The 10 Banned Books (and why banned)

The books banned throughout the last 100 years, old and new :)
PhantomStrider Twitter: / phantomstrider
Community Discord: / discord
Written by: Josh Strider
Video Edited by:
Zac Quinn: @zacquinn
Anime America: @AnimeAmericaPodcast
Shade X: @ShadeX
PhoenixStarYT: @PhoenixStarYT
& Josh Strider
Produced & commissioned by Josh Strider (Phantom Strider)
Nin Artwork by Charlie: / @trashbunbun
Boo artwork by Dre Higbee: / drehigbee

[@Creepingdom]

Seeing Mein Kampf share a thumbnail with Captain Underpants is one hell of an attention grabber

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

No wonder Captain Underpants is bald

[@ZeXiOn26]

Fuhrer Underpants would be...interesting

[@truesoprano2152]

Imagine if George and Harold lived in the 1930s and brainwashed Hitler into becoming a Nazi-fighting Captain Underpants.

[@lilpetz500]

Honestly in a world with empowered homophobia, there are sadly way too many people who'd put both in the "this is destroying humanity" category. Like idk, manifesto of a g3nocidal dictator, vs kids series about a couple of silly boys who like pranks, one of them eventually marrying a man later in his life. No boy describes his crush on another boy (which should also be ok), no influencing the kids to all try it out like it's the cool thing to do, just grown gay adults, existing.

[@Labyrinth6000]

Don’t forget that anarchist cookbook censored in the thumbnail.

[@Kurtfan1991]

I don't see why people don't want children to read Captain Underpants... it's just silly, goofy fun.

[@Mangleaaron]

Yea i love captain underpants i almost have all the books

[@Kurtfan1991]

@@Mangleaaron Yeah, they’re fun. Although I kinda prefer the movie tbh.

[@meghan143x]

@@Kurtfan1991 The movie was a pretty nice adaptation that felt faithful to the books, I liked it.

[@alyssamorgan747]

People enjoy making a mountain out of a molehill.

[@XJIcequeen]

Honestly, I found it cringy. A grown man hypnotizes into being a superhero wearing nothing but underwear and a red cape fighting toilet humor themed villain? That’s the lowest low brow thing I ever heard! Well, 2nd to Teen Titans Go

[@littlepleeth9423]

Mein kampf next to captain underpants is wild 💀

[@Russianpatriot333]

Fr why is mein kampf banned

[@gregorgerzson1767]

I love how unbiased and objective the cuck in the video when he is lying, i mean talking about the book and the "worst genocide of the world". (Laugh in Stalin, Mao, Polpot)

[@cristinagomez3283]

Heil Krupp 🙋‍♂️

[@Cool_ICE69]

@@cristinagomez3283 NAAH

[@harperburgess9769]

LMAO yeah that’s what I was thinking 😂

[@OrangeJoe897]

Aint no way captain underpants is more banned that 50 shades of grey.

[@naganut9718]

Assassination Classroom being banned because people think the series promotes killing teachers 😭😭

[@gryficowa]

Bruh

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

If it was only English teachers, I'd understand

[@HydraSpectre1138]

The Philippines TV title is Invincible Teacher.

[@jefelix2010]

Perfect example of conservative parents who never bother to research before they give the final answer.

[@ouijaloveletters]

I cried like a baby at the end.

[@Harbinger_Hunter]

Seeing Josh trying to buy "the good stuff" in an alleyway was not in my 2024 bingo card

[@GachaRival]

@@p-__”Hey, V-sauce! Michael here. What is wrong with people?”

[@user-uj9ui6yv5o]

Fun fact, The First amendment of the US bill of rights makes all book bans illegal and largely just for show. Librarians even go out of the way to ensure banned books are out and about. Banned book week is just one of the many ways they bring attention to such maligned books.

[@diddyphukkingkong393]

It's not bans. It's boycotts. Americans have the right to boycott anything they want whether it be from businesses or institutions.

[@ashkitt7719]

It's really just the Streisand Effect. That being said, I am wary of a proposed bill in New Jersey that would cut funding to municipalities and their libraries and schools if they chose not to carry certain books. Like why should a library be forced to carry books like Mein Kampf, The Turner Diaries, and The Art of the Deal?

[@robertx8020]

@@ashkitt7719 They should not be FORCED but they should not be FORBIDDEN either I bet if a librarie would ban religious books they would be sued

[@ashkitt7719]

@@robertx8020 yeah which is my problem with a proposed New Jersey law that would basically ban book bans. They were able to pass a "Say Gay Or Else" law though (as I call it) which basically states that every teacher licensed to teach in the State of New Jersey has to teach about LGBTQ subjects.

[@robertx8020]

@@ashkitt7719 Yes it's bad enough one of the 'every bad move is allowed as long as we can use God as a reason' States does this, but I'm afraid it will spread to other states too ...

[@JoeyRavioli]

Hopefully this will be the only time I see Captain Underpants and Hitler in the same thumbnail.

[@thomasspongeconductor2222]

As someone who has been reading Captain Underpants for over 10 years, I concur with Dav completely. Captain Underpants was never violent or anything harmful. It was just meant to be funny and silly and entertaining for the demographic it was intended for.

