LeVar Burton on book bans: Dystopia of 'Fahrenheit 451' is now reality

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  • Опубліковано 5 жов 2023
  • Literacy advocate and actor LeVar Burton joins MSNBC's Ali Velshi during Banned Book Week to discuss Burton's work advocating for people to read banned books which he says will teach us about others' lived experiences making us more empathetic people.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 482

  • @danburnes722
    @danburnes722 9 місяців тому +59

    I still think Levar would have made a great Jeopardy host.

    • @scottleung9587
      @scottleung9587 9 місяців тому +1

      He wasn't very good in that gig - it was disappointing.

    • @t.h.8475
      @t.h.8475 9 місяців тому +1

      I knew I wasn't the only one still thinking that.

  • @micheleconner5083
    @micheleconner5083 9 місяців тому +45

    Its doubtful that any of those trying to ban various books have read any of the books they ban!

    • @sandal_thong8631
      @sandal_thong8631 9 місяців тому

      One of the "clever" things they are trying is to make the teachers and librarians ban their own books for fear someone might object. Self-censorship.

    • @IMGreg..
      @IMGreg.. 9 місяців тому +5

      Very little doubt.

    • @Exxeron-ob3tv
      @Exxeron-ob3tv 9 місяців тому +2

      Many parents have been thrown out of school board meetings for reading excerpts from the books they do not want their young children exposed to.
      The reason stated is that such material was inappropriate for public reading IN FRONT OF ADULTS.
      Have you read any of them?

    • @samw5767
      @samw5767 9 місяців тому +1

      @@Exxeron-ob3tvso, if you’re the designated ‘censor’ for the school district, why not just use a magic marker to blacken out an offending word or sentence?

    • @Exxeron-ob3tv
      @Exxeron-ob3tv 9 місяців тому +1

      @@samw5767 Missed the point entirely, eh? On purpose?

  • @martygould5114
    @martygould5114 9 місяців тому +64

    I read Fahrenheit 451 in junior high and it has stuck with me my whole life. I recently reread it -- my local library has 2 copies-- and I realized I hadn't forgotten any of it.

    • @tringuyen7519
      @tringuyen7519 9 місяців тому +15

      FYI, several school boards have already banned Fahrenheit 451. It was deemed inappropriate for young readers. Welcome to MAGA America.

    • @RyanRoberson-gc1op
      @RyanRoberson-gc1op 9 місяців тому +1

      It not about censorship

    • @micheleconner5083
      @micheleconner5083 9 місяців тому +14

      I read Fahrenheit 451 in early 60's, when I was 10. I,too ,haven't forgotten what it was about. People need to read it,along with George Orwell books!!

    • @RyanRoberson-gc1op
      @RyanRoberson-gc1op 9 місяців тому

      ​@@micheleconner5083it's not about censorship

    • @Geffo555
      @Geffo555 9 місяців тому

      This fascist lite doctrine is everything that Bradbury warned us of.

  • @DawnDavidson
    @DawnDavidson 9 місяців тому +138

    My mother engaged in book burning. My mother the TEACHER did that! She tried to burn my dad’s Science Fiction collection. Fortunately, he wouldn’t let her, so I was free to read books like 1984, and Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451. The irony of people banning books like Fahrenheit 451 is stark, and completely lost on those doing the banning. LeVar is absolutely right: it’s about fear.
    Thank you, LeVar, for everything you did for so many people in opening their eyes to reading.

    • @lalaj5831
      @lalaj5831 9 місяців тому +15

      One of my favourite books is Dune by Frank Herbert. My favourite line is “Fear is the mind killer.”

    • @SuperOdyss
      @SuperOdyss 9 місяців тому +3

      But of course, banning alternative public opinions on social media is AOK, amirite?

    • @Klako-ls6yt
      @Klako-ls6yt 9 місяців тому +24

      @@SuperOdyssSocial media platforms are privately owned. They are free to ban whatever they want. However, government-run public schools banning books is a violation of the first amendment.

    • @6Haunted-Days
      @6Haunted-Days 9 місяців тому +10

      Nope not just fear.....also CONTROL/POWER!!!

    • @Cmunic8
      @Cmunic8 9 місяців тому +14

      @@SuperOdysssince you’re apparently not familiar with the constitution so here ya go
      Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
      Try to comprehend please

  • @debbietroyer9480
    @debbietroyer9480 9 місяців тому +42

    I generally buy a book as soon as I learn that it has been banned. I also encourage my grandchildren to read age-appropriate books that have been banned. This country has gone crazy in many ways lately, but banning books is one of the things that makes me angriest about all of this. Just tell me that there is something inside of a book that you do not want me to know, then my nose will be in that book just as soon as humanly possible. I can’t believe that we are having this discussion this far into the 21st-century!

    • @Exxeron-ob3tv
      @Exxeron-ob3tv 9 місяців тому +3

      Interesting... so "age appropriate" is important to you?
      Maybe you are not a hypocrite, perhaps you simply haven't seen the videos of parents getting kicked out school board meetings for reading from books found in elementary school libraries because the subject matter was inappropriate for the adults in the room?

    • @debbietroyer9480
      @debbietroyer9480 9 місяців тому +8

      @@Exxeron-ob3tv I have seen way too many of those videos. Actually, I was talking about my own grandkids. My 7 year old grandson reads really well, but I would not stick a sexually explicit book in his hand and tell him to read it. I don’t see anything wrong with “age appropriate.” Many of the banned books are age appropriate for young children. Some are not, but are for older kids. I think the parents can monitor their own kids. School boards need not stick their noses too far in.

