Not the schools’ job
The letter to the editor written by Hilo High School student Syncere Johnson (“Fostering acceptance,” Your Views, Oct. 2) was well-written and thought out. Her logic was flawless.
However, it is not the schools’ job to make moral decisions for our children. It is the parents’ job.
Her world view is secular humanism, which conflicts with my world view, which lines up with the Bible or word of God.
Gender binary norms, or a lack thereof, are biblically wrong. We are born male and female, not like all the many different letters for gender adjustments (LGBTQIA+) many others say we are.
If you believe Ms. Johnson’s belief, then her letter is entirely correct (in content). But if you claim the Bible as your source or authority, then her views do not line up with the word of God.
The bottom line, whether you line up with Syncere Johnson or myself: It is not the schools’ job to teach morality. It is the parents’ job!
Michael Quay
Pahoa
Banning books
I’m writing about the concerns regarding the prohibition of books.
Books that teach us about the importance of our history and future should not be banned simply because they go over topics that are deemed to be too realistic or sensitive for younger readers. I believe the prohibition of books is a severe problem we and future generations face, because we’re starting to lack the education and importance of the past and present.
Teachers and librarians from all around the world agree on one thing. Books that can educate younger readers about national and global issues through realistic or sensitive topics should not be prohibited. But as of today, books are still being challenged and banned for many reasons, such as expressing too much negativity like suicide and depression, sexual content or dialogue, use of profanity, societal and racial issues, violence and characters that fall under the LGBT community.
Although some of these go under the category of sensitive topics, they help the reader to gain awareness of the situation, learn what it is about, and allows them to find some sort of connection to the book they read.
These banned books teach and help us learn more about what our world has gone and is going through. Therefore, if you don’t like it, then you shouldn’t read it.
It is important to understand the point of what these books are trying to help us learn about. The more books are prohibited for being too realistic or sensitive leaves us and future generations mindless and lacking the education about the real world and problems that take place in it.
Starting today, you can spread more awareness about this through social media, friends, family, school staff, co-workers and much more. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter about concerns regarding the prohibition of books. I hope you take this matter into consideration.
Dana San
Hilo High School student