Poll: Would you ever burn a book?

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Mannayz

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May 6, 2010
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Depends on the book and my current circumstances.

Burn Twilight? Sure! Burn anything posing as political propaganda? Absolutely! Burn anything that is a poorly written train-wreck? Sign me up!

Am I in a library that feels like an ice-box? Burn books for warmth! Am I carrying a heavy spellbook that only casts spells of setting itself on fire? Might as well!
 

Folksoul

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May 15, 2010
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Swyftstar said:
Folksoul said:
Does it contain Bella Swan, or dragon bestiality? BURN THE MOTHER F*CKER!!
Dragon besitality!? What the...
Look up tv tropes' "so bad it's horrible" page for literature. It's there. I was given the entire trilogy as a gift in high school. One of the most of disturbing/depraved and outright psychotic "things"(I can't call it literature) I have ever read.
 

Sandytimeman

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Jan 14, 2011
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If by burn a book you mean erase all existance of that book, then no. But by burn if you mean physically burning copies of a book while digital copies still exist. Sure I like fire.
 

BarbaricGoose

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May 25, 2010
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Of course I would. If I was cold and that was the only way to heat myself, you bet I would. Wouldn't even hesitate.
 

KingGolem

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Jun 16, 2009
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I never burn books on principle. If it's okay to burn one book, that's basically saying it's okay to burn any book, while it is not. Twilight and holy texts have nothing to fear from me, save for my damning vitriolic hatred.
 

Galloglasses

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Jan 14, 2009
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I am willing to bet the vast majority of people who say they would not burn a book, would happily burn a book if it promoted an ideology they found personally disgusting and knew they could get away with it. Have them tell you they would not burn a book because they believe in the free expression of thought and yadda yadda, then present them with the above scenario in which case the book was wholely offensive to them and they would want to (and would if in said scenario they could do it without consequence) suppress it because they do not want the ideology it represented spreading intellectually (whether or not they believe said book had anything intellectually stimulating would necessarily be subjective in this affair)

My opinion is that it is 'what you are in the dark' that counts, There are plenty of non-fascists in this world who would gleefully engage in the burning of books if they knew it would stop the spread of some ideology or thinking or way of thinking they despised, found repugnant or politically abhorrent. I honestly believe very, very few of you would actually resolve to not burn a book in such a scenario. Most people, especially in the modern era, don't count much for self discipline and often have very poorly defined principles (even to themselves) so I honestly believe that most people who said no to this poll, are not being entirely intellectually honest with themselves and are paying lip service to freedom of expression. Who among you wouldn't, if you could, suppress the spread of an increasingly popular modern Communist Manifesto, or Mein Kampf, if burning the books would aid in ceasing the spread of the ideology's influence?

My guess would be 1 in a hundred, and that's a generous estimate.
 

DarkRyter

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Dec 15, 2008
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If I wanted a fire to keep warm or cook marshmellows or something, yeah.

If you're talking about that stupid "protest detestable material" kinda thing, then no. What would burning a book accomplish beyond a ashes and fire?
 

kickyourass

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Apr 17, 2010
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If I was freezing to death and the only way for me to NOT freeze to death was burning a book, then yes. Other then that however there is literally no valid reason to ever burn a book (no matter what it is).
 

Professor James

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Aug 5, 2010
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dogstile said:
I once burned a bible because my friends were going on about how it was sacred and that we needed to treat it with respect.

I listened to them all day before grabbing one (it was one of those small ones they give out at schools) and burning it in front of them. The shock on some peoples faces was awesome.

Ahhhh, I enjoyed that day :3
What did they do afterward?
 

el_kabong

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Mar 18, 2010
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As burning a book has historically served to deny humanity of the information within, whether I would burn a single book largely depends on the content and circulation. If say, it were a best selling, widely circulated book that I deem terrible, I would have no problem burning it. Would I burn a rare book that was independently published in 1960 with only a dozen surviving copies even if I hated it? No.
 

Dogstile

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Jan 17, 2009
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Professor James said:
dogstile said:
I once burned a bible because my friends were going on about how it was sacred and that we needed to treat it with respect.

I listened to them all day before grabbing one (it was one of those small ones they give out at schools) and burning it in front of them. The shock on some peoples faces was awesome.

Ahhhh, I enjoyed that day :3
What did they do afterward?
Called me a dick and an idiot.

I agreed that I was both. They're not religious but they still don't want to "tempt fate".

Eh, it was the last year or so of school, we all moved on, I like to think we've all grown up a little since then.
 

IndianaJonny

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Jan 6, 2011
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I have not the self-righteousness or narrow-mindness to cast heavy opinions on subjects/books/programs/beliefs I'm not versed on; it's called "not judging a book by it's cover".

I doubt anybody has the unequivocal authority to decide what would go and what would stay, so either it all goes or it all stays. Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451] provides an insightful look at such a "what if" scenario.
 

Caligulove

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Sep 25, 2008
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Well yea, I would burn a book for warmth in the cold in some kind of horribly hypothetical situation where that was the only option- beyond that kind of scenario... no, there's no point to it. Not to mention that burning a book symbolizes destroying knowledge, the medium to absorb knowledge beyond your own experiences or outside your lifestyle. Horrible thing to do.