    • @bernardkung7306
      @bernardkung7306 9 місяців тому +6

      Ironically, that's also how most kids respond to "forbidden knowledge", too.
      "Not allowed to read that" = "I really want to see what the fuss is about!"

    • @bernardkung7306
      @bernardkung7306 9 місяців тому +4

      @@Exxeron-ob3tv You can find that "age inappropriate" stuff in the Bible, too.
      Context matters.
      Those readings in school-board meetings carefully avoid all the relevant context (generally because those "grown-ups" don't understand context themselves, anyways).
      But the kids are actually a lot smarter than the book-banners. The context is what makes it an interesting read.
      And if the kids don't understand those things yet, _then they won't be interested_ -- except insofar as the "forbidden knowledge" label makes them want to see what the fuss is about (and they'll decide it's actually kind of boring and move on to things that actually do interest them).
      Of course, these people don't remember what it's like being a child, any better than they understand context.

    • @glenjohnson5323
      @glenjohnson5323 3 місяці тому

      It seems the same people who claim to love the constitution don't have much regard for the 1st amendment.

  • @normalityrelief
    @normalityrelief 9 місяців тому +30

    I'm 42 and that voice still makes me feel like an excited kid. Thank you LeVar

  • @ReiAyanami8
    @ReiAyanami8 9 місяців тому +27

    They mention how LeVar Burton started in the show Reading Rainbow, but Mr. Burton currently has a podcast where, well, just reads short stories to you. It's called LeVar Burton Reads, if you're interested.

  • @loriparks8657
    @loriparks8657 9 місяців тому +27

    PBS needs to get back with LeVar Burton to put Reading Rainbow 🌈 back in production and put back on air the old shows . Support your local book stores also on-line support and buy banned books .

  • @xaronx540
    @xaronx540 9 місяців тому +178

    "Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings"
    - Heinrich Heine (1797-1856), one of the most significant German poets.

    • @SuperOdyss
      @SuperOdyss 9 місяців тому +5

      Name just ONE book that has been banned in the USA. Just one!

    • @benjaminfranklin8412
      @benjaminfranklin8412 9 місяців тому +5

      Which city government or school board had advocated for book burning?

    • @ZoeX87
      @ZoeX87 9 місяців тому +14

      As a trans person I am keenly aware of the patterns of history, and it's scary.

    • @benjaminfranklin8412
      @benjaminfranklin8412 9 місяців тому +2

      @@ZoeX87 why would being someone who identifies as trans give you some kind of specialized knowledge? I don't understand your point.

    • @SuperOdyss
      @SuperOdyss 9 місяців тому

      @@ZoeX87 So you have noticed the connection between the creation of cosmetic surgery for transsexuals and the Madison avenue push to convince more people to take that very expensive path? Funny how it wasn't a problem when there was nothing we could do about it, but as soon as plastic surgery progressed, suddenly people lose their minds. It is a 15% per annum growth market if they can continue to convince enough people. Hmmmmm.

  • @mattrobinson47
    @mattrobinson47 9 місяців тому +128

    National Treasure LeVar Burton. Thank you for this clip!

    • @sethabel4315
      @sethabel4315 9 місяців тому +7

      Amen.

    • @johnshafer7214
      @johnshafer7214 9 місяців тому +6

      God bless this national treasure.

    • @Exxeron-ob3tv
      @Exxeron-ob3tv 9 місяців тому +3

      He was awesome in "Roots". Did you like that one? If you did, you should take a glance at the interview where the author called it a "mythical" story.

    • @reneem3895
      @reneem3895 9 місяців тому +4

      @@Exxeron-ob3tvIt being a “mystical” story doesn’t mean he wasn’t awesome in the role. Do you have a point?!?

    • @bobbobbington3615
      @bobbobbington3615 8 місяців тому

      I demand Mein Kampf be read in kindergarten!

  • @1cruzbat1
    @1cruzbat1 9 місяців тому +23

    Thank you LeVar! Thank you for helping to enrich my daughter's life with Reading Rainbow and for continuing the good fight! I have already purchased a few banned books including The Hill We Climb. As a person in my 60's I am so shocked that books that were required/suggested reading for me in school are now being ban.

    • @Exxeron-ob3tv
      @Exxeron-ob3tv 9 місяців тому

      "The Hill We Climb" - a spoken word poem written by American poet Amanda Gorman. Originally published: March 30, 2021
      To quote you - "As a person in my 60's I am so shocked that books that were required/suggested reading for me in school are now being ban."
      You are a straight up liar.

  • @HostileRespite
    @HostileRespite 9 місяців тому +23

    I adore LaVar Burton. He's a childhood hero of mine from Reading Rainbow, and then went on to Star Trek??? Even now, he rocks the grey like he invented it. Rock star.

  • @joshroolf1966
    @joshroolf1966 9 місяців тому +17

    It's great to see you LaVar Burton, you were championing childhood literacy when I was a child; and now you're aiding the adult understanding of the importance of diverse childhood literacy!
    I thought that yours was a good synopsis of the current situation, more power to you and your work Sir.💚

  • @Laura-LaFauve
    @Laura-LaFauve 9 місяців тому +27

    Living in one of the stops on the Underground Railroad, Harriett Beacher Stowe heard many first had accounts of fleeing slaves.
    Her recounting of these stories, formed into the novel UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, changed the world.
    Pearl Buck, who lived in China with her missionary family, was able to do much the same thing with THE GOOD EARTH and many other novels.
    From hearing other people's struggles, these women showed those struggles to the world.
    Now days people are able to write and publish their own stories.

