Of course, I don\u2019t blame her for this, sometimes loving parents cross the line from good parent to helicopter parent without even realizing it, and the marks of a loving, but probably a tad over protective parent is clear. \u00a0Overbearing parenting for adult children can leave a child\/adult feeling insecure and unprepared for their independent lives. \u00a0Often called “helicopter parenting”, this parenting style rarely offers the\u00a0child\u00a0much chance to speak for themselves and the parent often superimposes themselves into the lives of their children in unhealthy ways. \u00a0Supporting her as she fights is one thing- speaking for her, as though he is part of this process, is quite another. \u00a0Yes, even if he is paying for her education, because he chose to send her to a public junior college. \u00a0He’s not paying them to hide her from the darkness of the world, he’s paying them to teach her. \u00a0If he were that concerned about what they\u00a0might teach, he may have considered a private college with more stringent rules on reading material. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I’m not totally heartless about this. \u00a0I understand his desire to protect her, to guide her, to help her find the good things in life and to avoid the\u00a0bad things, as best he can. \u00a0We all want to protect our children from the world. \u00a0Mine are only two and four years old and there is SO much I have to shield from them, most people think I’m crazy! \u00a0I understand a parent wanting to support his daughter, especially when she feels she is being put in a situation that goes against her beliefs, her morals, or in any way makes her uncomfortable. \u00a0I understand how a parent looks into the eyes of his perfect, precious child and wants nothing but beauty to ever pass those lenses, I want that for my\u00a0<\/em>children, too, but that is just not the world we live in. \u00a0At SOME POINT he has to let her know the truth. \u00a0At some point, she has to know that not everyone has her opinion and that is okay- just because someone disagrees with you, does not mean they are not allowed to have their opinion or to continue what they think is best. <\/span><\/p>\n At some point, he has to allow her to fight her own battles, to prepare her with the truth, to arm her with her beliefs as a guidepost, but not use them as a weapon. \u00a0It is unfortunate he did not teach\u00a0her to understand that CONTEXT is important. \u00a0Watching pornographic images for “fun” may not be acceptable for them as a family, but within the context of a college course where complex storylines are\u00a0reviewed and analyzed academically, vivid, sexual and even violent images may be educational, relevant and necessary. This father, in his obvious love for his child, seems to have created an adult woman who does not know about the world and when she is faced with it, not only does she reject it, but she demands that no one else be subjected to it, either. \u00a0It seems as though she makes an assumption that because she finds it offensive, everyone else should, as well and no one has a right to the material.<\/span><\/p>\n This attitude speaks volumes, as it reflects the prejudice, intolerance and hate we experience in so many areas; race, homosexuality, religion, gender bias, counter-culture lifestyles\u00a0and that only lists a few! Intolerance is the root in this situation, intolerance and entitlement\u00a0as they and their supporters demand\u00a0their perspective be enforced rather than considering and respecting that, just maybe, not everyone feels the same way and perhaps others’\u00a0perspectives should be respected, too. \u00a0They are dangerously choosing a curtain over reality and fighting for the right to pull it over everyone’s eyes, not just their own.<\/p>\n I feel for this girl as she enters into adulthood.\u00a0\u00a0Breaking out into the world with that level of naivety can and refusal to accept the world as it is can leave her vulnerable to those same evils she is trying desperately to shut out. \u00a0Walking with blinders only works in familiar territory. \u00a0For her sake, I hope this adult child never ventures too far from home.<\/span><\/p>\n 3- Book banning by an adult because the \u201cmature content\u201d is too mature\u00a0for adults in college seems absurd. \u00a0She is calling for, “at the very least” a warning. \u00a0CHECK THE BACK OF THE BOOK YOU PURCHASED-It says “Suggested for mature readers” in big, bold letters. \u00a0Perhaps she should have considered what that might mean in the real world and take a look to see if the content was not aligned with her beliefs before continuing the course.<\/p>\n Why? \u00a0Well, let\u2019s see what else she will have to ban\u2026<\/p>\n The Canterbury Tales<\/p>\n ANYthing by Shakespeare<\/p>\n The Oedipus Trilogy<\/p>\n The BIBLE<\/p>\n Nearly EVERY PLAY ever written (okay that\u2019s an exaggeration, but still- more than 10 and DOZENS are in the library on that campus- believe me, I was a theatre student there!)<\/p>\n Books by Chaucer, Miller, Faulkner, Chopin, Joyce, Nabokov, Updike and countless others that dive into human tragedy, deviance, pain and fear. \u00a0My point is- it\u2019s a lot. \u00a0She and her helicopter parenting father would have to shut down the entire school, rewrite all the teacher’s curriculums,\u00a0restock the bookstore AND the library because chances are – at least ONE of those authors would be on her reading list at some point in ANY instructor\u2019s class, as it is now.