The proposed ban of Barbie dolls in West Virginia is not a proposition that should be played with.

While it may seem like a silly matter to many, the Barbie Ban Bill, proposed by Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge from nearby Lincoln County, would ban the sales of the Mattel doll and others in the same category, citing the fact that these toys place too much emphasis on physical beauty rather than focus on intelligence and equality.

Come on, that is just ludicrous. Barbie has long had detractors that read way too much into the plastic doll’s waistline and other measurements but this law would go way too far and puts the state — and ultimately the whole country if others would choose to follow — on a slippery slope of censorship.

What would be next? Is it time to ban baseball or football action figures for the same reason? What about trading cards? Do these items put too much emphasis on physical strength and athleticism? Of course not.

Maybe we should outlaw stuffed teddy bears because they promote killing of real animals? This seems just as absurd.

The bottom line is our lawmakers shouldn’t try to legislate things that good parenting should address.

Censorship is never a laughing matter and not something that should be taken lightly.

Whether it be the book bannings by Hitler and the Nazis during WWII or the attempt to silence free speech, history has shown that censorship of any kind leads to a dangerous place and erodes the freedoms our nation was built upon, making our nation as flimsy as the doll houses Barbie has called home for the past 50 years.