    • @debbietroyer9480
      @debbietroyer9480 9 місяців тому +5

      And I’m pretty sure both of these titles have been banned somewhere. 🤨

    • @DawnDavidson
      @DawnDavidson 9 місяців тому +6

      @@debbietroyer9480 undoubtedly yes. Though I was assigned both of those books in High School in the late 1970’s. Powerful books.

    • @WriterRachel
      @WriterRachel 9 місяців тому +5

      That's why these books are being banned, because they are powerful and enlightening.

    • @bernardkung7306
      @bernardkung7306 9 місяців тому +1

      @@WriterRachel "If children can read these books, they might end up deciding I'm actually wrong about something... Burn them!"

  • @RuckFussia
    @RuckFussia 9 місяців тому +107

    LeVar has aged very well! Glad to see him fighting the good fight.

    • @StillSaber
      @StillSaber 9 місяців тому +5

      You should have seen him in Star Trek: Picard season 3, I seen how ugly he can get when he mentions "You stole the cloaking device from my Bird-of-Prey" and trust me as long time star trek fan, I have never seen LeVar/Geordi get that angry before, he looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel.

    • @sethabel4315
      @sethabel4315 9 місяців тому +9

      I pray he be greatly blessed along with Mr. Rogers, the Sesame Street staff, and many others who enchanted my childhood.

    • @jamesvonborcke
      @jamesvonborcke 9 місяців тому +8

      @@sethabel4315 Don't leave out Morgan Freeman and _The Electric Company!_

  • @zachscully
    @zachscully 9 місяців тому +14

    V: “You may develop empathy. … The people who want to prevent you from developing that empathy are people who do not want their world shaken. They don’t want people…with an understanding of all these other people because that affects their worldview. …It’s gonna rock your world to read a book…” LB: “This is all being motivated by a sense of fear.”

  • @introvertsrock9843
    @introvertsrock9843 9 місяців тому +13

    There are food deserts & now there are book deserts.
    If we know any businessowners who may have the space, ppl could join forces and build bookshelves for them.
    This act of kindness works in the long-term as it gets current customers to visit more & recommend their friends/family
    Rule of room " take a book, leave a book"

  • @robinsnest7627
    @robinsnest7627 9 місяців тому +16

    My kids grew up watching Reading Rainbow, my 4th son donated to the first Fund Drive about four-ish years ago. My son loves his shirt, “But you don’t have to take my word for it”. Actually, that is on his shirt🤔.

  • @christineolsson5037
    @christineolsson5037 9 місяців тому +33

    I love Velshi's banned book club. Though i am sad that it exists

    • @Laura-LaFauve
      @Laura-LaFauve 9 місяців тому +10

      Sad that we need it. 😢

    • @tringuyen7519
      @tringuyen7519 9 місяців тому +1

      @@Laura-LaFauveIgnorant parents believe that sheltering their kids from the reality of the world will make them functioning adults. We’re doomed!

    • @sethabel4315
      @sethabel4315 9 місяців тому +1

      @@Laura-LaFauve What's even sadder is you ask some of these cranky libs about it and they can't give a single fact.

    • @Laura-LaFauve
      @Laura-LaFauve 9 місяців тому +1

      @@sethabel4315 such as?

    • @SuperOdyss
      @SuperOdyss 9 місяців тому

      Name just ONE book that has been banned in the USA. Just one!

  • @carripiller
    @carripiller 9 місяців тому +18

    I remember watching Roots, and crying because I didn't understand why human beings would harm each other as a child. And to demonstrate the ignorance of past generations, my mom was upset when I named my son Tobias, smh!! She said it's a black person's name🤯

    • @sandal_thong8631
      @sandal_thong8631 9 місяців тому +3

      Somehow I missed it growing up, so didn't see it until I got the DVD on Netflix back when mail order was their thing. I didn't know you that freed slaves in VA could be enslaved if they didn't leave the state like his descendant had to. I had to laugh at the end when they said they were moving to find a new home in Tennessee. Good luck with that!

    • @JudyFayLondon
      @JudyFayLondon 9 місяців тому +2

      I'm sure you are a brilliant mother.

    • @carripiller
      @carripiller 9 місяців тому

      @JudyFayLondon I would not say that I am a "brilliant" mom. I'm a socially conscious mom.

    • @Laura-LaFauve
      @Laura-LaFauve 9 місяців тому +4

      @@carripiller in England I believe "brilliant" is meant to be just a really, really good mom. And, socially conscious to boot!

    • @anastasiabeaverhausen8220
      @anastasiabeaverhausen8220 9 місяців тому

      Isn't it a biblical name?

  • @naomilu9910
    @naomilu9910 9 місяців тому +42

    According to the internet, Henry David Thoreau said "The only sin is ignorance ".
    Thank you, LeVar, for helping us to be less sinful.

    • @jaaksavat7916
      @jaaksavat7916 9 місяців тому +5

      "Nothing is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity" Martin Luther King.

    • @heathergaston436
      @heathergaston436 9 місяців тому +1

      @@jaaksavat7916 "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything." - Malcolm X

    • @nalrashido
      @nalrashido 9 місяців тому

      Ignorance is weakness and weakness must be purged.

    • @jaaksavat7916
      @jaaksavat7916 9 місяців тому +1

      @@nalrashido ignorance isn't weakness but lack of knowledge and understanding.

