[lit-ideas] Re: in-class censorship

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 17:15:54 EST, JulieReneB@xxxxxxx said:
> I want to know what people here think about this.  

It's lovely isn't it?  The FCC still haven't dug their talons into it --
it takes a local ignorance in school boards to ban books and words,
doesn't it then?  Good, righteous American farmers who will beat
creationism into us until it no longer hurts.

I might say, a fine luxury of living in England now is its current lack
of zealots. America is filled with them.  You couldn't piss in a doorway
and miss them in America.  But if there were zealots to piss on, surely
in England, they would queue to piss on them first.

Whattaya think?  Will I make the Chess Comedy Club semifinals?

Toastmasters regionals?


Steve Chilson,
Warwickshire.
dude.


My 4th grade daughter
> came 
> home today and told me that her teacher is reading "Belle Teal"l, by Ann 
> Martin to them.  I haven't read it, but my older daughter owns the book
> and has 
> read it.  Elena told me that when her teacher was reading aloud today,
> she came 
> to a place where she said "and then she called her a bad word three
> times".  
> Elena then said, "But I know what that bad word was because I saw it in
> my 
> friend's book cuz she had it open."  
> The passage reads:  
> 
> <<Clarice looks uncertain.  So I step in.  'Only if you want to fight a 
> girl,' I tell him.
> 
> Now Vernon looks uncertain.  He drops his fists, but he says, 'Okay.  
> Niggerloversniggerloversniggerlovers.'
> 
> 'My father --' Claric starts to say, but her face just crumples.
> 
> I am feeling all cool and calm.  'Vernon,' I say.  And then I add,
> 'Chas,' 
> since Chas is hovering behind him.  'Clarice and me are friends with
> Darryl and 
> you better get used to it.'
> 
> 'Your *friend*,' replies Vernon, 'doesn't belong in *our* school.'>>
> 
>  Aside from the fact that language on prime time broadcast tv crossed all 
> kinds of lines long ago, and my child hears every 4 letter word there is
> on the 
> school bus, I'm a little surprised at this spontaneous censorship of the
> text 
> on the part of the teacher.  What do you guys think?  Is it appropriate? 
> Is it 
> something you would expect, or that is customary?  Does that particular 
> phrase warrent editing out?  If a book contains words a teacher does not
> deem 
> appropriate for an age group, should the age group be reading the book? 
> Doesn't 
> editing that out w/out even explaining what the epithet was or meant rob
> the 
> text of some of the power it should have for the young readers, part of
> what one 
> would hope they would learn from it and the very reason it was possibly 
> chosen?  I was suprised and had an instinctively negative reaction, but
> need to 
> think more about why.
> 
> Julie Krueger
> 
> 
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-- 
  Steve Chilson
  stevechilson@xxxxxxxxxxx

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