[@HunterBATLightning]

Yes let’s ban the book about a fat bald dude beating up toilets cause that makes sense

[@bluestreaker9242]

It's funny to me, even, that the books would ever be banned because "the main characters are disrespectful to authority"; like...yeah...the main characters...are KIDS...kids DO that, guys. I was the target demographic, I misbehaved, but I also behaved and matured thanks to my parents teaching me that kind of behavior is unacceptable. Like...am I crazy? Shouldn't kids have access to material that's effectively a "Do's & Don't's in the real world"? Yeah, it's stupid fun, but in that respect, it's also educational in a manner of speaking. "Maybe I shouldn't misbehave like George & Harold, sure, but they ARE funny." Ya know? :/

[@thardump859]

​​@bluestreaker9242 Wait....That's why it was banned?.... I thought it was because of all the toilet humor. Oh wait.... It's because the two main characters rebel against a school? Oh, come on! When I was a kid reading these books, I never got the impression to rebel against schools. I just saw the kids pulling harmless pranks, It just seemed like something that kids would do. Schools are usually incredibly mind numbing and boring, trying to brainwash kids to have no creativity and identity instead of learning like WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO!!!!! So some kids of course will go against the rules, even if sometimes it might unfortunately hurt someone. Like I said if they hurt other people or themselves then that's a problem. But the main characters in the book don't seem to do anything harmful or dangerous. Just very disruptive. But that's what some kids do. Like me, I wasn't very good at following the rules at school as a dumbass kid. Like I would jump down the stairs and NEVER followed the lines to classes, never payed attention in class and was quite absent minded and generally very stupid. Might as well have had a wild animal in class instead and it would not make a single difference. But other than the toilet humor which is no big deal, I don't really see the harm.

[@bluestreaker9242]

@@thardump859 You'd think so. Though, to be fair, my mom didn't want me to wear a Shrek tee shirt back then because it had the word "butt" on it. I'm guessing more just because our elementary school was rather strict on dress code? She was never much of a prude so it's possible that was the reason. *shrugs*

[@Randytherumbler]

​@@thardump859 Well said. I'm America,as an American, you have the constitutional right to express whatever opinions you have whether anyone agrees or disagrees with you. I don't know exactly it works in the United Kingdom,but as an American, I think you have your constitution rights.

[@magnetoonproductions9541]

Banning books only increases the popularity of said books, so it’s not worth getting rid of them.

[@Jeff_Biden]

mein kempf totally exploded in populatity when it was banned

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Gotta love and, occasionally, hate the "Banned in Boston/China" trope.

[@Roebloz]

Streisand Effect, my favorite.

[@jlev1028]

It also makes these Karens look like illiberal idiots who won't be invited to family dinners.

[@bsanchez3563]

​@@Roeblozlol fwiw true.. now I am at least interested in knowong why a given book os banned lmfao.. nj fr it just seems fwiw to be a catch 22 that the folks trynna prevent cause or do not either way it still sell feeds.

[@1805movie]

If it's considered a "banned book", then it just makes me want to read it even more. That's the power of reverse psychology.

[@doginhat13]

To be fair the people that are making these rules aren't smart just rich religious and old

[@mrjuicejunior]

Mein Kamph?

[@Salza02]

It’s so funny having captain underpants, a child oriented humor joke, being banned along with a totalitarian’s manifesto

[@caitlinsnowfrost8244]

The usage of the Scooby Doo gang to illustrate the "five troubled teenagers" in Tricks had me *rolling on the floor*.

[@stephanniemorin]

And the Mystery Incorporated versions, no less!

[@TheShadow1347]

same 😂

[@SEB1991SEB]

Solving mysteries is just a hobby, it doesn’t pay the bills.

[@MellyTheCatLover]

I love that it implies Scooby Doo is a troubled teen, not ya know, a dog.

[@sjmhadsock4586]

I imagine Dave pilky was confused and hes right captain underpants is no less violent than any superhero cartoon

[@lovelaceackah216]

Banning Captain underpants while having other violent books in you’re school is Stupid

[@sjmhadsock4586]

@@lovelaceackah216 yes

[@thewhitewolf58]

My thought would be because his underwear was showing in a kids book.

[@Spiralredd]

Yeah. I read them all the time in elementary school and loved them. This is also the same school that had Harry Potter and the hunger games.

[@frederikromer4618]

They didn‘t like his ADHD. That’s why they banned the books. Ironically, he began drawing due to being sent out of class constantly by the teachers because they didn‘t want to deal with his ADHD. George and Harold are based on himself.

[@Rainok]

I want to make a comedy sketch where a parents yells at their kids for reading books, burning them, and yelling at their kids for being on tablets instead of reading

[@gryficowa]

The TAWOG episode has a similar idea, but the topic concerns games, then the characters discover the contents of books, which ends with adults burning them

[@Humanresouces]

All you need is a camera, things that look like hair and facial hair, and an editing tool. Maybe a paper and pencil, but that's optional.

[@TerrestrialExtraTerrestrial]

I would 100% watch that and show it to everyone I know

[@reallycoolnerd33]

Kind of sounds like Fahrenheit 451 but nobody is allowed to do anything lol.

[@michaelchoman1625]

Always remember that George Santayana once said "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it". However, he also once said "A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim".

[@Janoha17]

I've also seen a more recent take: "Those who suppress history intend to repeat it." Just look at the bans directed at The Handmaid's Tale.

[@Pablo-312]

Did you know: Little Bill, the books based on the Nick Jr show got banned in 2017 because of the author who shall remain nameless.

[@kingkaza]

J.k Rowling had a tv series?

[@tamari108]

It was by that one person in orphan tears that says: "ello with the pudding" (not saying real name)

[@strawberryswisher.]

You mean Bill Crosby

[@cohengamertv6548]

@@strawberryswisher.bill cosby

[@thewhitewolf58]

​@@kingkazabill cosby co wrote the book series weirdly enough.

[@Pikmin442]

Honestly the reason on why schools banned Captain Underpants books is ridiculous. The only reason why I could see the schools not carry them is the Flip-o-rama pages. Because kids could flip them too hard and rip the pages by accident thus making the school replace the book entirely.