  • @joebeeler990
    @joebeeler990 9 місяців тому +19

    Fahrenheit 451 is brilliant. I read it in my teens. I'm not a Bradbury fan but I love this book. It has stayed with me. I've asked many people, if they had to memorize a book to save it, which one would you become?

    • @RyanRoberson-gc1op
      @RyanRoberson-gc1op 9 місяців тому

      Fahrenheit 451 is not about censorship

    • @joebeeler990
      @joebeeler990 9 місяців тому +6

      Making all books a crime punishable by execution isn't censorship. Okay I'll bite, convince me the death penalty isn't censorship.@@RyanRoberson-gc1op

    • @anastasiabeaverhausen8220
      @anastasiabeaverhausen8220 9 місяців тому +1

      I'd be The Martian Chronicles. I am a lifelong Bradbury fan. One of the first pieces of SF and first story of his I ever read was a short story in a weekly reader in grade school.

    • @joebeeler990
      @joebeeler990 9 місяців тому

      Weekly reader, thanks for the lovely memory. I had forgotten about that. I also have happy memories of Boys Life. Nothing could be more thrilling than getting that magazine.@@anastasiabeaverhausen8220

    • @nalrashido
      @nalrashido 9 місяців тому

      @@RyanRoberson-gc1op Yeah it is. A totalitarian government is burning books like the Bible and Charles Dicken's David Copperfield. If that isn't censorship then you are a mongrel dog.

  • @LupinLovebites
    @LupinLovebites 9 місяців тому +8

    Man, I'm 46, and I would still watch Reading Rainbow if it was on. I still remember the intro song, almost in its entirety.

  • @aussie6910
    @aussie6910 9 місяців тому +17

    Fahrenheit 451 is a good movie but I didn't think it would come true in my lifetime.
    The kids hear the fire brigade truck coming & they start yelling excitedly "A fire, there's going to be a fire". A book burning fire.

    • @StillSaber
      @StillSaber 9 місяців тому +3

      Me to, I never thought it would come to this to.

    • @RyanRoberson-gc1op
      @RyanRoberson-gc1op 9 місяців тому +1

      Fahrenheit 451 is not about censorship

    • @sethabel4315
      @sethabel4315 9 місяців тому +5

      @@RyanRoberson-gc1op You again????

    • @aussie6910
      @aussie6910 9 місяців тому +6

      @@RyanRoberson-gc1op Yes it is.
      Censorship is only one part of the story & is always part of an authoritarian regime.

    • @benjaminfranklin8412
      @benjaminfranklin8412 9 місяців тому +1

      Which city government or school board had advocated for book burning?

  • @Globovoyeur
    @Globovoyeur 9 місяців тому +10

    Fear plays a part in this, as LeVar Burton says -- a fear that Chris Mooney touches on in his books The Republican Brain (2012) and The Republican War on Science (2005). But book-banning is also a handy wedge issue that is being exploited.

    • @bernardkung7306
      @bernardkung7306 9 місяців тому

      Yes, Chris Mooney's books on "conservative" thought and culture, and their conflict with/fear of observable, verifiable reality, are still highly relevant today (perhaps even more so).

  • @skyrocketcoast219
    @skyrocketcoast219 9 місяців тому +49

    Farinheit 451 was the very 1st thing i thought of when the book banning started!!!

    • @mr.m4853
      @mr.m4853 9 місяців тому +3

      Tell us all what books have been banned that you can't get off Amazon?

    • @aussie6910
      @aussie6910 9 місяців тому +6

      Me to & Germany in the '30's.

    • @NewSocialistEraVideos
      @NewSocialistEraVideos 9 місяців тому +11

      @@mr.m4853 Banning books from being in a school is still banning books eve if you can get them on some website. Your cute semantics won't fool anyone...lol

    • @StillSaber
      @StillSaber 9 місяців тому +2

      I thought of the same thing, I saw the movie of it back in High School I think it was or was it Middle Schoo, well whenever it was and if it weren't for books, we wouldn't have comic books and stuff like that.

    • @tringuyen7519
      @tringuyen7519 9 місяців тому +6

      @@mr.m4853Banning books from school & public libraries hurt children & teens. Or do you think American teens have unlimited disposable income?

  • @janedoooo
    @janedoooo 9 місяців тому +9

    I love LaVars voice.

  • @bluestrife28
    @bluestrife28 9 місяців тому +5

    LeVar Burton has done more for people reading than the entire government. People who were kids like me in the 80’s know him over who was running which culture slide.
    On a side note, I really have been waiting to see Kamala shine, she became VP during a very hectic time when the spotlights are all on the president and the neverwas. I’d like to see what else she does, because she’s an important voice as much as the men in power have tried to downplay her.

  • @teresalegler2777
    @teresalegler2777 9 місяців тому +16

    Thank you for this conversation. Unfortunately,ignorance is rampant here in the US. Knowledge is the key to evolving into more understanding and communication. Isolationist isn’t the answer. The fear of acknowledging others value is a sign of this inability to accept all individuals for their own value.

  • @julienelson8162
    @julienelson8162 9 місяців тому +86

    It just occurred to me how horrifying the title, “Reading Rainbow” must be to Republicans!!!!! Two words, each of which terrifies them! Love you, LeVar Burton!❤ Keep up the battle!!!!! (We’ll do our part, too.)

    • @Exxeron-ob3tv
      @Exxeron-ob3tv 9 місяців тому

      Something occurred to you...? That would require thought so... seriously doubt that is possible.
      More like, you constructed something out of nothing more than the ugliest pieces of your inner soul and suckered yourself into believing in it.
      Best of luck with that, you're going to need it.

