This reminds me of the when I was homeschooling my son. He was probably in 8th grade.
I had "Uncle Tom's Cabin" on his reading list, because we were using literature to reinforce what we were studying in history.
Anyhoo, when I went to pick it up at our local bookstore, I got a lecture from the bookstore employee how she thought it was improper reading for a teenager.
I don't think the clerk had ever read the book. I went on to explain why Harriet Beecher Stowe had written the book, etc. The clerk was clueless and was worried it would turn my kid into a racist, LOL!
Wow she really is clueless *lol*
My mouth is hanging open.
Something that really galls me is the misuses of the term "Uncle Tom," to describe a black individual who is supposedly obsequious to whites--particularly conservative whites. The real "Uncle Tom" was no such thing. Christlike, he remained passively defiant to the evil Simon Legree, even though his defiance cost him his life. The correct use of the term would imply someone who lays down his life for his friends and his beliefs.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is in the public domain.
You can get such literature online, for free at this website:
http://www.gutenberg.net/
I'm not as nice as you are. I've said something very similar to the following to one of these cashiers: "Listen, you don't get paid to think. Push the little keys on the cash register like the trained monkey that you are and fetch my change for me."