# The morons are on the march, part 42,527 (Frisco, TX edition) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 30, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746 "2006-09-30T16:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/281 "2006-10-02T18:33:00Z")
[QUOTE=bdgr] “Alton Verm’s request to ban “Fahrenheit 451” came during the 25th annual Banned Books Week. He and Hines said the request to ban “Fahrenheit 451,” a book about book burning, during Banned Books Weeks is a coincidence.” sigh… [/QUOTE] Ah, the sweet whooosh of irony… ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/282 "2006-10-02T19:16:16Z")
I guess I have to reread that thing. The last time I read “Fahrenheit 451” I was in 8th grade and on the lookout for ANYTHING risque and I don’t recall it being all that interesting. I must’ve missed something. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/283 "2006-10-02T19:46:18Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] The last time I read “Fahrenheit 451” I was in 8th grade and on the lookout for ANYTHING risque and I don’t recall it being all that interesting. I must’ve missed something. [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > “It’s just all kinds of filth,” said Alton Verm, adding that he had not read “Fahrenheit 451.” “The words don’t need to be brought out in class. I want to get the book taken out of the class.” > He looked through the book and found the following things wrong with the book: **discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, “dirty talk,” references to the Bible and using God’s name in vain**. My bolding. I can’t speak for you, but none of those would have done diddly for my risque-o-meter. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/284 "2006-10-02T20:58:59Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] Really mhendo, while this is a remarkably stupid case of puritanical idiocy, implying that it happened because it’s Texas or that it could only happen in Texas (in spite of Unregistered Bull’s determined efforts in this thread to reinforce that notion) is regional bigotry. [/QUOTE] Oh, get over yourself. Regional bigotry, my ass. I’ve already said it was a tongue-in-cheek post. I never suggested it could only happen in Texas. And i made clear that i thought that the idiots in this case were in the minority. The main point of my post, for those too thick to get it, was related to **Unregistered Bull** ’s own location (Texas). I was mainly having a dig at him. But next time i’ll use a smiley, so that even the retarded understand my meaning. Having said all that, i would be willing to wager that a situation like this is more likely to happen in Texas than in many other states. Do you disagree that this type of fundamentalism and reactionary conservatism tends to have greater influence in some areas than others? And do you agree that it tends to hold greater sway in Texas than in some other states? As someone who has spent some time researching educational issues in the Texas State Archives and the papers of the Texas Education Association, as well as in other states, i can comfortably say that i am less surprised that this happened in Texas than, say, in Maryland. That’s not regional bigotry (i do, after all, have some Texan friends :rolleyes: ), it’s a reasonable conclusion based on evidence and experience. ---
**Author:** ![Schroedinger\_s\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Schroedinger\_s\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schroedinger_s_Dog)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/285 "2006-10-02T22:30:51Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] I can’t speak for you, but none of those would have done diddly for my risque-o-meter. [/QUOTE] There really isn’t that much risque in the book. The wife takes pills and ODs. I’ll have to go back and look for the taking of God’s name in vain, though I’m sure it’s all over the place. All the firemen smoke - big shock, given that IME most, you know, actual firemen smoke. I don’t suppose the girl from next door rubbing the dandelion under Montag’s chin would necessarily count as “dirty talk”? Violence - well, yes. And, probably the thing that disturbs him the most: one of the books that is burned is the _Bible_ :eek: Not only that, but one of the men Montag meets at the end (or who is described to him, I’ve forgot) is “Ecclesiastes”, meaning that (_gasp_) a person is claiming to be _The Word_. I think. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/286 "2006-10-02T22:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] As someone who has spent some time researching educational issues in the Texas State Archives and the papers of the Texas Education Association, as well as in other states, i can comfortably say that i am less surprised that this happened in Texas than, say, in Maryland. That’s not regional bigotry (i do, after all, have some Texan friends :rolleyes: ), it’s a reasonable conclusion based on evidence and experience. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but are they some of your **best** friends? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/287 "2006-10-03T00:18:05Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Yeah, but are they some of your **best** friends? 😛 [/QUOTE] My **very** best. Your turn of phrase was the one i was looking for originally, but i messed it up. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746/288 "2006-10-03T00:26:48Z")
People will attempt to ban a book for any silly reason. I love that the man in question has never read the damned book-that’s always a legitimate way to go about things… I am in a grad school class right now and have found that the book I chose to research was banned for a short time. Not completely banned, but challenged, by a librarian, no less. She put _The Phantom Tollbooth_ into a locked room, so that kids would have to ask for it because she considered it to be 'poor fantasy". 2 teachers in the local school district petitioned to have it out on the shelves. Go figure. :rolleyes: (this happened awhile ago, I bring it up only to show how absurd the whole thing is) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morons-are-on-the-march-part-42-527-frisco-tx-edition/374746.md?page=14)