    • @reneem3895
      @reneem3895 9 місяців тому +10

      These people probably don’t allow their children to eat Lucky Charms. They are just so ridiculous.

    • @kathleenkosel9368
      @kathleenkosel9368 9 місяців тому +3

      They hate PBS....always have....

    • @joeblow9478
      @joeblow9478 8 місяців тому +1

      what about his threats to ' throw his hands ' against certain women if they were in the audience at the recent book awards.
      He said it...look at the video in his opening statement..." anyone from Moms for Liberty " " Good I won't have to throw
      any hands. " A flat out threat of physical violence. Hmmmm??????

    • @ybrix101
      @ybrix101 8 місяців тому +2

      The show existed for about 20 years when Republicans were either the ones in power or second in power. I don't recall any controversy or outrage back then.

  • @kerningandleading
    @kerningandleading 9 місяців тому +14

    God bless LeVar Burton. He is a national treasure.

  • @CynthiaBlair
    @CynthiaBlair 9 місяців тому +19

    I love Ray Bradbury's short stories and books - Farenheit 451 was a classic. Why are they banning books? So kids grow up without knowledge? Knowledge is power.

    • @Samantha-lg1bw
      @Samantha-lg1bw 9 місяців тому +11

      That's exactly why they're doing it. No knowledge, no power.

    • @RyanRoberson-gc1op
      @RyanRoberson-gc1op 9 місяців тому +1

      Fahrenheit 451 is not about censorship

    • @Samantha-lg1bw
      @Samantha-lg1bw 9 місяців тому +3

      @@RyanRoberson-gc1op that's literally (pun intended) what it's about.

    • @RyanRoberson-gc1op
      @RyanRoberson-gc1op 9 місяців тому +1

      ​@@Samantha-lg1bwno its not. It's about the transfer from print to moronic video media. At least according to Ray Bradbery...the author of the book

    • @Samantha-lg1bw
      @Samantha-lg1bw 9 місяців тому +5

      @RyanRoberson-gc1op considering that:
      a) it was written in 1953 when many homes didn't even have TV, let alone video transfer, that seems unlikely
      b) If his views on book to media were against, why did so many of his works go from page to screen?
      Personally, I generally think the book is better than the movie, but that doesn't make it moronic necessarily.

  • @hazelflatts7403
    @hazelflatts7403 9 місяців тому +20

    Since my child learnt to read at 4 because it was obligatory by 5. I started her own library and love of second hand book stores where we spent hours at 14 she still loves her school library where all the librarians know her and recommend books. If this was happening in my child's school I would not hesitate to be on the board and get every parent with me to fight this. I'm a Proud Woke Mother that would Never let this happen without a fight 💙💙

  • @johnathanmartin1504
    @johnathanmartin1504 9 місяців тому +2

    LeVar Burton is a living legend to me. I'm a molecular biologist. I taught myself to read at a very young age because he made reading look amazing on Reading Rainbow. Geordi LaForge was one of several characters who made me want to be a scientist. LeVar Burton played a blind man who used science to see.

  • @wethepplwhorblackerthanblu6442
    @wethepplwhorblackerthanblu6442 9 місяців тому +3

    First it will be books
    Next it will be all the corporate news outlets Then lastly it will be democracy itself

  • @chucksucks8640
    @chucksucks8640 8 місяців тому +2

    I use to ban playboy from the children but I don't want to be a book banner so now I let them read it for the articles.

  • @lisawilkerson8408
    @lisawilkerson8408 9 місяців тому +2

    Banning books makes many people read the books that are banned. Books they have never heard of becoming interesting. If you don't want your own child reading a book, don't allow them. When does one person's interest supercede the interest of the majority.

  • @nelsonclub7722
    @nelsonclub7722 9 місяців тому +2

    The irony of those burning the books having been the very ones who should have read them - if they could read.

  • @Laura-LaFauve
    @Laura-LaFauve 9 місяців тому +14

    Hurray for Velshi and LeVar!

  • @johnsmith-ee6tr
    @johnsmith-ee6tr 9 місяців тому +4

    Levar hi love your works especially gordi lol. I'm totally onboard with what you stand for , I happen to be living in desantis land unfortunately . There is no room for this ignorance in society in all aspects of life. Imagine if Trump and desantis are to be in office together - I think I'd become Canadian

    • @terriem3922
      @terriem3922 9 місяців тому

      If I had the geld, I would move. But Canada is too cold! I have a southern california metabolism.

  • @jabbott6748
    @jabbott6748 9 місяців тому +1

    I'm a 47 year old soldier retired from the U.S. Army and LeVar Burton is still my hero. Always challenge your own preconceived notions.

  • @Crodmog83
    @Crodmog83 9 місяців тому +2

    Thank you Mr. Burton for teaching me the love of reading from a very young age.