<\/p>\n 4- The sheer entitlement exhibited by their actions is appalling. \u00a0As a parent, I am known for being *ahem* \u201ccautious\u201d with my children\u2019s young minds and at times, maybe more than I need to be but they are toddlers and at this age, it\u2019s called good parenting. \u00a0At age 20, a grown woman should recognize she is an adult and be far more offended by\u00a0her father is speaking for her in an interview than the drawings in her reading list. \u00a0At this age, she should be able to tolerate challenging and even risqu\u00e9 topics such as sex, rape, homosexuality, murder, drug addiction and many others in an educational forum in order to complete a semester of coursework. \u00a0She should be able to be willing\u00a0to give an instructor the benefit of the doubt, possibly even seek redemption in these terrible situations she is reading about and be willing to expand herself, even just a touch, outside her comfort zone to understand that these situations are someone\u2019s reality and by understanding them, she may grow as an individual. \u00a0These may be fictional, sci-fi\/fantasy stories, but many of the issues she seems concerned about are shockingly\u00a0real and it\u2019s not unthinkable for a college professor to expect an adult woman to dive into these topics for the sake of any college course.<\/p>\n I am sure she is a sweet girl and I appreciate the courage it takes to stand up for what she believes in. I don\u2019t blame her.\u00a0\u00a0I blame her parents for raising a child who, as an adult, cannot bear to look at the horrors of this world with open eyes and consider them for the sake of one English class. \u00a0No one is asking her to like these stories, or to enjoy the graphic nature of them – just to learn something from them. \u00a0No one is pushing her to read the entire Sandman saga on her own time or demanding she pick up a copy of the complete works of the Marquis de Sade. \u00a0It’s a college course- not a lifestyle choice.<\/p>\n Discrimination is real. \u00a0Violence is real. \u00a0Sexual deviance is real. \u00a0Evil and pain and heartache is real. \u00a0A world absent of those things\u00a0is NOT REAL. \u00a0I shudder to think of a world in which we leave our children unprepared for these horrible realities, and I fear for the world where those children are in charge.<\/p>\n These are the same children who screamed “justice” when they were denied their high school diplomas because they didn\u2019t pass all their classes. \u00a0These are the same children who demand \u201cfun\u201d at their jobs and refuse to do the work they are hired for unless it makes them feel good or if they get extra rewards like incentives trips, days off, prizes or money. \u00a0These are the same children who grow up to demand a job in a fast food restaurant pay the same rate as a seasoned customer service rep with a college degree in a corporate office.<\/p>\n The entitlement generation has no future in the modern world and when you add this lifestyle of\u00a0“I DESERVE BECAUSE I AM” mentality\u00a0to a horrifying willingness to blind oneself from the realities our cultures are drenched in, I just can\u2019t see any good to come of it. \u00a0You get situations like this, where an adult wants a book banned because she doesn’t\u00a0like it.<\/p>\n I\u2019m at a loss to understand how any parent would be so willing to allow their child to enter into their future so completely ill prepared for what is truly out there.<\/p>\n And finally ;<\/p>\n 5- I am a fierce supporter of the comic book industry and any artist’s right to exhibit their creativity- even if I don’t personally like it or agree with what they are doing. \u00a0I know several authors, artists and creative teams who pen, ink\u00a0and publish comics all across this nation and they are FIGHTING every day against discrimination. \u00a0They fight to bring their craft into the light of validity, to have it stand for something, to mean something beyond the perceived assumption\u00a0that they are childish, silly or a waste of time. \u00a0Comic books, graphic novels- ARE valid. \u00a0They are important and these artists bleed for their craft DAILY not expecting anything and knowing they are unlikely to be given any recognition for their countless hours of work, day and night to produce something that moves people. \u00a0Why are filmmakers more respected than comic book artists? \u00a0Because watching a movie is easier than reading a book. \u00a0That’s it. \u00a0Many years ago, before there were televisions, there were comic books and if you know your history, only a few of them were ever intended for children. \u00a0When Miss Shultz states she was “expecting Batman and Robin”, clearly, she has NEVER READ a Batman comic in her life, or she would known well what to expect.<\/p>\n Her ostentatious actions from start to finish stand to do damage to the craft and all who spend their lives and livelihoods bringing these works of art to the world and THAT is unacceptable. \u00a0That cannot happen.<\/p>\n We will stand by Ryan Bartlett’s side and the side of all who seek to share this beautiful medium with the world.<\/p>\n Stay tuned…<\/p>\n Trust I\u00a0will watch this story, expand upon it as new information and opinions come to light and keep you updated. \u00a0I have a feeling this issue is just getting warmed up and I’ll be ready to share it all with you, as it comes.<\/p>\n To read the Redlands Daily Facts article, click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n To read the CBLDF article, click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n *UPDATE* \u00a06\/17\/15 –<\/p>\n Over the last few days, I’ve kept a close eye on this situation and I’m glad I did. \u00a0New developments seem to be popping up everywhere.<\/p>\n First, two days ago, the Crafton Hills College President, Cheryl Marshall stated the following:<\/p>\n![\"11401247_10152784550852522_249794443056541674_n\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/11401247_10152784550852522_249794443056541674_n.jpg\")
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\nSure, book banning is a thing. \u00a0It\u2019s not just something that took place in the 1930\u2019s or in Nazi Germany. It happens now. \u00a0Today. \u00a0In America. \u00a0Back in 2007, they banned the original printing of Huckleberry Finn because it was racist. \u00a0It happens. \u00a0But when you suggest banning the selling of a book because of sexual or perverse content in a college bookstore or library and demand the cessation of any instructor from teaching from those books, you open up a whole new world of ridiculous.<\/p>\n