Have You Heard The Neutral Word? Language Police Make Textbooks Bland
	found on New York Times written by KingDead, edited by Humberto (Plastic) [ read unedited ] posted Fri 2 May 1:16am
		"Are these oversensitive times? Certainly one wonders, after reading what is banned from textbooks nowadays," writes KingDead. "Daine Ravitz argues in her new book The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Kids Learn, that the 'bias and sensitivity reviewers' that educational publishers hire to look over their textbooks are reducing the cirriculm of schools to a 'bland pabulum.' They end up setting up unrealistic fantasy worlds that only convey the simplest and inoffensive meanings. Any angry, loud-mouthed characters, arguing parents and disobedient children are stricken because they are not 'uplifting.' Anything remotely considered offensive (even when it is clearly not intended as such) is removed or altered from textbooks and test questions."

	"But often the reasons the groups give are ridiculous. Mickey Mouse and Stuart Little are not be mentioned, since mice, rats, roaches, snakes, etc. are apparently considered 'upsetting' to children. The most bizarre reason, though, is 'regional bias.' As in forbidding dolphins because they're 'regionally offensive' to students since dolphins live in the sea, or rejecting a story about a blind kid climbing a mountian for the same reason because 'students who lived in non-mountainous areas would theoretically be at a "disadvantage" in comprehending a story about mountain climbing.' Also forbidden is anything that supposedly purveys gender or racial stereotypes, like 'stories or pictures showing a mother cooking dinner for her children, or a black family living in a city neighborhood.' History is at risk by the panels: A passage about the patchwork quilts made by 19th century frontier women was booted by a panel for purveying a stereotype, even though it was historically accurate. Dinosaurs can't be mentioned since that suggests evolution and creationists can't be offended. But no one side is at fault; the right wing aims 'to restore an idealized vision of the past, an Arcadia of happy family life' while the left wants 'an idealized vision of the future, a utopia in which egalitarianism prevails in all social relations.' While the fundamentalists have made sure children won't hear about things like divorce, ghosts, magic, or disobedient children, the lefties have made sure to shelter their easily-moldable kin against words like 'handicapped,' 'brotherhood,' 'actress,' 'heathen' or 'backward country.' It's really hard to see most of what panels deem as offensive being that."

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show almost all: 46 commentsbest: 10 comments by oldest first (ignore threads) newest first highest scores first oldest first newest first (ignore threads)

1.  i know i'm offended.   by postbear       at Fri 2 May 1:34am score of 3 succinct     take this story down, please. i can't read, and all this talk of books has me smoking mad.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

2.  I heard her interview   by PD       at Fri 2 May 1:47am score of 1     on NPR and actually the 'regional bias' was one of the few that I agreed with. What I gathered (I'll admit I've not read the book) was that the regional bias was mostly for standardized tests, not textbooks. And I think it wasn't about being "regionally offensive" so much as it was making sure that the tests were truly standardized and that the biases built into the tests were minimized — that they didn't introduce concepts that students wouldn't be able to understand due to their geographical location. An example would be a second grade reading comprehension exam about a student getting lost in a snowstorm. A student growing up in Hawaii would theoretically have a much more difficult time comprehending that experience then a student growing up in Alaska. I know that we can't present questions that are completely without bias, but if we are trying to make a standardized test from which we can draw meaningful conclusions we must try to minimize the biases as much as possible.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

