Ron DeSantis and the book Farenheit 451

Tweet

A picture of Ron DeSantis with a big wide smile I see on social media makes me physically sick. I have such a fondness for all books. I love the Bradbury book "Fahrenheit 451" and what they went through to keep classic books in the minds of lovers of the written word. Guy Montag's commitment to preserving literature and cultural writings makes me become emotional. It made me wonder if I was in that same situation, what book would I want to commit to memory? Have you read this book( or seen the movie) and do you have a book chosen? For me, it would be the book "Where the Red Fern Grows". It has some personal meaning to me. I will post about it sometime. DeSantis is the 46th governor of Florida and has been since 2019. He is a Republican who was a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and withdrew from the candidacy in January 2024. He is the one, as you might recall, who started using the term "woke" for what he calls an aim to promote what he considers to be "true American values". I think this is an ugly lie and the beginning of authoritarianism in our country. This lack of concern for the wishes and opinions of others is looming too large in this country lately. DeSantis has been messing with public education for several years now. Such futuristic Dystopian novels as "1984" and "Fahrenheit 451" which most see as far off seem to loom in my mind's eye when I see in the news the bold moves DeSantis has taken to reshape Florida's public high school and higher education. He also banned the AP African American Studies course that was to be taught in public high schools. He wants to prevent critical race theory from being taught in K-12 classrooms. It also restricts the way in which race and gender issues can be talked about. The College Board has also redone some of their curriculum removing the study of Black Lives Matter and those works by Alice Walker(author of "The Color Purple") By banning this course DeSantis took away the right of Florida students to choose what they learn. Bradbury's novel warns against controlling thought and the suppression of dissenting voices. The freedom of speech and intellectual exploration have been called into question by DeSantis' actions. I can only hope that free expression can prevail and not be overtaken by conformity and censorship. I was happy to see him withdraw from the presidential race but, I think we need to keep an eye on him in the future. Your thoughts. The picture is from art by Michael Whelan.