Let's just ban everything

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | 5/3/2003 | Jerry Falwell

[TLBSHOW]

Let's just ban everything

California school officials have issued new textbook regulations that are designed to keep "offensive" material from hurting anyone's feelings.

And how do you keep from offending people?

Invoke censorship.

Fox News reported this week that a variety of phrases, images and historic references have been suppressed in order to afford a more politically-correct environment for students. After examining the things that have been banned, it becomes evident to any clear-thinking individual that these school officials are more concerned with rewriting history and manipulating the minds of children than they are with actually teaching.

Here are just a few of the directives California educators have mandated for their textbooks:

The nation's "Founding Fathers" must be referred to as "the Framers," to avoid any implication that they were what they were – men. You know, these great men typically wore powdered wigs and wore frilly clothes, so maybe we should refer to them as our "Founding Cross Dressers," or the "Founding Transgenders." (Then again, maybe I shouldn't make such suggestions because, as ludicrous as it sounds, some California educator might think it's not such a bad idea.)

Images of unsafe foods – hot dogs, sodas, cake, etc. – have been banned. Maybe we should appease the unyielding animal-rights activists and not depict any meat dishes, at all. Better yet, maybe we should suggest in our textbooks that meat eaters – probably 90 percent of Americans – are the equivalent of murderers.

Mount Rushmore can no longer be pictured because "it appears to offend" some Indians – I mean Native Americans. I say tear Mount Rushmore down if it is so offensive. Just blow it up. This nation of "inclusion" should not boast a monument that does not include a minority, a homosexual, a dolphin or a handicapped individual.

Even yachts cannot be depicted in California textbooks because they are seen as elitist. Well, aren't houses seen as elitist to homeless people? Maybe photos of cars should also be banned. In fact, shouldn't all photos be banned since many people can't afford a nice camera? And don't books come from trees? Should we even have books in our schools when they come at the expense of the trees?

You get the picture.

Our nation is comprised of a growing number of people who have made an art form of being offended, and California educators are determined to mollify them.

This is, of course, an unending proposition. The list of offenses will continue to grow and censorship-minded California officials will eventually find their textbooks full of empty white pages – unless white pages are also found to be offensive.

"I think our textbooks should to our greatest capacity be free of any type of stereotyping," Sue Stickel, who is "deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction" for the California Department of Education, told Fox News. (Ms. Stickel, I'd bet that 90 percent of California students can't even spell or define the word "stereotyping.")

This spirit of suppression is not exclusive to California education officials. We see it all across the nation. People are offended by the Ten Commandments, the Pledge of Allegiance, prayers at high-school football games, pro-adoption license plates, etc. And as soon as these people complain, some left-leaning judge or city official can typically be found to authorize a ruling to squelch the offending activity or image. (By the way, how is it that conservatives are typically portrayed as book burners when it is the left that is so comfortable with silencing those with whom they disagree?)

Unless we are prepared to ban everything in our nation – because virtually everything can be made to appear offensive – we had better start electing political leaders and school officials who understand that education is supposed to be about the free exchange of ideas and actual teaching. We'd better get serious about putting people in power who will not acquiesce to those who are habitually insulted or offended by even the most innocuous things.

And now that I've finished this column, I think I'll head over to McDonalds in my SUV

[JeepInMazar]

I saw this last week. LOL. I think freepers will have a good time reading it, thanks for posting it.

[glockmeister40]

The peoples republic of kalifornia should ban public education, so as not to offend anybody.

[punster]

We should ban any future speeches by Shrillary and Sick Willie, because any thing those two say is very offensive.

[just me]

Most people are not offended until some one say they are or should be. I doubt kids even know the meaning of the word.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

*whew* I thought this was your opus!

[jlogajan]

It'd mean more if Jerry Falwell wasn't so eager to ban stuff he doesn't like.

[TLBSHOW]

We should ban any future speeches by Shrillary and Sick Willie

Now that is a banning that would have a very good effect on the Nation.

[TxBec]

ping :)

[Vic3O3]

ping!

[husky ed]

I think you should ban this thread and all of the threads here. Wait, ban the Internet completely.

There are people (like me) who do not have an internet connection and have to put up with the constant bombardment of other peoples stray electrical waves. Then to type replies, I have to blink my eyelids realy realy quick. Or click the heals of my shoes together. And do you know how painful that gets?

So Knock It Off!!!!!!!!!

BTW: Great article.

[Freedom4US]

All this nonsense doesn't really bother me, simply because it is necessary, in the long run, for the "revolution" that is coming - make no mistake - I'm not talking about riots in the street (though that may well happen) but a revolution in the way we as citizens view education. Home schoolers and private religion-based schools have my full support until such time we can purge the public educational system of these morons. What we need is a benevolent dictator for a couple years, actually.

[xp38]

Logging in must be a chore for you. :)

[FourPeas]

Our nation is comprised of a growing number of people who have made an art form of being offended

Not only an art form, but a living from that art form.

