No wonder Republicans want to ban The Handmaid’s Tale

| 10:00 pm EDT May 5, 2023
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“It’s like a real-life Handmaid’s tale.” This comment has not been made by one person – it’s been made by thousands — maybe even millions. Perhaps no book, other than Orwell’s 1984, has captured today’s incarnation of the republican party more aptly than Handmaid’s Tale. The comparisons of red-state Republicans to the men in this book are being made over and over and over again.

For those who don’t know — the book Handmaid’s Tale is set in the fictional society of Gilead. In this story, women have no rights at all. They serve at the pleasure of the men — they live “under his eye.”

It’s a remarkable book — and is also a TV series. But perhaps it hits a bit close to home. Perhaps it evokes too much sympathy for women. Maybe it makes Republican men a wee bit too uncomfortable. That might be why parents are raising concerns about this book and are asking for it to be banned.

In South Carolina, for example, In the city of Anderson, a parent voiced concerns over the book to officials in the district. “Obscene and vulgar language” was the complaint. Oh, dear. That could be a real problem, officials decided. So now they’re in the process of “reviewing” it and other books to determine if it is worthy enough for children to read.

In many schools, Handmaid’s tale is required reading. It is one of those books considered a “must-read” by educators. And some Republican politicians, as well as right-leaning parents, clearly see the book as a threat.

Charleston South Carolina Rep. Sandy Senn had this to say about it. “We have extremists who are trying to take away a book. I read it for the first time right after law school. So what are you going to do, stop Netflix?”

Good question. Republicans are clearly scared — and can’t handle what is in the pages of Handmaid’s Tale. Perhaps that is because they see themselves a little too clearly for comfort.

Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.