6.  Re: I heard her interview   by mekon       at Fri 2 May 5:25am score of 1   in reply to comment 2     my wife is an elementary school teacher (2nd grade). We live in the Pittsburgh. The text book her school has chosen to use for teaching reading comprehension was, like most textbooks   nowadays, designed for the two largest --and pickiest-- markets in mind: Texas and California. The book, which was designed to allow children to   translate their own experiences into a relationship with the short stories (i.e. stories   based on things that the children might   experience). However, because, the book was designed with Texas and California in mind, she has to deal with children who have trouble with stories about things which can only be summer activities in chilly Pittsburgh --for eample lemonade stands (which according to the text book should be read in January). -mekon "I heard Tom DeLay's blood was in the water and the sharks were encircling, but unfortunately, it turned out a metaphor   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   8.  Re: I heard her interview   by CaptainLiberal       at Fri 2 May 5:47am score of 1   in reply to comment 6     Blame California. Lemonade stands in January doesn't even make sense in Texas. January is one of the only two months where Texas actually pretends to have seasons. We call it the ice season, because that's what we get instead of snow. I pity any kid outside trying to sell lemonade in Texas in January. Every dream turns into something on a T-shirt -- Shriekback   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   12.  Re: I heard her interview   by akiko       at Fri 2 May 6:42am score of 2.5 compelling   in reply to comment 2     Maybe I'm too far removed from the experience of second grade (1983), but I am having serious difficulty understanding this regional bias. I read books about horses as a child, and I lived in a city. I don't feel like I was at a disadvantage because I'd never raised horses. A reading comprehension exam tests whether the student understood what s/he read. The questions, as I remember them, were things like "What is the main idea of this story?" and "What is an appropriate title for this story?" If the story's about someone getting lost in the snow, that's the main idea — Billy got lost in the snow. They could use cute, anthropomorphized characters — a polar bear cub gets separated from his mom in a snowstorm. (Actually, I think that's the plot of an illustrated kids' book.) Oh, wait ... they can't use bears, because they're "scary." I'm not sure whether this is an example of the dumbing down and coddling trend, or of bubble-wrapping the world. Probably some of both. Money, power, sex ... and elephants.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   22.  Re: I heard her interview   by PD       at Fri 2 May 10:41am score of 2 compelling   in reply to comment 12     For them to be statistically meaningful standardized tests must "bubble-wrap" the world. That's one of the reasons they're silly, unreasonable, and contrary to the goals of education.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   28.  standardized tests   by maml       at Fri 2 May 1:47pm score of 1   in reply to comment 12     I took a standardized test for admission to a private high school that had a question on it that assumed I knew the basics of tennis. Well I sure didn't. So I got that question wrong. Did that question effectively measure my ability to perform academically? Certainly not. Likewise asking a 10 year old Floridian about sledding will not help. The main idea of the story will be "Billy loses his balance on the styrofoam" rather than "Billy sledded down the snowy hill." Now, reading about sledding is a fine thing and a great thing. It's two separate issues. I've blocked AI. I'm happier now.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   29.  Re: standardized tests   by akiko       at Fri 2 May 2:54pm score of 1   in reply to comment 28     I won't argue that some questions on standardized tests make assumptions about general cultural knowledge. What I'm talking about, though, isn't a plain old standardized test, and those are a separate issue from what I understand the topic at hand to be: reading comprehension and stories in reading textbooks. A reading comprehension test is set up like this: a short passage, sometimes a book excerpt, sometimes a news-ish writeup, followed by 4-6 questions about that passage. Say the passage is a short excerpt from, I don't know, The Chronicles of Narnia. Maybe Bobby's read it before and Susie hasn't. It doesn't matter, or shouldn't. As long as they both can figure out what the 3 paragraphs are about and answer the (ridiculously stupid) questions that follow, they're on equal footing. Unless, of course, someone wants to argue that, because none of them has ever used an enchanted wardrobe to go to a fantasy world, they're all at a disadvantage ... or that it's promoting witchcraft, so they're all damned. Keeping stories about "different experiences," or whatever euphemism they're using this month, out of books because it'll make the poor kiddies feel bad is pretty lame. I read a lot of things in high school that had no relation to my experience — after all, I never was a pioneer woman (O Pioneers!) or a black woman in the South (Their Eyes were Watching God) or a black man in South Africa (Cry, the Beloved Country.) But how else do we learn about these things, about these people's experiences, if we don't read about them? (Note that I'm agreeing with you here. I'm just being verbose and making points I neglected to earlier.) Money, power, sex ... and elephants.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   30.  Re: standardized tests   by The Fuzz       at Fri 2 May 3:16pm score of 1   in reply to comment 28     standardized tests these days seem to be blown way out of proportion. These tests were designed to test what you already know, not what you learn from the billions of test help books that are out there. Plus they seem to be a major factor for stress, both before and after you take them. A friend of mine took the SATs a few weeks back, and he just recently got his scores. Well for those of you who don't know, a perfect score on the SAT is a 1600. My friend here got a 1460, and he thinks that it is the worst grade ever and he's going to take it again so that he can get at least a 1500. It is probably people like this who will go to college and commit suicide just because they got an A minus on one of their tests. This message brought to you via the internet in much the same way bricks aren't.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   20.  History Bias   by Theeggman98       at Fri 2 May 10:12am score of 2 clever   in reply to comment 2     Maybe we should not teach history because students may have trouble understanding history because they just can't understand how people lived back then. Can you imagine students having to study a historical event that involved a snow storm? That would be so inhuman.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

