Assassination Classroom is once again in the eye of the storm after complaints from some parents of high school students in the United States, and if there is something that is not entirely surprising in the United States, its problematic relationship with weapons. Now a mother in this country started a campaign after finding one of the volumes of the Assassination Classroom manga in the public library, bringing back the debate on how much these stories affect young people and how they can be the main culprits of the problems with guns in that country.
Assassination Classroom: manga accused of encouraging school violence in the U.S.
Assassination Classroom, also known in Japanese as Ansatsu Kyoushitsu created by Yusei Matsui and published in North America in 2016, has generated controversy in Horry County after being discovered in a school library. Jennifer Hannigan, a concerned mother, has generated an uproar after discovering that the Assassination Classroom manga was available in local school libraries.
Outraged by the content seen in Assassination Classroom, she launched a campaign that quickly went viral in the state. “In the book, they talk about horrible things, the title says it all,” Hannigan commented. “There are scenes with guns, rifles, knives, and even girls in lingerie jumping on men. It’s not the kind of reading I want a child to see.” Her campaign has ignited a debate about what kinds of materials are appropriate for school libraries and whether these kinds of stories could influence young people.
The popular manga series is no stranger to controversy, having been removed from school libraries in Florida and Wisconsin in 2023 due to its “depiction of gun violence and violence against teachers.” The story follows a group of students who attempt to take out their alien teacher, but not everyone finds the plot all that amusing. The recent campaign in South Carolina reignites the debate over censorship in education and the appropriateness of materials that address sensitive topics such as violence in schools.
It is worth mentioning that the use of guns in the United States continues to be a deeply divisive issue, with alarming consequences at the school level. Every year, numerous unfortunate events are reported in schools and universities, which has generated a climate of fear and insecurity in educational institutions. This phenomenon has left an indelible mark on society, from security drills to the implementation of restrictive measures such as metal detectors and armed guards in schools. On a psychological level, students and teachers alike live with the anxiety that a horrible event could happen at any moment.
Instead of focusing on guns as the main factor behind this violence, the debate often strays to other culprits, such as video games, music or, more recently, works of fiction such as manga and comics, as seen with Assassination Classroom. However, the ease of access to guns in the country is a factor that continues to fuel these tragic incidents.
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