[@Drsmiley603]

I’m pretty sure the books made by Dav Pilkey are the reason why I actually enjoy reading so I gotta give captain underpants its credit for making me actual read every now and then.

[@il-dottore]

@@Drsmiley603Same here, ditto for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books

[@Hello_Kitty_Fan]

​@@Drsmiley603same here. I wasn't a big reader until fifth grade I discovered this series and Dog Man

[@NightmareRex6]

since its a school couldent they cut those pages out and legaly just print them so just have to replace those?

[@iwi102]

God thing dogman didn't got banned

[@star4326]

Man that thumbnail is absolutely LUDICROUS

[@DaveSpaceman]

Its not often I see people who don't normally talk about sociopolitical topics to provide genuinely informative commentary, most the time they approach it at a surface level or are just vague or disingenuous. But you've provided the standard means of explaining something that should be more commonly expressed with care, great job Phantom!

[@d.phantomfan1216]

You know I'm always dumbfounded by the insane hypocrisy when it comes to book banning. Romeo and Juliet has underage sex, two murders, in a double suicide, yet it's a requirement in English class. The Bible itself has almost everything most of these books get banned for and your parents encourage their children to read it. Twilight technically about a grown man falling in love with teenage girl, who tried to get his attention by jumping off a cliff. And don't even get me started on The hunger games, I'm always confused about the nitpick when it comes to something being acceptable and unacceptable.

[@Rigatoni.c]

Romanian here and I can wholeheartedly agree with this statement on the hypocrisy of book banning. Right here in my country we had to read a book called "Adam and Eve" by Liviu Rebreanu. There are plenty of passages and fully dedicated paragraphs used to describe the physical qualities of the women our protagonist encounters, in depth gory scenes and one of the subheadings of this book depicts a 12 year old mesopotamian boy having sex with a mesopotamian prostitute right in public. The sex worker even states: "Today, I'll make you a man". What the actual fuck.

[@beastgirlsara]

It's never about the sex and violence. That's just the excuse. It's about whether or not it has *one* thing in it that the person who wants it banned thinks will challenge their own political and religious views.

[@DJ_Squid]

I mean, I understand Romeo and Juliet, maybe just make them read those cringey childish versions? And the Bible is good, since it's about religion, and it's good practice for the kids.

[@knightofarkronia9968]

I’m pretty sure the Bible has attracted a lot of controversy over the years.

[@ashkitt7719]

The Bible has been banned before if the ALA is to be believed.

[@TheLobsterCopter5000]

The problem with supporting censoring books is that it opens the gate for books YOU like being censored as well.

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

No book should be banned. I think certain books should have an age restriction though. To keep really young people from acquiring information that might have a detriment to them. Of course some books which do encourage harmful actions or positions in a realistic context actually complicate things a bit.

[@callnight1441]

Not only that, but like most of the books that get banned are only so because "gay".

[@obnoxious_efe420]

@@p-__ bruh

[@PerfectChaos115]

@@SergioLeonardoCornejoagreed, it’s like TV or movies, books should just be monitored in regards to who is getting them, not banned out right, not only does it backfire, like Josh said, but it sends the message that we shouldn’t tolerate anything we don’t agree with, instead of try to understand the issue first

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

@@PerfectChaos115 I have some concerns regarding material which, for example, glorifies violence irl, such as two certain manifestos written by men who lived in Germany at different time periods. Other than that I don't think there are books that could cause harm.

[@V-Starr]

I'm on the same boat as your friend with Catcher in the Rye. I've been suffering with depression since middle school and I just loved reading it in high school because I "got" Holden. The rest of my class saw him as a whiny bitch but I saw him as relatable going on a self-destructive weekend driven by his own mental health struggles only to find hope at the end with his sister on the carousel. My 9th grade English teacher made us do book reports every week on any reading we've done outside of class which made me hate reading books, but I did buy my own copy of Catcher in 10th grade when my class read the book because it had such an impact on me. More people need to read it!

[@phantomstrider]

I totally get that. I found myself connecting with Harry Potter alot in my teens as he was going through his difficult period in "Order of the Phoenix." It felt like there was another character going through something similar whom could also be self-destructive.

[@lisettegarcia7013]

I disagree with you but no. No one should read this book. I may have read it in my school days but I never understood the plot. Whenever we had a test or assignment on the book, I failed on it. I teared out every page of notes I wrote about the book and ripped them to pieces. I hate the book now because of how I failed every assignment and the very, very, very, very tragic incident back in 1980.

[@gkid64]

I remember my primary school banned captain underpants from in class lessons because it had incorrect spelling in the george and Harold comic sections luckily they would let you read it from the library so i got to read the series

[@shirareinhold7578]

Seeing captain underpants next to Hitler’s book is wild

[@Finnthehuman2007]

Too true

[@dansmith16]

Both are great reads.

[@windbuster]

@@dansmith16 bro ☠️

[@qwerte6948]

​@@windbuster L

[@windbuster]

@@qwerte6948 ok

[@geeker6350]

'And Tango Makes Three' would make a great animated movie, with Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi voicing the main penguin couple, where they navigate parenthood through a series of wacky adventures throughout the zoo.

[@calebpribyl5152]

Honestly I could see that working! I also would LOVE to see some sort of animation style out of the little bear cartoon! (Do you remember that show?) Maybe take some influence from classical music too?

[@robinkholmes7127]

OM-Goodness YES!!!!!

[@tfordham13]

It is a adorable story it see.s

[@Logitah]

Definitely would watch! Would also work as a series of shorts.

[@CaptainCat101]

That could be fun

[@labyrinthgirl17]

Books get banned because they make people feel uncomfortable, and rather than dealing with their emotions and trying to figure out why it makes them uncomfortable, they just want to make the book that caused those emotions go away.

