A group of overly sensitive students and parents are fighting to have ‘Sandman’, ‘Persepolis’, ‘Y: The Last Man’, ‘Fun Home ‘ and several other graphic novels, banned from the campus of Crafton Hills College, where the books are covered by the English 250 course. In the course, the graphic novels are covered as a viable type of literature and are used as a source material for assignments and discussions by Professor Ryan Bartlett, who has taught the class for three semesters and is standing up to defend the books.
Student Tara Shultz started the ridiculous drama when she noticed the violence and sensitive subject matter in the graphic novels. Shultz made the comment ” I expected Batman and Robin, not pornography.” She made another statement at a protest earlier this week “At most I would like the books eradicated from the system. I don’t want them taught any more. I don’t want anyone else to have to read this garbage. We haven’t gotten into the issue of these books being sold in the bookstore and there are under-age kids here at this campus.”
There is no word yet if the college will take action.
So, let me get this straight, a collage student, an adult, is upset about graphic novels? Seriously? I would be willing to bet that everyone involved with the protest has read ‘Lord of the Flies’, Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Perfume’ and more than likely at least half of them have seen or read ’50 Shades of Grey’, and I can almost guarantee that none of them protested those books. So, that leads me to wonder why the comics really are a target.Do they not see the books as real literature? Don’t like a book? Fine, don’t read it. As for her “Batman” comment, last time I checked there was violence in every volume. The courses are for adults, not kids. It sounds to me like they need to grow up and get a life.