  • @shannonschaerer1010
    @shannonschaerer1010 9 місяців тому +2

    Banning books. The very idea sickens me. I understand that a person should be of an acceptable age or grade in school to read some books, but that's so the person understands what is being said & the references that are made in whatever book it is, NOT to keep the reader SAFE!! Farinheit 451 was one of my favorites in grade 10. Amimal farm is another Fantastic book!! What are we trying to do? I imagine that without the experience of reading such books does leave one with a narrow view of the world. Learning to understand what the book was about leads to better understanding of what the entire WORLD is about - or WAS about when it was written. Are we so scared & ashamed of ourselves & our past, that LESS knowledge is better than MORE knowledge? Terrible things happened in the past. To pretend it never happened because it may make someone feel sad/upset, well that is just a part of EVERYONES life. It's like trying to FORCE us to use "preferred pronouns". If someone asked me to refer to them in a certain way, I guess I would try, but if I were to forget, I don't see that as being something to lose your job over. The more restrictions we force unto others, the dumber we become as a society. I am polite, & if I say "Hello Sir" to someone that dosen't see themselves as a male, but I cannot tell by looking at them, they should be happy that I am trying to be respectful - even if I CAN'T read their minds. Free speech & thought - including all I learned from those books (& many others) is something that should not be banned just because someone may feel upset. It's Become TRULY ridiculous. Only people with tunnel vision can feel this way. Those of us who had the chance to read things that MADE us THINK are not going to break down because of a book. Meanwhile - Movies & TV shows often say things that may upset someone, but it's often just a part of the story, & the show, & if it's a good one, has many fans BECAUSE they learn new things - or old things that they did not know B4, even if it is/was terrible. In high school I was ENCOURAGED to read books - any & all books. Now that whole idea is something to be WORRIED about!? Once again - less available knowledge will only serve to make our society less knowledgeable - & THAT'S a scarier thought than anything in any book I'VE ever read.

  • @jodywho6696
    @jodywho6696 9 місяців тому +2

    Thank You LeVar✨🇺🇸✨💙

  • @johnlarro6872
    @johnlarro6872 9 місяців тому +12

    If someone calls me "Woke", I wear it like a badge of honour.

  • @colormedubious4747
    @colormedubious4747 8 місяців тому +2

    You would think that someone who reads would know that age-restricting adult content is ABSOLUTELY NOT the same as "banning" books! If you can still buy those books (which you can), they have NOT been banned. Please stop promulgating these absurd lies!

  • @sethabel4315
    @sethabel4315 9 місяців тому +1

    Can anyone link me to one of these banned books? Just curious. :)

  • @bevwest7428
    @bevwest7428 9 місяців тому +2

    Thank you, Mr Burton!❤

  • @kahetiger
    @kahetiger 9 місяців тому +1

    Fahrenheit 451 is an eye-opening good movie. I haven't read the book yet.
    I love Levar Burton. He played such an incredible role in Roots.

  • @brucebennett5338
    @brucebennett5338 9 місяців тому +1

    Thank you Ali and LeVar!

  • @beverly719
    @beverly719 9 місяців тому +2

    Are there books that I might not enjoy reading? Possibly. So if I start reading a book and find it objectionable y’know what I do? I stop reading it…. I don’t insist that no one else can read it. 🤷🏼‍♀️
    People who ban books have never been the “good guys”. 🙄🤦‍♀️

  • @bethdumont9020
    @bethdumont9020 9 місяців тому +3

    I have to say this - banning books - is uniquely an American thing.
    I'm Australian. We don't do this. Like at all..
    The political middle has been MIA. For YEARS NOW. The rot HAS TO STOP. The silent majority MUST become the vocal majority. Be challenged. Push your boundaries.
    For the future of this world - WE MUST CHANGE.

    • @sandal_thong8631
      @sandal_thong8631 9 місяців тому

      That's one of the things patriotic Americans need to say when books (or comic books in the 1950s) are threatened with a ban. "We don't do this."
      And, "You are wrong and un-American to ask this."
      The head of E.C. comics in the 1950s was asked to defend a horror comic book involving a decapitation, possibly on the cover. He shouldn't have defended it since that made him look weak, stupid or a liar; he should have gone on the attack! We don't know which image or idea might be important to the culture. Perhaps a veteran had witnessed such a thing in war, but couldn't talk about it in civilian society? Maybe it would be a trigger, or a talking point or healing? Maybe horror comics could have been important to help stop the next war in the 1960s.

    • @colormedubious4747
      @colormedubious4747 8 місяців тому

      You'll be pleased to learn that you've been misinformed. Americans don't ban books, either. All of these titles are available to purchase via Amazon, Book People, Powell's or any number of other book retailers. NO BOOKS HAVE BEEN BANNED. They have only been age-restricted in public schools. The MSM is misrepresenting this because creating division is how they make their money now.

    • @sandal_thong8631
      @sandal_thong8631 8 місяців тому

      @@colormedubious4747 Sounds like only people with money should have access to books according to your argument. Like a rich person who has a room with 100s of books; why would they want a public library?

    • @bethdumont9020
      @bethdumont9020 8 місяців тому +1

      @@colormedubious4747 so let me rephrase my comment
      Seeking to limit the availability of books from free public sources like say a library (including a school library) is a uniquely Merican thing.
      As in the US is the ONLY place in the entire world that engages in such behaviour. I'm Australian. We don't do it. Like at all. I had 2 kids & have 4 grandkids so I'd be aware if it was happening. It isn't. My late husband was French born - he had a copy of Mein Kampf - a book that I'd've thought folk would've been lining up to ban because of the ideology expressed.
      What does the US seek to ban from public spaces. How bout the Life of Rosa Parks? Mightn't know her but Rosa was the first Freedom Rider. Who were they? African Americans who wanted to ride buses to get places, just like the white man did. But you've got some (mainly white) Mericans who still think black people are subhuman who don't wanna be confronted by their reprehensible, repugnant beliefs. Tough.

