Just in time for Banned Books Week comes Parents seek to ban books.
The article says Four parents of Science Academy sophomores are determined to protect their children.
From books.
The board of directors for the South Texas Independent School District is expected to decide tonight whether to ban two books — Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land — from the high school’s 10th grade English Advanced Placement curriculum.
“The ethical and literary value of a work is distorted if one focuses only on particular words, passages, or segments,� he wrote. “An author’s broad moral vision, total treatment of theme, and commitment to realistic portrayal of characters and dialogue are ignored when protesters focus only on aspects that are offensive to them. Unfortunately, there is shock value in isolating and listing selected passages from a book; but this does not reveal anything about the fundamental message or theme in the work, and it does not provide insight into its teachability or its literary quality.�
Inapprorpiate sexual arousal?
You know, it’s specious, bassackward, and downright stupid crap like this just about sends me ballistic.
Oh, yeah, God forbid books should step in and take over where raging, adolescent hormones might not be enough to do the trick.
If it’s inappropriate sexual arousal those kids want they should try reading the bible. More smut in there than you can shake a Helot at. And these are . . . what? . . . sixteen year-olds? And they are still being treated as if they are six year-olds?
What I find equally annoying is this:
This should not be any kind of an issue whatsoever. My first reaction to this incident is that under that clause of Guiding Principles, those parent should be told to just shut-the-fuck-up and pick another book for their precious little darlings. And if that isn’t good enough for them they can put their little angels back into the remedial program.
Oh, and if you’ve read the linked article, you might have noted where Ms. Wilde hasn’t even read Stranger in a Strange Land. Typical.
Re:Inapprorpiate sexual arousal?
It appears to me, after reading that article, that the parents _were_ told, in slightly more considered terms, to be quiet and pick another book for their darlings. Repeatedly, at several different levels. And now the latest level to which they’ve appealed has scheduled the hearing during Banned Books Week.
There may be a message in that scheduling.
Re:Inapprorpiate sexual arousal?
It wasn’t specifically reported. A decision was made to keep the books; twice. By the review committee, and then by the Superintendent. The challengers didn’t like either decision and appealed up the chain of command to the board of trustees. The board heard the case in August, but tabled the issue. They’re hearing it on the 22nd of Sep seems to be a coincidence.
Re:Inapprorpiate sexual arousal?
Woo, bit pissy there. Yeah, I felt the same way: the television/movie images are as arousing as the books and that is just the ads!
These people are in denial about their kids. They ought to check out what the 12 year olds are doing…
In my town, we have a panoply of choices, they pick 2 or 3; this way there is no major cost burden, and an “offensive” title is avoidable.
In a perfect world this would not be an issue. One good thing: no apathetic zombie parents here, just overreactive,niave ones. The apathetic ones come to no meetings, wait til all is done to them, and then screech: victim mentality.