Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction over the sale of books which contain sexy images of models and violent pictures in the recent Hong Kong Book Fair. Those materials inculcate distorted values into adolescents and pose tremendously negative impacts on society as a whole. I strongly believe that they should not be sold in the fair and prompt measures should be taken to address the issue.
I went to the Hong Kong Book Fair last weekend, hoping to discover some books which are both educational and entertaining. For some books stores, there were apparently more people than others, and that was what appealed to me. However, when I finally managed to squeeze myself into the packed crowds, I purchased nothing and left with much dismay. It was appalling to see numerous photo albums of pseudo-models, posters with girls being nearly naked, comics which contain heinously bloody covers and so on. I am opposed to the sale of these books and comics and regard them as inappropriate. The Book Fair should promote healthy reading habits. Paradoxically, it is how doing the other way round.
The sale of books which contain unwholesome contents should be banned, as they are indubitably contaminating the impressionable minds of the children and teenagers. Being uncertain about their identities, they tend to imitate other’s behaviours. Seeing the teenage models gaining in fame and popularity, they may mistakenly think that stripping off clothes and doing all sorts of “stand-out” things can guide them to a rosy path. Seldom do they stop to think about the possible consequences. As a result, some may mechanically copy those actions, and this will give rise to unhealthy social trends, like an overly-open attitude towards sex and other blasphemous acts. This is the last thing we want to see.
Another deleterious impact of these books is that it promotes violence, which is very much unwanted. When I took a glimpse of the comics sold, what I saw was merely bloody themes. For example, one was about a man seeking a revenge, killing countless innocent people and eventually made a name for himself. As we all know, teenage is filled with ups and downs and teenagers are bond to face emotional fluctuations. If they come across hurdles next time, they might make use of what they have learnt to tackle the problem. These comics convey an utterly wrong message to teenagers, contributing to violent acts and a subsequent rise in crime rate.
It is known that in the Book Fair, children and teenagers account for a large majority of visitors each year. For their sake, sale of these typesof books should be forbade. It seems as if the very goal of the Fair has been forgotten, which is poignant. In fact, it aims at helping people, especially teenagers to cultivate reading as an ingrained habit, which is thought to be immensely beneficial to their personal development. Sticking to this aim is of cardinal importance. Yet, we are deviating from it owing to the sale of these types of materials. It is time we did something to alter the situ.
Regarding actions to be taken, I suggest enforcing more stringent regulations on the books and comics sold. It will be the most effective way to drive our the unwanted materials. During the Fair next year, officers should patrol more frequently to scrutiniseduring the sale of books.
The organizer should take up a vital role as well. You can consider contacting the publishers to discuss the recent phenomenon and together formulate policies together.
This trend is a seemingly natural one and people are unaware of the downsides of it. Never should we play down the seriousness of this issue. What we have to do is to face it and tackle it. Immediate actions should be swiftly taken. Afterall, I would be more than pleased to see improvements next year.
Yours faithfully,
Pat Lee