[@TeskeTheArse]

I was hoping to see Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark included, just because the reason it was banned is correct: it can be that scary for some readers.

[@RandomDragonEXE]

Honestly same, I have the books myself.

[@An-ony-mous]

I rewatched an episode of TAWOG recently where after video games get banned, the kids all argue the books they were being forced to read were just as bad as video games. I thought of that after watching this video.

[@gryficowa]

I love this episode because it's a perfect commentary on adults trying so hard to "Protect" children

[@xtremeyoylecake]

I REMEMBER THAT “Everybody read a book! Reek havoc across the nation! Everybody have a look, there’s some violent inspiration!” “Lord of the Flies, a book each parent cherished, the feral kids survive, but the one with glasses perishes” “AGH” “RAHHHH” “If you want more blood and guts, give shakespares plays a try, in Titus Andraticus, a woman has her son served up in a pie!” “Legends myths and fairy tales will make their viewers shriek and wail *hiss* “AHHHH” “YOU DID THIS TO ME MOTHER” AHHHHHHH “I read greek myths just like you sir when they get beheaded like Medusa” “And I read the tortoise and the hare, a tail of torture and despair…FIGHT” “You didn’t read it did you?” “I…no” “Red riding hood is pretty bissare, WEREWOLF DRESSES UP AS A GIRLS GRANDMA!” AHHHH “If you read dickens Oliver Twist you shut out every door and lock it! It’s all about these homeless kids who learn how to pick pocket!” “ALRIGHT ALRIGHT THATS ENOUGH! FICTION SHOULD BE BANNED!” “But history books are just as bad! Perhaps a rap will make you understand! Juke hit it”

[@knightofarkronia9968]

And this led to the parents arranging a book burning.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

I actually worried about the book burning scene in that fantastic episode's end. Just how many possible school library copies of Bibles, Torahs, Korans, and Mahabharatas have they burned there? Anyways, refreshing to know that the show's movie AND a seventh season are forthcoming against all Zaslav odds.

[@knightofarkronia9968]

@@michaelandreipalon359 For all we know, they burned every last one.

[@PerfectChaos115]

I honestly don’t understand why the main character being “disruptive and disrespectful to authority” is reason to be banned, one of the oldest tales is “Journey to the West” and it’s main character is PRECISELY that, it’s not banned

[@knightofarkronia9968]

I’ve never seen Journey to the West in any school library I’ve been to.

[@PerfectChaos115]

@@knightofarkronia9968 in all fairness, schools wouldn’t usually cover old Chinese Literature

[@StupidIdiot3000]

Well he's technically not the main character but yeah.

[@knightofarkronia9968]

@@StupidIdiot3000 In the first part, he was.

[@snailbert3292]

I really appreciate how you commentate on these subjects. It’s objective, and sprinkled with light humor to help the overall tone stay upbeat, and it’s never once rude or insensitive. Your demeanor is infectious and just right for tackling these topics some may find difficult. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your content.

[@Prettyboyfizzy]

The way we went from captain underpants to fucking mein Kampf had me in tears

[@daorignaldumbucket]

Mad respect to the head librarian from back when I was in high school. She refused to pull any books off her shelf regardless of if she agreed with them or not

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

And it is important to have discussions about controversial topics instead of banning them. A bit like the Böhmermann affair in 2016 that lead to abolishing a law that especially protects foreign heads of state. Because we should be allowed to criticise the government and establishment. Just in a civilised manner. I you try to ban a certain viewpoint, you don't prove it wrong. You only show that you are scared of it and believe other people should be as well.

[@joshuahansell9194]

I’m confident that if every fanfic ever got published, 80% or more would be banned

[@michaelandreipalon359]

That's the thing: in essence, ALL OF FICTION are actually fanfics. Even the likes of The Lord of the Rings can be deemed as partial Shakespeare fanfiction, what with Tolkien basing the Ents on him being disappointed that the camouflaged soldiers in Macbeth weren't literal tree people.

[@Humanresouces]

​@@michaelandreipalon359Weirdly, JRR Tolkien's LOTR was based on his time in the Somme in World War 1. Combine that with Macbeth and some fantasy, you get one of the biggest franchises ever.

[@kylieashley-jones1742]

You are always so respectful, polite, informative and entertaining. Just wonderful! Much love to you and Nin xx

[@CoolExcite]

Honestly Ulysses is the most surprising to me. It has adult scenes sure, but it certainly isn't lascivious. And it's not like the others on the list where they have the "think of the children" excuse because the book is so dense that a child isn't capable of reading it

[@googamp32]

Captain Underpants being on the same list as Mein Kampf is hilarious to me.

[@williampulfer-melville8536]

5:16 I actually found out that Silo was actually bisexual as Roy died in 2012 and Silo started a relationship with a female Penguin sometime after Roy's death I actually looked that up when I was curious about those two specific penguins

[@tfordham13]

Rip Roy

[@Logitah]

Oh dear! Well... Widowers are allowed to move on.😢❤

[@extremecoolguyyy]

From my understanding, a lot of bird species are very bisexual. Kinda cool.

[@princesspikachu3915]

Well yeah. Roy and Silo was largely staged. And they weren’t the first ones either at the zoo. Your options are limited when you are caged and lonely. It’s like being trapped in a men’s prison for those penguins.

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

Animals are not on the same level of consciousness as human beings and do not have the constraints of OUR view of sexuality imposed onto them, this is just us projecting our world onto creatures unaware

[@HXSKlmfao]

i used to watch you all the time years ago, it’s good to see you still make content

[@sage.81]

My city's public library has Gender Queer and I read it and really liked it

[@TheFManInk]

That’s just ridiculous on, why the 12 Captain Underpants book was banned

[@kingkaza]

Yet hos cavemen books will never come back cause apparently you can just make a 2nd edition without the offensive stuff (apparently editing don't exist in land of books)

[@4wingedowl]

Yeah, im really glad he brought it up.

