Blog Banning

Schools (it's unclear whether it's a statewide initiative or not) in Iowa are considering doing what a Rutland, VT school has done: ban blogs from viewing on school computers.

Oh, there are excuses, including that blogs are not always used for the best possible purposes. Blogger/Blogspot, for example, has come under particular fire because there are a number that use the service simply to set up Spam blogs and then push their stuff out to others. There has to be a better way to cope with this other than banning all blogs, or banning all blogs by a particular host. After all, I'm sure at least someone in recorded history has gone to a museum, looked at a nude statue or painting, and masturbated to it (hopefully at home later on). Does this mean you have to ban all nude statues or paintings?

I'm actually a lot more concerned that schools may be using excuses such as this when what they really want to ban is the content: dissident voices, deeper explanations of the sound bytes of network news, people who don't always appreciation Wally Mart, and so on.

No, I would not particularly recommend my blog as good material for school children. I'm not writing for a PG audience. But there are far more blogs than mine, and far more things discussed than politics, current events, and the media (the ostensible focus of this one). In fact, lots of blogs out there are as mindless and mouth-breathing as anything you'd find on TV.

But beyond mine or theirs, some of the blogs I visit offer excellent information on topics from depression and various health issues to art/books/movies to knitting, photography, cooking, and so much more. Many blogs encourage interaction (good) and critical thinking (very good). Those are not unuseful tools for today's kids unless, of course, you're trying to raise sheep for the corporate farm or just-follow-orders soldiers for fictitious wars.