent. Friday Night Lights would still be banned today solely because of racism. The racial separation would do nothing more than aggravate people. “Racism, xenophobia, and intolerance are problems prevalent in all societies. Each and every one of us plays a role in either contributing to or breaking down racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes” (United Nations).
Friday Night Lights should not have been banned. It is reasonable that it may have been challenged in certain circumstances but it should not have been taken as far as to ban it completely. It is easy to see why young children may need to be shielded from some of the extreme parts of the novel but the majority of older students would be fine. “Yes, it does contain some profanity and references to sex and racism. How about that? Three things that are present in life itself” (Beaumont Enterprise). Profanity, sex, and racism are the three main reasons for the banning of Friday Night Lights. “It doesn’t help to shield students from these realities. It helps to educate them so they can deal with life’s challenges” (Beaumont Enterprise). It is not right to ban a book for everybody because somebody finds parts of the material it contains to be offensive. Like many things, whether or not a child can read this novel should come down to the decision of a parent with each case taken separately. Parents can choose when they want to expose children to some things but past a certain age, people need to be exposed to the reality of the world. There is no real reason to ban this book for everyone. Simply put, it tells a great story and these sensitive issues are very rarely the focus.
The themes of censorship and book banning in Fahrenheit 451 can be connected to the banning of Friday Night Lights is Beaumont, Texas. Friday Night Lights was brought to the attention of school administrators by a parent who complained that sections of the novel are inappropriate for a school library. “Kids today often grow up too fast and are exposed to things their young minds can't handle. It's unfortunate, but it certainly shouldn't happen in a public school classroom” (Beaumont Enterprise). In essence, it was banned to keep people satisfied with the schools. Actions were taken in order to keep disagreements and dangers away from the school. In Fahrenheit 451, books are said to contain things that would hurt society so it is best to keep them censored. “A little learning is a dangerous thing” (Bradbury 106). This is the same thing as saying that the racism and profanity in Friday Night Lights will do nothing but hurt people only on a much larger scale. “Read a few lines and you go over the cliff” (Bradbury 106). Bradbury says that by keeping people from reading, unnecessary and possibly dangerous ideas will be kept out of their minds. The idea of banning Friday Night Lights is to keep people from developing bad ideas from bad themes depicted in the book.
All books have something in them that could cause them to be challenged or banned. In some cases the challenging or banning of a book is not easily justified. The reasons why Friday Night Lights was banned are fairly clear. Even so, it seems like an extreme measure to take for this specific novel. Censorship can have benefits and drawbacks. It takes a lot away from everything and it is disappointing that people are being shielded from very important information.
Works Cited
"Aimless Musings." Aimless Musings. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Book Friday Night Lights Banned in Beaumont." The Avenue. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Fight, Racism, Antiracism, Racial, Take a Stand, Discrimination, Advocating, Human Rights, Justice, United Nations, UN." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Friday Night Lights' Fumbles Opportunity." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2004. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Intellectual Freedom Blog » Blog Archive » Librarians Land BISD Atop Banned Book List (Beaumont, TX)." Intellectual Freedom Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"PRO/CON: Should the Book 'Friday Night Lights' Be Banned from Beaumont Schools?" Beaumont Enterprise. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Book Friday Night Lights Banned in Beaumont." The Avenue. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Fight, Racism, Antiracism, Racial, Take a Stand, Discrimination, Advocating, Human Rights, Justice, United Nations, UN." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Friday Night Lights' Fumbles Opportunity." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2004. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Intellectual Freedom Blog » Blog Archive » Librarians Land BISD Atop Banned Book List (Beaumont, TX)." Intellectual Freedom Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"PRO/CON: Should the Book 'Friday Night Lights' Be Banned from Beaumont Schools?" Beaumont Enterprise. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.