Library of Congress Opens Records of Anti-Comic Book Shrink

eldavojohn writes "Some light is being shone on comic book history today as the Library of Congress opens up the 222 boxes of a German psychiatrist's evidence and papers against comic books. Dr. Fredric Wertham is well known by comic book fans as the author of Seduction of the Innocent, a bestselling book linking comic books and juvenile delinquency — leading to a full blown congressional investigation (some say witch hunt) of the comic book industry. Wertham was long involved with criminal trials before campaigning against comic books and promoting industry and government censorship for children. Ars adds a little more context for the younger crowd and notes that he later tried to move against television violence but couldn't find the publisher backing he had against comic books."

Comments

Irony? Hippocracy? Or Just Plain Stupid?

[Anonymous Coward]

I find it odd the great champions of keeping children safe from sex, violence, drugs, etc... are all for
sex ed for 8 year olds,
defend newcasters right to show violence on the news and Nazis to march in jewish neighborhoods,
demand pot be legalized (yet wage war on smokers...),
and are all for giving every kid with energy a disorder, complete with medication.

Re:You're not seeing the past correctly

[Bing Tsher E]

One guy, with a bunch of assertions, managed to get enough members of Congress alarmed. The comic companies, instead of challenging the claims on their merits, and you know, defending themselves and their work in any way, pissed their collective pants, and asked only question: How far apart would you like us to spread our cheeks?

Sounds like Al Gore. I wonder what we'll find out when the LOC opens his records in a half century or so.

Re:Actually, it's even bleaker than that

[Bing Tsher E]

You're going off the deep end, in a rant in the opposite direction.

Nothing is accomplished by ranting off parodies of your opponent.

Well, I suppose it must be satisfying to you in some way...