[@tommybakes5972]

Yeah so Clyde's parents are allowed to be gay in The Loud House and Luna can be bisexual but Harold can't be gay?

[@4wingedowl]

@@tommybakes5972the 12th book was published in 2015 so that might have something to do with it.

[@mediamuncher69]

Religious reasons, maybe or some parents don't want their kid to see it at an early age. And that's fine as long as your not being a jerk or hating a group.

[@JaredGriffiths2000]

I loved Captain Underpants growing up. Honestly those books were as much a part of my childhood as SpongeBob.

[@LucyLioness100]

I think every boy in my class throughout elementary school read those books

[@montanajackson3713]

The first CU book I ever read was the one with the bionic booger boy.

[@thegrandxbunny2073]

I love how Captain Underpants has a goofy premise, silly antics, clever 4th wall humor, and frankly it has a special place in my heart. Honestly, the fact the fact the series gets banned just proves that the school from the series that was made as a parody is more realistic which is frankly sad. My salute to Dav Pilkey and R.L. Stine for getting my nose into a book and writing. Edit: Also, I brought up 'And Tango Makes Three' in my final paper for Ethnic Studies and got 200/200. Thanks, Strider!

[@oblivion1924]

I just wanted to say that I used to grow up with this channel. 8 years ago, I would watch your videos all the time. I recently found your channel again, and the nostalgia was instant upon hearing your voice for a second. Anyway, I just wanted to say that all these years later, I still love your content.

[@MikeyDew]

I remember the Death Note manga got banned from a few schools when it first peaked, but not so much now. By the way, Captain Underpants so much nostalgia 😢

[@complex2live]

Why did Death Note get banned? It can't be violence because most of it is Paranormal violence

[@cyanidepancake]

@@complex2live well tbh paranormal violence is still violence, the whole plot revolves around death. Doesn’t mean it should of gotten banned but it is graphic at some points.

[@sjmhadsock4586]

​@complex2live I heard that teens in China were copying things in the manga like bringing notebooks calling them death notes

[@complex2live]

@@sjmhadsock4586 oh ok. You know, I think Squid Game had a similar take on people where people who be constantly saying the rant from the doll in the red light, green light game. Heck, look at half of the content people are exposed to nowadays and it's very repetitive

[@complex2live]

@@cyanidepancake I think many people should just realize that stuff will be violent. Having violent moments doesn't automatically make something less good. Why else do you think people like stuff like the Hunger Games and Lord of the Rings.

[@shacharlem4424]

Fun fact, in the Hebrew dub of the captain underpants movie, George shares his Hebrew voice actor with SpongeBob.

[@zero_lobby_boy7957]

I revisited your channel after a few years..you're just as good as ever! Keep going with the amazing content!

[@aijamberisabel]

You should do note of these lists. There is so many banned books or even proposed banned books that you could do a whole series on this topic. I love this type of content talking about how some things in fiction or even in “fact”-based books is so interesting. Love your channel, it is so interesting and well-done and I really love hearing your opinion on all these fascinating topics! ❤️❤️❤️

[@TheCatIndeed]

When a thumbnail includes both Captain Underpants and Mein Kampf, you know it’s gonna be a wild ride.

[@TheFManInk]

Dav Pilkey is an inspiration

[@ToastyNoneofyourbusiness]

He actually is! He was diagnosed ADHD when he was young, and his teachers told him that he would never get a career drawing silly pictures. But, as it says in the About the Author section of his books, "Fortunately, Dav was not a very good listener."

[@TheFManInk]

@@ToastyNoneofyourbusiness let’s just say I’ve been in dav shoes

[@occycat.]

@@p-__😂

[@abbyelectric]

​@@ToastyNoneofyourbusiness I was recently diagnosed w/ ADHD and I resonate SO much with this, down to using all my free time to draw. I got in trouble a lot for doing it during class >:D

[@beckys.8897]

😩💅

[@dandrelamay8273]

As usual, its nice hearing Josh talking about these subjects in a tactful matter, even the most controversial ones. I'm glad his content continues to grow over the years.

[@SmokeTheHorsehog]

I'm surprised that you didn't mention Maus: A Survivor's Tale, considering the stir it raised just a year ago because it was banned. Mostly because it was banned... for the opposite reason that Mein Kampf was banned. Rather than trying to prevent anti-Semitic ideologies from spreading, those trying to ban Maus wanted it banned because it discussed the Holocaust at all (and also some sexual depictions of the anthro mice that represented the Polish). My father was a friend of the author, Art Spielgman, at one point, and my father gave me both volumes of the book to read. Not just because they are good graphic novels, but because they are direct accounts of one man's experience at the Auschwitz concentration camp, and well, it's important to know about the Holocaust not just because of general history, but because it remains the most infamous tragedy in the history of the people I am descended from, my family being Jewish and all.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Can agree that the books are classics, to be sure. However, I do worry that, in the distant future, someone may make an equally good book or two, only to be banned because the content of the book is about the Israeli genocidal takeover of Palestine that is happening as of this video and writing. Lots of fools will want to deny that, for sure, and it'll go to show that things changed and yet haven't changed. Catch my drift?

[@trinaq]

Howdy, Josh, it's crazy that many of these books were banned in schools, especially "Alaska." The objective scene is rather tame, and really highlights the awkwardness of teenagers, and not knowing what they were supposed to be doing sexually.