    • @colormedubious4747
      @colormedubious4747 8 місяців тому

      @@sandal_thong8631 A fine example of the classic strawman argument fallacy. I made NO such argument. I only pointed out that the MSM was lying about this. Nice to know where you stand on the issue of truth in media. As to your last question, why don't you ask Andrew Carnegie why he funded and built more than 2,500 libraries throughout the English-speaking world? It really sounds as if YOU could spend a lot more time in your local library.

  • @xmillion1704
    @xmillion1704 9 місяців тому +2

    Gotta love me some sweet Levar eloquence.

  • @orinhickman1721
    @orinhickman1721 9 місяців тому +1

    OK, so we have this thing called the internet, where we could create a library containing all the books that have been and will be banned. A place where they could be found by anyone who wanted to read them.

  • @221b-Maker-Street
    @221b-Maker-Street 9 місяців тому +2

    Indeed, _all_ prejudice is fear.

  • @sircharlesmormont9300
    @sircharlesmormont9300 9 місяців тому

    Thank you, Mr. Burton. I was an avid fan of Reading Rainbow as a child. I remember your posters being plastered all over my school - and my school library - in elementary school. Now, I'm a librarian. Thank you for being such a wonderful advocate for intellectual freedom.

  • @josephsonora3787
    @josephsonora3787 9 місяців тому +1

    Please give us an Encore performance Ms Karmela Harris on the "Passage Of Time!" 👏Bravo!👏🤣

  • @mistercohaagen
    @mistercohaagen 9 місяців тому +1

    America is so backwater, that it has to have *Literacy* advocates! Cool.

  • @joannebottcher9779
    @joannebottcher9779 9 місяців тому +14

    Imagine the GOP banning various genres of books including the bible? Extremely concerning.

    • @sethabel4315
      @sethabel4315 9 місяців тому +1

      What are you guys gonna do about it? Be concerned?

    • @taefravis
      @taefravis 9 місяців тому

      The GOP want to ban every book EXCEPT the bible despite the fact that the bible is the most violent and most sexually explicit book ever!

    • @tracyholmes9078
      @tracyholmes9078 9 місяців тому +1

      I don't think it was the bibble thumping, when it suits them, GOP who tried/banned the bible, but someone who was showing them how ludicrous their banning books was. A master move in my opinion.

    • @mrsplanetmaster9
      @mrsplanetmaster9 9 місяців тому

      @@sethabel4315 You guys‼Indicative of "US against THEM", sadly that it's come to this😭🧢=🗽🙋🏻‍♀

    • @Sturmavk
      @Sturmavk 9 місяців тому

      None of the books are banned. They can be purchased in your local bookstore

  • @Neimfeltrite
    @Neimfeltrite 9 місяців тому +2

    Levar deserves a Star Trek series centered around him. He's put the work in. Star Trek Le'Forge. With Geordi as a Captain who chooses none else than Data as his Number One.

  • @natashaestes154
    @natashaestes154 9 місяців тому

    Twenty-five years ago I was attending a fundy xtian high school. This banned books thing was a well-known and long-standing goal. Too much leeway is given to those places.

  • @t0mn8r35
    @t0mn8r35 9 місяців тому +2

    Props to LeVar Burton.

  • @lazarusdarkstar3015
    @lazarusdarkstar3015 9 місяців тому +2

    If only he had the same ability like Jordi Laforge from Star Trek, next generation, able to send all those people who are trying to ban books to the Klingon home world

  • @sassafrasinspired2029
    @sassafrasinspired2029 9 місяців тому +1

    "Abysmally ignorant" - so well said.

  • @cherryblossom9535
    @cherryblossom9535 9 місяців тому +3

    Hey, Jordy has lovely eyes!😅

    • @StillSaber
      @StillSaber 9 місяців тому +2

      Actually its spelled Geordi.

    • @FatFrankie42
      @FatFrankie42 9 місяців тому

      ​@@StillSaber I see you've already handled it, my intended comment is unnecessary. Merci boucoups!

  • @johnmoreno4212
    @johnmoreno4212 9 місяців тому +2

    With all the wonders of the internet at everyones disposal, ...banning paper books? Really?😂😂😂

  • @danschoenharl3856
    @danschoenharl3856 9 місяців тому +2

    If you don't want to read a book, don't read it.
    If you think something is wrong, don't do it.
    But if you value individual rights and freedom, you have to foster them,... for others first.
    "The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"

  • @TheMonroemomma
    @TheMonroemomma 9 місяців тому +2

    VERY IMPORTANT and excellent segment!! Everyone should listen to this conversation.

  • @owenoulton9312
    @owenoulton9312 9 місяців тому +2

    Make it so, Commander La Forge!

  • @user-em3ml9vq8b
    @user-em3ml9vq8b 9 місяців тому +4

    Doesn't banning books seem....Cowardly to you? Even when a book has an idea that you or I disagree with isn't that an oppertunity to discuss WHY we disagree? To refuse to even have the conversation, then, is to say "i have no arguement - I just don't like it." well, in that case- tough. As for me,- Please, read the banned books! Challenge my ideas! Give yourself and me the chance to grow, learn argue,- and ultimately decide who we are.

    • @sandal_thong8631
      @sandal_thong8631 9 місяців тому +2

      Their ideas are conformity and total control. An ideal in America is we don't tell others what they can't read!

  • @AaronEbrahim
    @AaronEbrahim 9 місяців тому +1

    LeVar Burton is THE MAN

  • @FatFrankie42
    @FatFrankie42 9 місяців тому +5

    LeVar Burton is a national treasure. Reading Rainbow was more beneficial for this country than the GOP has been over the last 3 decades.

