Introduction
On May 10, 1933, Hitler and the Nazis committed a crime against culture by organizing the mass burning of books under the pretense of purifying German culture. Students and teachers affiliated with the National Socialist German Workers Party publicly set fire to over 25,000 books, some by Jewish authors and others with pacifist, socialist, or opposing ideologies. The bonfire of books symbolized the fascist intent to control thought entirely and foreshadowed more severe crimes and harassment.
Trump’s Book Banning: A Parallels with Nazi Germany
This introduction to my work today is relevant as President Donald Trump, in an act reminiscent of history’s worst dictators, through the U.S. Department of Defense, banned a list of books at the federal level in schools that it funds and administers within the country and abroad. The line between banning and burning books is merely a lighter.
The Irony of Trump’s Book Banning
Apparently, for the Trump administration, the gravest threat to American youth is not climate change or armed violence but literature. Unaware that banning books does not protect children and youth; it safeguards ignorance. As Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794) once said, “The secret of liberty lies in educating people, while the secret of tyranny is to keep them ignorant.”
Psychological Implications of Book Banning
From a psychological perspective, the book banning reveals fear in those who order it. It’s ironic that a president with nuclear powers, commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful army, fears a racial issues novel; an essay on sexual diversity; or a book critically recounting the true history of the United States. The explanation for this fear is clear: books converse, question, recommend, critique, and most importantly, compel thought—an activity not favored by those who only know to chant: “Make America Great Again.”
Unintended Consequences of Trump’s Book Banning
For Trump, who apparently hasn’t read anything beyond a McDonald’s menu, creating a thought police is not an act of cultural order but a confession of insecurity. The emperor commands: “Don’t read; watch me on television.” As television applauds, the forbidden—books—become objects of desire. Each banned publication turns into forbidden fruit, the apple of Eve in print form. Trump fails to realize that by prohibiting readings, he’s creating clandestine sales, more adolescents reading secretly, which will provoke criticism, satire of the system, and what politicians fear most: historical memory.
Conclusion
Trump can ban novels, philosophy treatises, and even dictionaries, but he cannot ban what’s inevitable: his actions, speeches, and aberrations will be printed in a history book under the chapter titled: “Mistakes no one should repeat.”
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: Why is Trump’s book banning significant?
A: This act parallels Nazi Germany’s book burning, symbolizing an attempt to control thought and suppress dissenting ideas.
- Q: What are the psychological implications of book banning?
A: Book banning reveals fear in those who order it and safeguards ignorance, hindering the development of critical thinking.
- Q: What unintended consequences might Trump’s book banning have?
A: By prohibiting readings, Trump may inadvertently create clandestine sales and foster a more critically engaged youth.