[@whatnotandstuff1437]

Back in my high school years, which was like 3 years ago, mainly my junior year, i read the book Fahrenheit 451. A futuristic take on the book burnings the nazis would do back then, but instead of nazis it was firefighters using fire to make fires instead of putting out fires with water. Anyway, recently i was trying to buy a copy because i remembered how much i loved it, and then i came upon some articles saying that they've been banned in many schools. Which is understandable, but it really wasn't necessary

[@flamingpaxtsc]

Oh, the irony.

[@TopTierGamerMan]

Hey, I’m reading that right now. Good book, even if you don’t like reading.

[@SwampThing585]

Isn’t Fahrenheit 451 actually about the Red Scare in the 50s?

[@whatnotandstuff1437]

@@SwampThing585 no, the red scare was something way different, but i think there is a book about it though. But Fahrenheit 451 isn't it

[@SwampThing585]

@@whatnotandstuff1437 I googled it and you’re right. I don’t know why my English teacher said it was.

[@genericcartoonreactionchan3890]

This evokes memories from my high school years when I received a prolonged detention period, spanning four weeks, for dedicating my time to the study and exploration of the subject matter you referenced as Book #2. My keen interest in history compelled me to delve deeper into the subject, fostering a desire for expanded knowledge.

[@nprnilk]

I would love to see more videos like this where you discuss topics surrounding history.

[@VX_XI]

14:27 this part was extremely funny to me. "IM GONNA DO SO MUCH READING TONIGHT"

[@supermatthieubrothers1046]

During my last year of high school last year, me and my English class peers actually had a presentation in the library about various banned books. Of course, all the ones you talked about were covered but I also noticed some more banned books that were banned for ridiculous reasons. The Lorax was banned and one of the reasons was because it had the word stupid in the text and Charlotte's Web was banned because, I kid you not, the animals talk. But yeah after that presentation, my English class even decided to read a banned book called Maus and it's sequel for the whole semester. I recommend them, they're good books though a tad depressing.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Refreshing to hear that they didn't ban Maus, but man, doing so to Seuss' Lorax and Charlotte's Web is still disheartening.

[@princesspixel3151]

I’ve heard of “anti-furries,” but hating talking animals in general??? You’ve got parrots, classic fairy tales, teddy bears, and (sarcastic gasp) the very concept of imagination to ban… or better yet… EXTERMINATE! (Disclaimer: That last part was me being sarcastic along with a Dalek impression, please don’t do that for your own moral sake)

[@LucyLioness100]

Ah this brings me back to my sophomore year of high school where we went down the rabbit hole of banned books during Banned Book Week. The majority of my education taught had us read a ton of the most famous banned books & I read plenty of them in my free time too

[@c0mpu73rguy]

Oh nice! You included snippets from This World Can't Tear Me Down in the video. I love this show (and the one before it, Tear along the dotted line). Zerocalcare is an amazing cartoonist.

[@Beast-Boy]

"And Tango Makes Three" is an adorable book 🥰

[@princesspikachu3915]

Yeah but the reality is that while a true story, much of it was staged. The penguins eventually found opposite gender mates. So they were actually bi.

[@kingkaza]

​@@princesspikachu3915fucking queerbaiters

[@robinkholmes7127]

"homosexuality ain't natural" says who?

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@robinkholmes7127 biology says.

[@gryficowa]

@@princesspikachu3915 ...

[@thedarknight307]

Hey PhantomStrider, regarding Anarchist Cookbook I used to work at a Barnes and Noble, and during training, we were told that if a potential customer wants The Anarchist Cookbook, they would be put on the list by the FBI. I dont recall the full details but it was essentially something that happened automatically. The Stores had no control ovr it. I remember a customer wanted to order the book, and got angry once I told him. Im kinda glad he DIDNT order the book though.

[@Finnthehuman2007]

Your videos are amazing!

[@arigangan]

Thank you for making a list about books, it was cool and interesting!

[@cadbanesfavoritehat5655]

I love that you can so seamlessly work SpongBob into any video no matter what topic.

[@thechaosjacket6136]

I remember reading Catcher in the Rye in school. My reaction was like the boys from South Park. I do like hearing that others took more away from it and appreciate it more than I did. To each their own and humanity isn’t a hivemind.

[@valutaatoaofunknownelement197]

We read Catcher in the Rye in my final year of high school. At the time, I feel Holden reflected some of my own personality and angst at the time.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Liked the book, but I never understood why people still falsely hype it as a story that ends in a massacre or something.

[@Grey_Warden_Invasion]

I absolutely despised that book. The main character was the most insufferable pile of garbage I ever read about. His constant lamenting basically every two sentences about yet another minor thing he was bored or depressed or angry about robbed my last nerve. Trying to read that book was pure boredom torture.

[@sci_fi13th36]

As a history student in university I do have a copy of Mein Kampf for my class which has a unit of the study and analyzation of Fascism

[@gabriellagulla2542]

This video was really well edited!

[@corymorimacori1059]

“In books sales you got nothing to say, I’m number 1 and 2 you under 50 shades of Grey!” JRR Tolkien

[@robinkholmes7127]

🤣🤣

[@Nick_C1997]

“I got the prose of a pro, your sh*ts sub par, you’re a pirate, you even stole my R.R.”

[@ElNeroDiablo]

"You can't reach this Fellow! Sh*t, I'm Two Towering! Every time I battle - it's Return of the King!"

[@GPS_DS]

I love how Josh is almost always so objective and reasonable when discussing controversies and opinions, but he gets to My Struggle and is just like, “this man was pure evil.” It’s completely accurate, but it’s just funny to see him say something so blunt with no nuance.