  • @sharitobias
    @sharitobias 9 місяців тому +5

    read a rainbow

  • @JessieBlood-bh4yg
    @JessieBlood-bh4yg 9 місяців тому +1

    I wish they were honest in thier reporting.

  • @TonyRome402
    @TonyRome402 9 місяців тому

    I am a voracious reader, and just the act of reading has improved the quality of my life much more than anything I learned in college. This year, I have exclusively read books that have been banned and critically reviewed by lunatics. Reading is the window to the world, but it is also relative to the student. Everyone has the propensity to digest information through the lens we view the world. In other words, everyone is biased and will remain who we are, regardless of academic credentials, race, age, gender or financial status.

  • @carripiller
    @carripiller 9 місяців тому +1

    Levar Burton black don't crack❤❤😘 You are a beautiful soul! I watched Reading Rainbow in the 70s❤

  • @jonathandavis-po6js
    @jonathandavis-po6js 8 місяців тому +3

    What books?
    It's probably inappropriate books

  • @Chapps1941
    @Chapps1941 9 місяців тому +1

    Carl Sagan, Rod Serling and Frank Zappa were prescient and right

  • @PhilAndersonOutside
    @PhilAndersonOutside 7 місяців тому

    Ray Bradbury is one of my idols. It makes me sick that his future dystopic warning has almost become a reality, with Fahrenheit 451 even banned in some southern states.

  • @TairnKA
    @TairnKA 9 місяців тому

    I was thinking, there should be a sign showing a pile of books being burnt (Germany, late 1930s?) with the caption; "a first step to Fahrenheit 451, the fiction becoming reality".

  • @danhove
    @danhove Місяць тому

    For the first time ever in mankind we have worldwide communication with each other. That's never happened before. Like discovery of the light bulb the light shines on

  • @dave1370
    @dave1370 6 місяців тому +2

    Doesn't he owe some reparations to somebody or something?

  • @peppertree8244
    @peppertree8244 9 місяців тому +1

    How about teaching critical thinking skills to discern what to decide about situations rather than directing what kids can and can't think at all? But, no, some people want only thier own way and push it on everyone else. Critical thinking skills go against their agenda.

  • @chrisvainio
    @chrisvainio 9 місяців тому +1

    Tell ‘em Levar

  • @ariels3372
    @ariels3372 9 місяців тому

    just tell me were that forest is at the end of the book im moving there now

  • @wrensmith8323
    @wrensmith8323 9 місяців тому

    Let us not feed those trolling and patting each other on the back that no books have been banned. They can go to the library for themselves, they need it.

  • @jaredekelman4229
    @jaredekelman4229 8 місяців тому

    Read On Levar, Read On! 📙 👍❤

  • @mmorissetti
    @mmorissetti 9 місяців тому +1

    If only she could speak as coherently in interviews. Her interviews are always this strange word salad so that you don't think she has a position on anything. She needs to speak on TV as good as this, and rarely does.

  • @markcepeda8144
    @markcepeda8144 9 місяців тому

    Good felicitious work Levar

  • @ConsciencepartyUSA
    @ConsciencepartyUSA 8 місяців тому

    I am not much of a reader myself, but I am a watcher. And normally before you can read or watch anything you have to have someone write them first if I’m not mistaken. And from what I remember from history class, writing and reading, were kept away from slaves for a reason. And that is basically what these conservatives are trying to do to kids now these days too. They are just wanting minority kids to just not be smart enough. Because they are afraid of what the future children are able to achieve once they are able to. These conservatives are afraid. And they should be.

  • @andrewgibson6495
    @andrewgibson6495 9 місяців тому +1

    Way to go Jordi.

  • @uncletiggermclaren7592
    @uncletiggermclaren7592 9 місяців тому

    Such a pleasure to listen to him Reason. That is the fight here, the forces of Rationality, against the mobs' mindless "beliefs".
    Another famous and important Rationalist phrased it exactly.
    Religion poisons everything. C. Hitchens.

  • @void-youtubers3507
    @void-youtubers3507 9 місяців тому +1

    Butterfly in the sky, I can go where it's high, take a look it's in a book, a reading rainbow 🌈 😂😊 i grew up on the show, thought me how to read

  • @luciavalente1002
    @luciavalente1002 9 місяців тому

    Not sure if I accept that 'the world is changing.' There have always been people who are hateful and do not want to be open to any experience beyond their own bigotry. The only 'change' is that they now have an echo chamber and are shouting very LOUDLY.

  • @sadunlap
    @sadunlap 9 місяців тому

    You cannot wake a person who is pretending to sleep.

  • @briez9648
    @briez9648 5 місяців тому

    When i was 10 my church led a secular cd burning. They wanted me to bring my NSYNC and rugrats movie soundtrack...

  • @gwyndolyncarver1984
    @gwyndolyncarver1984 9 місяців тому

    Levar! 💗

  • @TheBlade996
    @TheBlade996 9 місяців тому

    For those who prefer a film of Fahrenheit 451, there's the excellent original 1966 version directed by Francois Truffaut and a newer 2018 remake with Michael B. Jordan.

  • @borntogazeintonightskies
    @borntogazeintonightskies 6 місяців тому

    With all due respect to Mr. Burton - I admire him and I agree with 99% of what he is saying - I feel there's a big difference between a person who's truly awake and a person who's woke.

  • @susanstiles6425
    @susanstiles6425 9 місяців тому

    I was promised George Jetson if that scares you stay in the cave where it's dark and you can't see the books let alone read them.
    When the familiar becomes too familiar the obvious is no longer obvious.