Reading classic books encourages gender-based violence

I  personally think that this is a hoax due to the fact that there are so many books (almost all) that encourage gender/based violence, included actual books. Even thought that,  I reckon that this classical books are a part of the humanity and if in the past the relationships were like they described in books this is a fantastic way to teach students  history and to make them realize that type of gender violence was horrible and a thing that still exists nowadays. 

With this lecture of books based on gender violence and complemented with talks or discussions, they will want to stop these attitudes, and they will probably be more conscious about patriarchy society we all live in. This, apart from being the perfect way to teach students the importance of gender equality, will be like a history class about how the social relationships worked in the past. It’s obvious that if we want to change the actual scene of gender inequality we have to know why it exists, and the only explanation of this is located in history.

What’s more, it’s more important to be aware that nowadays people tend to read other types of actual books like “Fifty Shades of Grey ” by E.L. James or “After ” by Anna Todd, and that it’s probably the way they think love relationships work actually. These books have more influences in children and teenagers than the classical ones, so for this reason, teaching how to be critical about what they read it’s fundamental, so they realize these are relationships based in dominance and violence and not in equality and real love. 

By reading a bit of everything, people know other realities that exist apart from the reality they are used, so all types of books give people a great opportunity to inform themselves about many things that happen around them.

So, the most important part to not being influenced by books or by the stuff we consume is being critical and know how to select and classify the information that arrives to us.

By Rocío Abelleira Domínguez, student URV University.

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