Poll: Would you ever burn a book?

[SoranMBane]

Yes, I suppose, but only if I was about to die from the cold, and even then, only if there was absolutely no other option. Almost any other reason is despicable as far as I'm concerned. Well within a person's rights, yeah, but despicable nonetheless. I wouldn't even burn the Communist Manifesto, Mein Kompf, or Twilight, and those are some pretty goddamn evil books.

 

[Chalacachaca]

I wouldn't burn a book, even if it happens to be the memoirs of Jack Thompson.

 

[Roperius]

As a last resort to preserve a life, yes. To burn a book or encourage it for ideological reasons, no. Even books written by bigots and monsters have worth.

Rational societies should be more inclined to persuade an individual or argue against the values of warped/prejudice points of view rather than simply erase them.

Oh, and guys and girls planning on burning GCSE and A-level text books, it might be an idea to hold onto a couple, you never know when you'll need to brush up on something or what you'll be doing in a few years time!

 

[madmatt]

My book on Hegelian Philosophy is evil and needs to be purged from this world. I wouldn't mind seeing some maths books go either. Other than that, probably not.

 

[IndianaJonny]

Honestly haven't read Fahrenheit 451 to be honest, it's on the to do list though. But I would like to elaborate I that I agree fully with your assertion that casting judgment on an idea/belief in any form (in this case books) and then censoring it based on your narrow-minded view is a fallacy. (hope I used that word correctly)

Very true. And it's something almost a little too easy to slip into on the Internet (guilty as charged!). You start to get into bad habits like commenting on world-affairs threads without reading around the subject, lazily assuming the OP has actually read the article he's reacting to, and so on. It may be less (stupidly) impressive but often enough, not knowing what to make of something is a perfectly acceptable position to be in for those of us not looking to inflate our ego.

Is it a fear of making decisions? No, I think I'm just fearful of people who feel they have the right to arbitarily make decisions for other people. Librarians don't tell you what (not) to read, they help you find what your after and make relevant suggestions.

 

[Daveman]

To keep warm... duh yes. Instead of just throwing it away... sure, why not. Because I disagree fundamentally with what it says... no, that's just retarded.

 

[HalfTangible]

Never because i /wanted/ to (Twilight, for example), but if i /had/ to (to hide missile codes), yes. I voted no, though, because A) the poll seemed to mean for ideological purposes and B) the latter scenario is not likely to happen to me.

 

[Taran Moltu]

I suppose if it were life or book, I'd choose life. Otherwise not really, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Books are works of love, sure some are little better than firewood *cough* Twilight *cough* but they still serve as an indication of what NOT to do.

Don't burn it, return it.

I also really like Fahrenheit 451, I don't want to be a fireman. >_<

 

[Dorian6]

Absolutely not! To destroy a book is tantamount to destroying knowledge itself which is the gravest of crimes! Even the shittiest book can teach you something, and just because you don't like it, that doesn't give you the right to destroy it!

 

[Peteron]

....why is this a question? I can't think of any situation where i would need to burn one unless I was stranded in the wilderness for warmth. ...Do you think burning books is satanic or something?

 

[Romidude]

I once burned a bible because my friends were going on about how it was sacred and that we needed to treat it with respect.

I listened to them all day before grabbing one (it was one of those small ones they give out at schools) and burning it in front of them. The shock on some peoples faces was awesome.

Ahhhh, I enjoyed that day :3

I like you
OT: No, to me it's like silencing someone's opinion.

 

[bubba145]

warmth yes
other reasons nope.

 

[Zacharious-khan]

twilight

 

[Haydyn]

As far as burning religious texts or controversial statements? No. When it comes to things like Twilight, then yes. Congradulations, Twilights fangirls! You officially have a more controversial standpoint than Hitler, OJ Simpson, religious extremists, celebrity assassinators, and people who use racial slurs in their literature to highlight real racism that took place.

(Seriosuly, who has the right to alter classic literature because they believe it is offensive?)

 

[dante brevity]

Fallout 3 taught me that paper books still have value, if only after the apocalypse. Why take any information out of the hand of humanity after the bombs fall?

 

[ultratog1028]

No. Burning a book always has seemed to me as a mind control attempt. It destroys knowledge, wastes resources, and is usually done to halt opinions differing then your own, which is extremely ignorant considering that you are claiming to be more correct then anyone else. Just because an opinion differs from mine doesn't mean I have to destroy it's source. It simply means they had a different view point then me.

 

[Azzy222]

Only Twilight books...

 

[ultratog1028]

Why not?

It's just paper.

So are $100 bills, the US constitution, your birth certificate, and the Swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated.

Would you burn those simply because they are paper?