[@illdoittomorrow2368]

The situation with the catcher in the rye reminds me of the oshi no ko situation, but in reverse. One episode takes a character that was almost driven to off themselves by fans of the tv show she was on. She was on a dating show and the viewers didn't really liked her actions, so the usual twitter bs happened. Anyway, in real life a person asked the writers of the show to take the episode out of the air, because the episode was really closely based on a real life event of her daughter. Except the part where her daughter didn't survive. What happened after that is that she got barraged by fans of the show for even coming up with the idea. And the fans of oshi no ko didn't even realize they were just like the fictional fans of that dating show. The mother may have gotten emotional after she saw the episode, but she deserved better, even if they would never remove the episode. Just a sad story I wanted to share.

[@user-fh1qz7su6b]

Strider is a true beacon of love and hope on the youtube community. Not only does he touch on some sensitive topics and emotions, but he does so with true care and respect for the people and material involved. I sincerely wish the best for him into his YT career, and I can't wait to see more videos!

[@SuperiorMegaloWarrior682]

Strider is disrespectful to Christians!

[@kevinrwhooley9439]

Ireland's most infamous banned books is probably the Country Girls trilogy. Written in the 1960s by Irish author Edna O'Brien, it tells the tale of two Irish country girls during the post-war period who travel to the big city to get away from the countryside's oppressive religious and social values, and try to maintain their friendship as they both adapt to city-life differently. With themes of s*xual exploration, religious difference and female empowerment, it was panned in Ireland, with both religious and political leaders condemning it as filth, banning it and even holding public book burnings. Despite this, it did break the silence on social issues and s*xual matters that were so taboo in Ireland until then, and luckily the Church's grip over the Irish government and people has waned greatly, with people in Ireland now praising it as a masterpiece that stood up to the norms of the time.

[@dodgerthedudeoriginal]

And Hames Joyce’s novels were banned

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

I'd ban it for being Ir*sh

[@roxassora2706]

Yeesh.

[@MichaelLovely-mr6oh]

It's surprising how long it has taken for the government of Ireland to get with the times. For example; it wasn't until 1995 that divorce by mutual consent (wherein both spouses decide it's for the best to file for divorce) was approved by the Irish government.

[@ProfessorPrel]

Moral of the story. Just dont ban books

[@jamieharrell5321]

Amen to that

[@lunawolf6288]

Yes

[@rickbardalesproductions1202]

unless there racist

[@knightofarkronia9968]

@@rickbardalesproductions1202Like ‘Mein Kampf,’ or ‘The Turner Diaries.’

[@Drums_of_Liberation]

​@@rickbardalesproductions1202no book should be banned. If you don't learn what not to do from the "racist" books your doomed to become part of the problem

[@twixthehyena]

I know this is very unrelated, but Josh, I want to thank you for giving me a little bit of a nostalgia boost by including the DK64 Crystal Cavern music when talking about the second book on your list :) that made me smile with childlike glee

[@masonmoran4419]

Someone at my school requested Mein Kampf for the school library and argued that it was for their history project and it worked. We now have a copy sitting in the nonfiction history section :)

[@LethalBubbles]

they're not wrong. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

[@horrifiedasusual3261]

@@LethalBubbles Even if they know, they'll still want to repeat it anyways.

[@calebpribyl5152]

I remember reading this book in school (you might recognize it!) It’s called Fahrenheit 451 Also the high school I went to had a clockwork orange which includes a LOT of disturbing moments!

[@princesspikachu3915]

I read both of those from my school library. They were both required reading.

[@phantomstrider]

I remember watching clockwork orange! Very controverisal at the time, but definitely left me with alot to think about in the criminal justice system and anti-social behaviour.

[@aeroblu2002]

Ah, I remember reading that as well. People keep comparing our modern to 1984, but I think Fahrenheit 451 is a more accurate depiction.

[@princesspikachu3915]

@@aeroblu2002 Both are accurate I think.

[@phoenixfire6433]

⁠@@aeroblu2002To be fair, both Orwell and Bradbury would be disgusted with the state of the world today, but for different reasons- Orwell due to how poisoned the capitalist system has become and the steady rise of fascism, Bradbury because of, idk, “wokeness” I guess? He hated that, but to be fair I do think he would also hate how the right have devolved into something g much the same (if not worse) since 2016

[@dracone4370]

Another book that was banned in the USA was Fools Crow by James Welch; the book is now actually required reading in high school for the state of Montana (where I went to school), and it offers a look at historical events for the native peoples of the American plains through the eyes of a native person, the author frames things mainly through the point of view of a fictional ancestor back in the time the book is set. For a time, the US actually didn't want books that criticized the nation's history for a variety of reasons; I think it's mostly due to a sense of national pride, but those sorts of policies are a bit more relaxed now, last I checked.

[@kittylovesryder]

Captain Underpants was actually the first book I read over to cover, and because of that, I discovered my love for reading!

[@SuperEliasboi64]

Captain Underpants and Hitler in the same thumbnail? Now I’ve seen everything

[@ScarySkele]

A love between two individuals whether it be human, penguin, male, female, all that matters is love for each other prevails through thick and thin. Cute story for the penguins adopting an orphaned egg, happy ending. I sadly never heard of that story as a child, honestly that is very wholesome. Shouldn’t have been banned.

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

Therefore I am going to marry a penguin, thanks for coming to my TED talk

[@ScarySkele]

@@MaxiemumKarnage 🤣👏🏻👏🏻

[@dylan8435]

Someone: America is the land of liberty and freedom! Me after this video: 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Harrys.Truman-fanpage]

All 10 are available in the US 💀 unless you’re talking about the other countries in the American continents, that I don’t know

[@dylan8435]

@@Harrys.Truman-fanpage IS the US am talking about

[@ashkitt7719]

I mean, it is pretty free. Just the wrong type of freedom. I've learned you can have universal healthcare or be allowed to say the N-word but not both in the same country.

