Florida Bans Dictionaries: When Words Becomes “Dangerous”
In Florida, a school district has decided that dictionaries and encyclopedias fall under the category of “inappropriate content.” That’s not satire, it’s policy.
EDUCATIONDEMOCRACYPOLITICS
The War on Knowledge Hits a New Low
In Florida, a school district has decided that dictionaries and encyclopedias fall under the category of “inappropriate content.” That’s not satire, it’s policy. The very books kids use to understand language are being stripped from schools in the name of “protecting children.”
It sounds absurd because it is absurd. But if you’ve been paying attention, it’s also completely on-brand. Florida has become ground zero for the Republican war on education, and banning dictionaries is just the latest escalation.
Why Dictionaries Are Suddenly a Threat
Let’s be honest: dictionaries don’t contain graphic scenes, salacious passages, or even edgy political commentary. What they do contain are definitions. And that’s the problem.
If students can look up words like:
Racism → a system of oppression, not just a slur
Fascism → authoritarian control, not just an insult online
Dictatorship → rule by one leader without accountability
Censorship → suppression of information and ideas
…then suddenly, kids can connect the dots between what they’re learning and what they’re living through. And that’s the last thing Florida Republicans want.
The Authoritarian Playbook
Every authoritarian movement throughout history has followed the same pattern:
Control what people can read.
Control what people can say.
Control what people can think.
By turning even dictionaries into “dangerous” material, Florida isn’t just policing books — it’s policing language itself.Because once you strip away the ability to define oppression, people lose the words to resist it.
This isn’t about shielding kids from inappropriate content. It’s about shielding politicians from accountability.
Ignorance as a Political Strategy
The irony is breathtaking. A state government that never shuts up about “freedom” is actively banning the very tools that allow students to think freely. A party that insists “knowledge is power” when it comes to guns suddenly wants powerless children when it comes to ideas.
Ignorance isn’t a side effect here — it’s the goal. A misinformed, undereducated generation is easier to manipulate, easier to control, and less likely to question authority. That’s why dictionaries are being targeted. Knowledge is dangerous when your entire political project depends on lies.
What This Really Says About Florida
At this point, the joke writes itself: Florida Republicans are more afraid of kids with dictionaries than kids with assault rifles. One is apparently too “dangerous” for schools, the other is a “constitutional right.”
But the truth behind that joke is chilling. If your movement collapses the moment people know what words mean, then maybe the problem isn’t the dictionary. Maybe the problem is you.
A Call to Defend Language Itself
This fight isn’t just about books — it’s about whether students will even have the vocabulary to describe reality. If we let politicians redefine or erase basic terms like racism, fascism, dictatorship, then they get to reshape the truth itself.
Florida banning dictionaries is ridiculous. But it’s also a warning sign. Because the day a government fears definitions is the day it stops fearing democracy.
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