As has become his somewhat frustrating custom, former president Barack Obama waded into the mire of American culture wars with a perspective that strikes only a glancing blow against the periphery of an issue that is far deeper, more complex, and more nuanced than he is willing to acknowledge.
This time, speaking to what he frames as a malevolent movement to ban important works of literature from libraries, Obama writes,
In any democracy, the free exchange of ideas is an important part of making sure that citizens are informed, engaged, and feel like their perspectives matter. It's so important, in fact, that here in America, the First Amendment of our Constitution states that freedom begins with our capacity to share and access ideas - even, and maybe especially, the ones we disagree with. More often than not, someone decides to write those ideas down in a book.
Obama goes on to chastise those who indulge their "impulse…to silence, rather than engage, rebut, learn from or seek to understand views that don't fit" their own. He warns that "the world is watching" what America does, and are likely to follow our lead in eliminating voices deemed dangerous, if we don't choose to protect freedom of expression.
Agreeing with Obama that this is an important issue, I would offer a few observations that can hopefully expand the discussion a bit further.
First, the likely impetus for Obama's press release is seen in his complaint that, "these ‘banned books' are often written by or feature … members of the LGBTQ+ community." The former president appears to be responding to recent actions taken by numerous public school boards around the country that have prohibited access to specific books like "Gender Queer" that feature explicit sexual content aimed at kids.
Judging by the job he and Michelle did raising two well-adjusted, seemingly dignified and respectful daughters, I am quite confident Mr. Obama would be repulsed by the content of such a book. I would simply urge him to recognize that it's important in his legitimate effort to preserve, protect, and defend other unique books "written by people of color or indigenous people" not to lump them in with such pornographic content.
Secondly, Obama is correct in stating that people often choose to express their dissenting, different, disfavored ideas in books. But that's not always the case. Sometimes people decide to write those ideas down in a tweet, on a Facebook post, or on LinkedIn.
If the former president truly believes that "freedom begins with our capacity to share and access ideas - even, and maybe especially, the ones we disagree with," credibility demands he speak out forcefully and publicly (perhaps with a follow-up press release similar to the one he just issued to librarians) against the federal government's collusion with Big Tech companies to suppress, stifle, or silence conservative viewpoints. Shadow banning or censoring content that questions the government's position on climate change, public health and vaccinations, or election integrity is fundamentally as anti-American as preventing access to the works of Toni Morrison or Walt Whitman.
Failure to acknowledge that truth makes the former president's recent statement drip with disingenuousness. If the world truly is watching as he suggests, hopefully Mr. Obama will model sincerity over the cynicism that too often defines us.
