#readwise # Odyssey Banned for Violence, Sexism; Is This the End of World Classics?  ## Metadata - Author: [[Patricia Claus]] - Full Title: Odyssey Banned for Violence, Sexism; Is This the End of World Classics? - URL: https://greekreporter.com/2021/03/02/odyssey-banned-for-violence-sexism-is-this-the-end-of-world-classics/ ## Summary The Odyssey was removed from a Lawrence, Massachusetts curriculum after activists said it promotes violence and sexism. Supporters of such bans want students shielded from racist, sexist, or violent content. Opponents say banning classics erases history and weakens students' language and cultural knowledge. The dispute centers on whether to censor old works or teach them with critical context. ## Highlights [Odyssey](https://greekreporter.com/2018/07/10/oldest-record-of-homers-greek-odyssey-unearthed-at-olympia/), Homer’s classic of world literature written in the time of [Ancient Greece](https://greekreporter.com/ancient-greece/), was recently banned in Lawrence, Massachusetts for portraying ideas that do not conform to modern norms of behavior. The move, reported recently by the *Wall Street Journal*, appears to stem from a “social justice” movement, created by Twitter users, called [DisruptTexts](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23DisruptTexts&src=typeahead_click). Its proponents believe that any world literature that does not portray the norms that they hold today in terms of gender roles, violence and racial equality must be banned in the interest of shaping a new generation that will not be allowed to come into contact with concepts that they consider repugnant — or even just outdated. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k40xxc6fxhpjq2jxrke1a0xw)) --- Banning classics such as the Twain masterpieces for including the n-word may have indeed stopped some young children today from being exposed to this extremely derogatory word in literature. But it has also resulted in an impoverishment of their world. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k40y47arckjv2kdp85qyrbgj)) ^6fqkyv --- The development spurs a range of questions in those who care about human history. Have we become so fragile as a society that we cannot tolerate the portrayal of different norms of behavior that were part of human life for millennia? How much of our cultural heritage must be thrown in the dumpster because this literature makes references to people who use words that we no longer use? Can we afford as a society to arrogantly dismiss world classics such as the Odyssey as “trash” because they portray warfare and traditional gender roles — which were the norm on the earth for many thousands of years? Are we to be deprived of one the earliest works of literature in the world because not everything that was described in it reflects our world today? Shouldn’t these instances actually be an opportunity for a teaching moment? ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k40y5ewxft3rr13pmsfp3ec6)) ^ktuhxz --- Science fiction writer Jon Del Arroz told the *Wall Street Journal* “It’s a tragedy that this anti-intellectual movement aimed at banning classics is gaining ground among educators and the publishing industry. “Erasing the history of great works only limits the ability of children to become literate.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k40y9d0rew5ae3fp28vfdbcj)) ^necb0r ---