Art, which takes the form of painting, sculpting, film, literature, music, or any other, is a significant way of capturing cultural, political, and economic themes. These artistic expressions have the power to transform the thinking of societies either positively and negatively. Governments have the responsibility of ensuring that the content in the various forms of art promotes the wellbeing of the target audience. It is for this reason that there are censorship laws to cushion the audience from controversial art that promotes radical and immoral ideas. And Tango Makes Three, a child’s book is controversial as it promotes homosexuality in a largely conservative society. A focus on this book paves the way for questioning the justification for censorship in a dynamic society that is supposed to be open to new ideas.
Identification of the Work and the Medium
The controversial art is And Tango Makes Three , a child’s book by Justin Richardson and Peter Pannell. The book is more illustrative to help in telling the story of a family of three penguins, Roy, Silo, and Tango, their child. Parnell & Richardson (2005) depict Roy and Silo, male penguins who raise Tango together without the help of females.
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The Extent to which this Work of Controversial Art Make a Social Contribution
The book contributes to homosexuality discourse largely considering that society cannot escape from the realities associated with this topic. There is a rise in same-sex relationships and marriages, which have reshaped traditional and conventional thoughts on family. Isailovic (2017) affirms that jurisdictions across the world are legalizing same-sex marriages as they represent ‘a legal trend at the global level and will eventually become a global norm’ (p. 270). The book was written in response to these global phenomena as a way of introducing children to the realities of homosexuality but in a subtle ways by using penguins. In this case then one can claim that in as much as the work is controversial it has a significant social contribution that cannot be ignored.
The Book’s Aesthetic Value and Reflection of the Human Condition
The book has aesthetic value, which is informed by the plot, themes, and illustrations to capture the attention of the readers. The authors targeted children and it is for this reason that they chose to use penguins instead of human characters to make the story more appealing. Penguins are representative of humans who are grappling with the realities of homosexuality that defines the modern cultural landscape. The society is being called upon to accept these realities through educating children on the complexities of homosexual families.
Circumstances on the Work’s Censorship
The book had been challenged by parents across the US, Singapore, and Hong Kong since it promotes homosexuality to the child readers. The book was first challenged in 2006 by parents in Shiloh, Illinois, and in 2008 by parents in Loudon Virginia who believed that it promoted the gay agenda (PBS, 2020). The book has been involved in a series of lawsuits some of which has resulted in the book placed in the non-fiction section
Are Governments Ever Justified in Censoring Art?
Governments are justified in censoring art to promote morality and cushion citizens from interacting with unsolicited materials. If the government was to allow artists to express their ideas freely, it is possible that society would be lawless threatening human existence.
Assessment of whether this Work Should Be Considered As an Art
The book is a work of art as it is creative in that the authors use animal characters to express a controversial issue in the society. Art is distinct from other forms of communication as it uses symbols to push one to think beyond what he or she sees or reads.
References
Isailovic, I. (2018). Same-sex but not the same: Same-Sex marriage in the United States and France and the Universalist narrative. The American Journal of Comparative Law, 66 (2), 267-315. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcl/avy027
PBS. (2020). Banned: And Tango makes three. WGBH Educational Foundation. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/banned-and-tango-makes-three/
Richardson, J., & Parnell, P. (2005). And Tango makes three . Simon and Schuster, 2005.
