Posted on 11/01/2007 10:30:23 AM PDT by VRWCmember
It’s become the national pastime. We’ve developed it to a fine art. There are so many times I open my mouth to respond and just shut it quietly as the thought runs through my mind, “It’s pointless, totally pointless. There’s not enough grey matter there to justify the effort. I’ve got nothin’ to work with.”
By the way, much success with your campaign. My folks hale from there about 250 years ago. Nice to see that some brains stayed behind to manage the place. ;-)
It sounds to me as if the teacher failed to properly incorporate step 6 of the learning plan: [Step 6: Decide as a class how to handle the word n----- when it appears in the book. Skip it? Replace it? Say it? Should each person have a choice of what to do?]
The student's objection to the word could have been used to springboard a class discussion on this part of the learning plan and different ways people can respond in life to words or ideas that they don't like. Instead, the teacher apparently simply continued to use the word even though it was clear there was a problem.
Unless the professor of my college American Lit class was wrong (possible he was a liberal), Huck Finn is an attack by Twain on the racist attitudes of the day.
So a liberal is offended by a book against racism?
“Perhaps this is nitpicking, but the character is called “N-—— Jim” throughout the book, just like an antagonist character is called “Injun Joe” throughout the book.”
I don’t think that is the point. You could explain context all day long but it won’t do any good. You could explain that it is an anti-slavery novel. It won’t matter. This is not about any of that.
This is about power.
“I tell you where they could stick that apology and this punk”.
I agree and ditto that comment.
I don’t think that is the point. You could explain context all day long but it won’t do any good. You could explain that it is an anti-slavery novel. It won’t matter. This is not about any of that.”
Exactly. It isn’t about “thinking” or “understanding” — it’s about “feeling,” and if I hear “I just FEEL like...,” one more time, I’ll...I’ll...I’ll just take a deep breath and close my mouth.
“Manipulation” that’s the ticket. Just keep manipulating the system so we can all “feel” better.
Here we go again. Huck Finn is the fifth most challenged book in the country even though there’s no logical reason to do so.
“Daddy’s Roommate” is the second most challenged, but I can understand that given that the book has a gay agenda targeted at preschool kids.
Its not just about pork, and spandex. These people are offended by our very presense. They are constantly trying to pick a fight. I’m amazed no one has noticed.
In our own community, we have a butcher who butchers Halal meats. Around Romedan they descend in droves, driving about seventy miles from Dallas and Richardson, Texas to buy goat meat. They don’t wait to take it home, but break out their bar-b-que? cookers and cook on the parking lot of the business. It’s almost impossible for our buther’s regular costomers to get in. Recently, the man who pumps out our septic tanks on the ranch told us that the last time he pumped out the efluent tanks at the butcher shop they were there with entire families cooking, eating, and praying. The Imam demanded he stop the noisy pumps since it was THEIR time to pray!!! He told them if they knew what was good for them, they’d get lost.
We’re fools if we let these people take over our very way of life, but I see it happening more and more every day now.
So, what's offensive? The word itself? A word is just a bunch of letters to represent sounds. Words are nothing without meaning. It's ridiculous.
It it what the word represents? The bigotry and stupidity? That's reasonable. But in the context of a work that attacks bigotry and stupidity the word should carry no offense.
Then we're left with this bureaucrat saying "n-word." If the word is bad no matter what, then so is using a euphemism for it. Fire this bureaucrat for being insensitive.
“...not enough grey matter...” LOL
I’m with P.J. O’Rourke. He said recently that half the people in the world were stupid as all get out. Unfortunately, he also thought the situation was getting worse.
If nothing else, I could see how that word “hog” could give Ibrahim Mohamed the vapors.
From Huckleberry Finn (one conman to the other):
“H’aint we got all the fools in town on our side? And ain’t that a big enough majority in any town?”
Nice to see that Mr. Clemens is still offending small minded fools after all these years.
No, Huck kills the pig by himself in chapter 7. In chapter 8, after he has escaped to the island, he encounters Jim (whom he had known earlier, of course).
Almost worked for Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004.
Thanks for the correction VR.
I’m conflicted.
I think it’s a “culture thing” with the family. They don’t come from a background of analytical thinking. As a matter of fact, I’m thinking that “analytical thinking” has pretty stiff penalties. As to the educators, I’m thinking something a little less complimentary, as in “dumber than a box of rocks.”
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