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[Scorpion Soldier]

Censoring history is the last thing you need to be doing. In order to understand the world now you don't just need to know about all the things you're ancestors did right, but the things they did wrong as well.

Can't learn from mistakes if you never knew any were made in the first place.

 

[Cagey]

The parent complaining almost certainly isn't just complaining because of the language. That's just the excuse.

What's the real complaint then?

 

[NastyBook]

And Then There Were None to be next?

 

[frontovik]

You can't teach history without the ugly parts as well. hiding our past doesn't allow us to see our progress, how would we ever learn from our mistakes?

I'd agree with this; no need to whitewash history.

 

[TalonJH]

“I’m not disputing this is great literature,” Rothstein-Williams said. “But there is so much racial slurs in there and offensive wording that you can’t get past that, and right now we are a nation divided as it is.”

How about work on the problems rather than try to hide them. The divide is the symptom, not the problem.

 

[Cyframe]

I actually refused to read Huck Finn when I was in school.

Due to the racism that I already faced at that school, I wasn't enthused to be hearing white classmates use that word and have it essentially sanctioned. I think I sat through one reading of it, and a kid said the n-word and everyone laughed and looked at me...and I said no thanks. I spoke to the teacher after and she gave me an alternative to read in the library, a book that was written by a Black female author that took place in the same setting.

The fact of the matter is public education doesn't focus on challenging biases and dismantling racism. A kid reading those two books (I have read to kill a mockingbird privately) is not going to change their mind because the overall system doesn't talk about Black plight unless it's Black History month and then it's either MLK or Rosa Parks. That's not enough.

I don't think the books to be banned, but I definitely think Black students like myself should be able to opt out of circumstances that put the focus of racism, that we already deal with on us. I already dealt with racism every day, I certainly didn't want to deal with it while in class. For the time period perhaps the books were progressive, but for me, I didn't care for the environment I was already in. And...no, I'm not, as a young teen going to argue or have a conversation with other kids that didn't care for me. I think I was one of 3 Black kids in that school, so you can imagine how I felt.

As for the parent's motivation, it may be slightly different than mine, but anyone who just saying "it's a classic". That didn't really help or change the racist attitudes I had to deal with after kids read it, mostly because the framework wasn't there.

 

[FStop7]

Douchebags have been trying this forever. My mom was a librarian and had numerous patrons come in and demand that books like Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Story of O be removed from the shelves.

One shitty old man even came in, yelled at, and started getting aggressive toward her because she wouldn't pull Where the Wild Things Are. I remember seeing that happen. I was only around 9 years old, I would love to see that old piece of shit again now. Of course he's probably long dead.

 

[Madness]

Yes, can not be said enough

Exactly. After the election of Donald Trump, this is more evident than ever. How big of a bubble does the lady and her son live in that reading slurs in a book written almost 120 years ago troubles them. The whole 'we are a divided nation and we need to get past this' shows she isn't teaching her biracial son what he needs as he grows up in the US. He'll grow up to be one of those Carlton's who asks "Dad, if you were a police man, and you saw a car driving at two miles an hour, wouldn't you stop it?"
Philip:I asked myself that question the first time I was stopped. Good night, son."

 

[norm9]

"I’m not disputing this is great literature,” Rothstein-Williams said. “But there is so much racial slurs in there and offensive wording that you can’t get past that"

Everybody has gotten past that forever. If you read To Kill a Mockingbird and can't get out of it that it has a powerful anti-racist message, you didn't actually read it.

Like, your son was upset by the racist villains?

THAT'S THE POINT

I think the son was lazy and didn't bother reading the books. When asked about it, he made up an easy excuse.

For goodness sakes...

First off, I would say Huck Finn is not a book for children (little tikes), so to that one linked article above no you should probably not be reading Huck Finn to your daughter at the foot of the bed at night.

Its an adult book with very adult themes.

Second, yes..Huck Finn should be mandatory reading for high school kids. Its not only appropriate in terms of subject matter itself but an opportunity to teach kids how to approach very sensitive and complex issues in our society with respect and scholarship.

You can't simply NOT address it.

I disagree. I think kids should read it right after they read Tom Sawyer.

 

[Count Dookkake]

Mark Twain is an American god or at least should be.

I feel for kids that are troubled by the bad words, but banning books is not the right answer. Maybe let the more sensitive students read something else? But then must we do this for other seemingly offensive elements?

 

[Cyframe]

Exactly. After the election of Donald Trump, this is more evident than ever. How big of a bubble does the lady and her son live in that reading slurs in a book written almost 120 years ago troubles them. The whole 'we are a divided nation and we need to get past this' shows she isn't teaching her biracial son what he needs as he grows up in the US. He'll grow up to be one of those Carlton's who asks "Dad, if you were a police man, and you saw a car driving at two miles an hour, wouldn't you stop it?"
Philip:I asked myself that question the first time I was stopped. Good night, son."

