It was obvious to anyone who follows SCV news that this was a satirical ad celebrating eminent science fiction author Ray Bradbury's visit to Santa Clarita this Sunday April 15. Bradbury authored a dystopian fiction book in 1953 named Fahrenheit 451 in which a future society has banned all books and literature. Firemen in this bleak future don't put out fires; they start them with books as their fuel. But the meaning of the ad was lost on some of the public, including some unnamed "community leaders." As one source told SCVTalk, "Bradbury isn't as well read as he used to be." The source tells SCVTalk.com that the Canyon Theatre Guild, City Hall, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Signal have fielded dozens of outraged phone calls about the ad, which was designed by the Canyon Theater Guild. Some callers expressed outrage over the book burning itself, while others were concerned that the event was sponsored by a Neo Nazi group. Carol Rock, an SCV resident and journalist for the Daily News who also works closely with the Theatre Guild, wrote about the brouhaha today at Valley News.com, the Daily News' citizen journalism website:
An ad promoting a "book burning" published today has caused quite a flurry of phone calls and e-mails, many of them outraged at the proposed incendiary event, others warning that the group putting on the conflagration is a "neo-Nazi group." snip The people outraged include fellow actors, teachers and community leaders, none of whom "got" the inside scoop ... that an institution which has produced shows exploring racism and bigotry such as "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" would never judge what the public can or can't read by destroying books.The source tells SCVTalk.com that the Canyon Theatre Guild has pulled the next ad and modified one that was to appear in Sunday's Signal. The Canyon Theatre Guild is preparing to apologize to the public. Bradbury's visit to the SCV caps off a nationwide effort to encourage reading. In Santa Clarita, the effort is called "The Big Read," and was coordinated with the National Endowment of the Arts, the County of Los Angeles Public Library and other organizations. Fahrenheit 451 was the official book of the event. Its stated goal is: "to revive literary reading and restore reading to the center of American culture" and "to encourage reading for pleasure and bring communities together to read and discuss one book. Bradbury will be at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex on Sunday at 6 p.m. to discuss his work.
The offending ad in Thursday's Signal. Some readers thought the image at the bottom resembled Neo-Nazi symbols.
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