Fear Of Comic Books In The History of America's Moral Panics?! Revisited In An Excerpt From An Article by George Will Above: Photo of George Will Top Right Photo:  Comic Books Burning in Binghamton, New York 1948 Middle Right Photo: Dr. Frederic Wertham with Those 'Shocking' Comic Books Bottom Right Photo:   Comic Books in A Pickup Truck enroute to a Comic Book Burning in 1955   - - -

Today's Feature: Blog #3293

First of all, I want to state here that I do not normally re-print articles that are political in nature. 

However, the below excerpt from an article published in our local newspaper, as well as countless others in this past Sunday's editions elsewhere in the nation, is one that warrants being mentioned here.  I'll post a link to the full article, which actully is an op-ed from the Washington Post, at the end of the excerpts.

The article starts on the topic about the current furor on the video game 'Postal 2', that the California Legislature has passed a law on.

Although I'm not familiar with that video game, the idea that laws can be passed regarding censorship reminds me of the 1950's comic book burnings I've read about that occured during the time period I was born in.

Which is what George Will also brings up in his op-ed.  That and other points.

Thus my sharing an excerpt and the link to this article here today...

Our Puritanical Progressives
   
George F. Will
Sunday, November 28, 2010


"During the oral argument about whether the law restricting children's access to violent video games violates First Amendment guarantees of free expression, the lawyer representing game manufacturers urged the court to remember America's history of moral panics, which he said included one in the early 1950s about comic books. Really? Yes, and the episode remains instructive."

This is where I suggest that you read the article in full, as it brings up a lot of comic book history as well as what came next that was even bigger in the minds of those that wanted additional censorship.  It was of interest to me, as I was a Big Fan of the person written about that took the minds of citizens off of comics and onto the mind rotting rock n' roll music. Here's the link to the full article.

Again, I'm not posting this to do any political persuading; just that it seems that censorship runs in cycles, just like bringing back intellectual properties every twenty years for both a 'new' age group, and for those that grew up in and are wistfully looking back at their childhood. (i.e. Transformers, Indiana Jones, G.I. Joe, etc., etc.) and wanting to regain it.

My only wish is that those self publishers and bigger publishers would 'label' their product with some sort of 'guide' or 'warning' as to what age group / target market their product is suitable for.  Yes, that is a form of censorship, but publishers or indie creators self publishing risk another public backlash if they 'run amuck' such as those earlier publishers did during the 1950's.  And you know where that took the comics industry for a few decades!  Could this fragile and fragmented industry survive another backlash?! 

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