My first real job out of college was at a company where one of the stressed company values was not to offend anyone. We were warned to be careful when talking or joking not to say anything that might offend our coworkers or customers. The concept sounded good.

At my next job, the newly hired ex-lawyer president and VP of HR put in place an employee manual. It said, among other things, that employees were not allowed to express any religious views in any way while at work. It was deemed inappropriate. When I challenged whether someone could wear a cross necklace or quietly bow their head in prayer in the lunch room or whether that was prohibited, I was told that absolutely those things were premissible, they just didn't want someone "slaughtering a goat twice a day". (Yes, they actually said that.)

So, here we are today where a teacher or aide can be given a year's suspension for wearing a cross necklace. It's madness.

[Petruchio]

Well OK,

It might help the French . . .

[Khepera]

I do not think offending people is the reason, it's just the excuse. If they didn't want to offend people they wouldn't be doing this.

[Carry_Okie]

I see you joined the club:

[Carry_Okie]

Ooops! There it is...

[Missus]

Here's an idea for them: what about teaching from REAL books, not textbooks? People who read REAL books tend to be better educated (and able to self-educate) than those who are accustomed to the dumbed-down, summarized version of the world presented in textbooks.

Oh, wait.

Education is not the goal of the Education Industry.

I wonder if there's a way to bring an anti-trust lawsuit over government schools? They do have an unfair advantage, stifle competition, place unreasonable restrictions on "trade", and generally destroy advancement...

Regards

[husky ed]

I love this site. <8^)

[Carry_Okie]

Here's an idea for them: what about teaching from REAL books, not textbooks? People who read REAL books tend to be better educated (and able to self-educate) than those who are accustomed to the dumbed-down, summarized version of the world presented in textbooks.

I taught my kids ancient Greek history from Herodotus, Cicero, and Plato. They were 9 and 10. They loved the stuff.

As far as your suit is concerned, including restraint of trade, I would add virtually all forms of regulation as a state monopoly in the risk management business that not only systemically destroys private property rights, it effectively violates the nation's agreements pursuant to any number of treaties, literally using the laws the NGOs use against them.

Before you can sue however, you need an alternative that can demonstrate superior performance and prove that it is suffering from state monopoly price suppression. So, I invented one.

[GrandMoM]

BUMP

[TLBSHOW]

BUMP BACK

[LiteKeeper]

education bump

[MarMema]

And here is the non-religious "burning" of books.

[GrandMoM]

LOL

....and a BUMP BACK TO YOU!!!!

[cantfindagoodscreenname]

While I think that this is all totally ridiculous, I don't know if "censored" is the correct word, unless it's the government mandating that these things don't appear in textbooks. I do understand that the textbook companies are just trying to avoid lawsuits, though. Can you blame them? They've got people from the right and the left getting upset over the content (or lack of content) in their books. So, this is what you get in a litigious society. It's sad.

I homeschool my kids and use textbooks that refer to the Founding Fathers as such and we don't worry about having every minority represented in each photo in our textbooks. I'm thankful that I can choose their curriculum. I'm going to do my part to see that my kids get a decent education free of this kind of silliness.


Candi

[longtermmemmory]

Are there textbooks that affirmativly state that they do NOT comply with kalifornia standards. A certification of we are not wackos?

[Zon]

The government shouldn't be involved in the education business because it has proven that it's goal for government run education is to indoctrinate innocent children. It controls the curriculum, text books and methods.

[ArGee]

"I think our textbooks should to our greatest capacity be free of any type of stereotyping," Sue Stickel, who is "deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction" for the California Department of Education, told Fox News.

Isn't it an unfair stereotype that educated people are better than undeducated people? And don't our laws extend this stereotype by forcing children to go to school between 1st and 12th grade? And isn't the NEA, by its very existence, extending that stereotype?

The NEA is offensive and must be banned.

Shalom.

[ArGee]

What we need is a benevolent dictator for a couple years, actually.

Are you volunteering?

Shalom.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Ha! Good one! No kidding - it might help the French *indeed*!

[Petruchio]

;-D

[Billthedrill]

Actually, I'm hoping they do. I'm going to run a chocolate speakeasy.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

My husband who is a performer has a motto that goes along the lines that if you're doing your job (as a performer) right, you're always going to offend somebody ;-). In other words, there are ALWAYS going to be offended people no matter what you do, so you might as well go for the gusto! ;-]

[Gritty]

I'm offended by these "new" Kalifornia textbooks, and so should anybody else interested in telling students the truth.

So. When do they plan to ban these offensive textbooks?

[TLBSHOW]

It came out at the right time.

[cavtrooper21]

Wow, education made easy, thanks to the great state of Kalifornica. I can see Kalif. in 2 dozen years with no literate workers, no jobs, and living totaly off of the taxes of other states. The complete welfare state. Lets more there now so as we can cash in!!!