Oh please, come on now. If her son is biracial and looks mostly monoracial (Black) he's going to get more than enough lessons personally if he hasn't had them already.

The onus shouldn't be on a child to have these conversations with other students, if, and I already know the framework isn't there to facilitate it.

Can you explain away or justify my life situation? What should I have done? I'd like you and others who are offering a dissenting opinion to tell me, please.

 

[PeskyToaster]

My high school had stuff for banned book week where we were encouraged to read books that had been banned elsewhere like Huck Finn.

Anyway, this is the wrong way to go about it. Things, especially from the past, should make you uncomfortable, angry, happy, sad, you should feel something when you're learning and just because it's a negative emotion doesn't mean it's a negative thing or it's bad for you. You're a school, you're there to provide context and explanations for things in the world. Get it together.

 

[The Faceless Master]

the fuck

one of the points of having these books is the discussion it brings

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

Probably been posted already but;

Nearly every major Western country has a reaaaaaaaally racist past. It's tantamount, especially in this time and climate, that we teach stuff like Mockingbird and

Empathy needs to be taught. The plight of Crooks in Of Mice and Men, alienated and embittered by his consistent racial abusers, NEEDS to be understood and discussed.

 

[_Ryo_]

I read Stephen King's IT for the first time when I checked it out at my High School Library.

For the uninitiated: some info about a certain scene in that book

Also as far I know you can still check out that book at the school library, as well as other King books such as The Dark Tower..

so it absolutely baffles me that they're considering banning any book at all, especially one that features important ethical/moral discussion.

 

[timetokill]

Yes... ban books that are about how racism is bad... because they have racism in them

Bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it pays off

 

[Eye for an Eye]

I actually refused to read Huck Finn when I was in school.

Due to the racism that I already faced at that school, I wasn't enthused to be hearing white classmates use that word and have it essentially sanctioned. I think I sat through one reading of it, and a kid said the n-word and everyone laughed and looked at me...and I said no thanks. I spoke to the teacher after and she gave me an alternative to read in the library, a book that was written by a Black female author that took place in the same setting.

The fact of the matter is public education doesn't focus on challenging biases and dismantling racism. A kid reading those two books (I have read to kill a mockingbird privately) is not going to change their mind because the overall system doesn't talk about Black plight unless it's Black History month and then it's either MLK or Rosa Parks. That's not enough.

I don't think the books to be banned, but I definitely think Black students like myself should be able to opt out of circumstances that put the focus of racism, that we already deal with on us. I already dealt with racism every day, I certainly didn't want to deal with it while in class. For the time period perhaps the books were progressive, but for me, I didn't care for the environment I was already in. And...no, I'm not, as a young teen going to argue or have a conversation with other kids that didn't care for me. I think I was one of 3 Black kids in that school, so you can imagine how I felt.

As for the parent's motivation, it may be slightly different than mine, but anyone who just saying "it's a classic". That didn't really help or change the racist attitudes I had to deal with after kids read it, mostly because the framework wasn't there.

Sounds like you were dealing with the immaturity of the students and not the context of the book. The snickering and looks should not have been allowed by the teacher.

Asking the whole student body and every class after you to never read that book again is a far stretch from your approach to separate yourself from the class. You don't know how that book impacted your fellow students later in life.

 

[hans_castorp]

This is so stupid : (

 

[Cyframe]

Sounds like you were dealing with the immaturity of the students and not the context of the book. The snickering and looks should not have been allowed by the teacher.

Asking the whole student body and every class after you to never read that book again is a far stretch from your approach to separate yourself from the class. You don't know how that book impacted your fellow students later in life.

Bullying usually isn't allowed and it's outlined in student handbooks, but it's still an issue, comparable to this one.

I would agree, banning a book, I don't think is the answer, but when I see comments undercutting the experiences this kid may have with racism, and telling him, that he needs to read the book to get real world experiences, that's where I differ. Perhaps the mother is a bit over-zealous, but the underlying issue is still there. Of course, I can't say for others that the book hasn't impacted them, but for those, I experienced school with, most didn't change.

And I would also say, that a lot of people have certain ideas that fail in practice or fail to address the issues with the most vulnerable. That's one of the reasons my parents and myself didn't feel comfortable reading that book in the class. If you can't address that fallout or offer reasonable accommodations(for Black kids) then it's not an ideal environment that is conducive to learning. As a side note, I wish something like Jane Elliot's experiment was put into practice in schools, maybe after students read a book like this.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Instead of educating your children about why it's wrong to still say nigger today, better hide books dealing with it from them. Great idea..

 

[mckmas8808]

Instead of educating your children about why it's wrong to still say nigger today, better hide books dealing with it from them. Great idea..

Exactly! Weird way to deal with this. Why not teach why those words were used in that context back then?