[@NemesisOgreKing]

@@ashkitt7719 in china they throw you can't pay the bill.

[@ashkitt7719]

@@NemesisOgreKingFunny how you go to China and not, say, one of the many social democracies in the world. Yes, the US is a step up from China, the PRC specifically. I would say that it is probably better to be gay in even Florida than it is in the PRC. But a step up from Western Europe? Hardly if at all.

[@capmodesty]

I remember the first four Captain Underpants books from when I was younger and my sister got them, they were great fun and the movie adaptation was a great example of how to do it right. It's heartening to know there are more to find 20 years later!

[@robblequoffle8456]

The fact that in the thumbnail you put Captain Underpants next to Mein Kampf is hilarious

[@NicholasAndAnastasia]

It’s a good day when PhantomStrider uploads

[@waffleboi7487]

Indeed my sister and I always anticipate his next upload and we tend to watch them together

[@Beast-Boy]

definitely 😊

[@KirisunaOnline]

@@waffleboi7487 Aw, that's cute! :).

[@ruth80809]

Hell yeah!

[@robinkholmes7127]

Yep; the skits, the wit, the questioning reality, I'm all in

[@doorthechalk1447]

Fun fact: 50 Shades Of Grey exists soley due to the terrorist attacks of september 11 2001 Because fun fact Twilight exists because of the music of My Chemical Romance, a band that exists because of the lead singer witnessing the terrorist attacks

[@kellychuang8373]

Good video and also I'm sure there's others beyond this like the recent Flamer is another that belongs here as well as Maus.

[@kellychuang8373]

Thanks Phantomstrider and also used to see that book way before the ban and when it was OK to be in a children's room which was a decade ago also used to read it and also got the other book Flamer anyway may want to Google and KZbin all about it.

[@dennisthenothing5139]

I love how i could tell what the book on the right was before even clicking.

[@4wingedowl]

I honestly was not entirely sure if you would speak about Captain Underpants but honestly i'm so glad you did! The fact that book 12 got banned for Harold being gay was something i only recently learned and I got so mad. So while the books are kinda cheesy and very...crude in its toilet humor, but as you said it got me reading. (side note shout out to my mom for loving the Captian Underpants books and being willing to read them along side me when i was little)

[@jbcatz5]

One of the books is called Attack of the Talking Toilets. The nature of the comedy isn’t hidden at all. One of the villains has his origin story from his name, which is entirely toilet humour (Professor Poopypants, middle name Pee Pee). Don’t ask his name in the movie, it makes that look tame.

[@4wingedowl]

@@jbcatz5 Attack of the Talking Toilets was my favorite as a kid

[@TheIranianAvgeek]

In iran, captain underpants is legal and has a lot of fans

[@ashkitt7719]

Am curious about Iran then. Like I presume you're using a VPN to access KZbin?

[@TheIranianAvgeek]

@@ashkitt7719 yes i am

[@doginhat13]

This is pretty surprising

[@ashkitt7719]

@@doginhat13 I'm not surprised. I assume that the citizenry of even the more overtly authoritarian countries have ways to get around their governments' restrictions. I've encountered folks who say they're from China on KZbin, despite it not only being banned there but then also having their own alternative, Bilibili.

[@TheIranianAvgeek]

@@ashkitt7719 yea but so much foreign movies are allowed in iran (some cencored But Cartoons are not)

[@wattsink2009]

33:20 Ironic indeed! 😅 When you tell people they “can’t” do something (especially if it’s followed by “because I said so”), the first thing they will do is ask “why”, and then the next they will do IS that thing you told them not to do! 😎

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Barbara Streisand effect in a nutshell.

[@SCOTCHMO1]

I cant believe im watching phantomstrider do a top 10 again.... this is a great video :)

[@thehorrormaster8513]

I'm A Big Fan Of Captain Underpants So It's Sad That It Was Banned

[@Freshmarketflesh]

I remember that my elementary school prohibited us to use captain underpants for school book assignments. Those where you have to read a book and explain what happened in it. We either couldn’t use them on those “read this amount of books” assignments due to them being comics. They had to literally say to us “don’t make the projects with comics. Yes. Captain underpants is too close to a comic. No. It being a hardcover isn’t enough for it to not be a comic” Yeah it wasn’t about anything about the content of the writing. Our teachers just didn’t want us to use books with too many pictures because they wanted us to train our reading comprehension when doing our assignments. They said “you can read those books on your free time of course. It’s just very important to read other things than just comics” Thanks the school system of Finland! Without you, I wouldn’t have as good reading comprehension even online🗣️✨

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

They had Captain Underpants hardcovers? I had the whole series but could only ever find paperbacks back when I was a kid

[@Freshmarketflesh]

@@MaxiemumKarnage oh yeah they indeed did! Our small town library had them. Even the library bus had the hardcovers.

[@MaxiemumKarnage]

@@Freshmarketflesh Lucky

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

31: 37 What's that clip from? The one with the dinosaur people? Looks like a cool show.

[@TheProfessorTolkien]

Can someone please tell me what game the song that’s playing in the background at 17:19 is from? I know I’ve heard it before and it’s a Nintendo title but I can’t seem to identify it.

[@squab6969]

To be honest, I learned a lot of big words reading captain underpants. I learned words like “perilous” and “tyrannical” at like 4. Parents should be proud that their kid is reading captain underpants.

[@Joemama55122]

The duality of man Mein kampf Captain underpants 😂

[@Didyouknowthatiexist]

Accurate

[@Pizza_boi516]

Crazy thumbnail, love your videos

[@Ferocious_Feline]

the penguin story was the cutest thing i've ever heard