3.  Kindling   by wrestler       at Fri 2 May 3:31am score of 5 brilliant     There's a serious side effect to the blandness of these textbooks: it makes them very hard to read. Despite high scores on all kinds of readability tests there's something about these committee written texts that makes it very hard to absorb information from them. All of the words are recognizable and the sentences are short and grammatical. But after a very short while scanning the page my head starts to throb and my eyes loose focus. For a semester I taught a 9th grade (13-14 year olds) intro to physical science course, and the textbook was typically pathetic. One day at a flea market I came across a high school geology text from 1909, and bought it for a buck. The text described the scientific creation story of the day in an epic, lyrical style that made it hard to rip my eyes from the page. So I brought it to class and we read the first few chapters out loud to a captivated class. Even though much of the story was obsolete, I'm sure they learned more from that old book than any few chapters from their approved textbooks. In fact, discussing the imperfections of the old theories was the best part of the exercise, since it showed them how easy it was for the best experts to get it wrong. It turned out to be a lesson in geology, in the process of science, in humility, and in the feebleness of authority. Those are all hard lessons to learn from the Stepford textbooks that the public California high schools try to pass off as educational material. I honestly believe that the kids would be better off with nothing at all (or an occasional bargin bin book from the flea market) than these homogenized, pasteurized, pre-digested, committee approved textbooks. The pure banality of the ones I've seen are enough to permanently turn kids off from fun, exciting, important subjects.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

35.  One Addendum   by uncarved block       at Fri 2 May 7:57pm score of 1   in reply to comment 3     that the California high schools try to pass off as educational material.       The other leading state, indeed California's yokemate,in textbook testing and production, is Texas. If a 'conservative' state can pump out the same brain deadening crap as a 'liberal' state, the problems are pure systemic, IMO. Just to reinforce the article's message, in the spirit of pedantry . . . Eschew Obfuscation Assiduously   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   37.  Re: One Addendum   by wrestler       at Fri 2 May 9:20pm score of 1   in reply to comment 35     If a 'conservative' state can pump out the same brain deadening crap as a 'liberal' state, the problems are pure systemic, IMO. Yes, systemic and insoluble under public education, IMO. Take any piece writing, no matter how good, and let a series of editors successively knock off the sharp edges. At the end of that you'll have text too rounded and slippery to get a good grip on. I imagine it would be like a restaurant where everyone has to eat the same thing, and has to pay whether they eat there or not. Eventually they'll just serve pablum, because even though that will annoy the fire breathing chili eaters, otherwise the picky infants will die. Private schools are more like a typical private restaurant where you can have it your way if you can afford it, otherwise you eat at home or go hungry. That sounds like a crummy deal for the poor until you consider that starvation for a few might be a justifiable alternative to perpetual pablum for everyone.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   46.  Re: One Addendum   by dfool       at Sun 4 May 9:19pm score of 1   in reply to comment 35     Evil flows from the Dallas School Book Depository, once again.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   41.  Different Assumptions   by uncarved block       at Sat 3 May 8:35pm score of 1.5 interesting   in reply to comment 37     Eventually they'll just serve pablum       To start out snarky-- yeah, McDonald's rose to the top by offering a unique taste experience.       OK, to seriously discuss the differences in our outlooks. I'm assuming, from past arguments you've made, that the poor quality of textbook writing is due to its disconnection from market forces (individual choice, might be your expression). IMO, though, "knocking off the sharp edges" happens as a response to consumer pressures, and a gap in technology that makes keeping these "edges" economically infeasible.       To make the abstract concrete: textbooks are a big business, in part by economies of scale. It's cheaper for districts to order from a few large publishers, and this means a very diverse group of consumers. In your metaphor, the restaurant owner either has to court everyone or develop a faithful repeat base, because his flexibility in choices is limited. To be precise, it's still an economic disincentive to tailor textbooks on anything smaller than the state level. I posit that the testing boards of the public schools now would be replaced by something functionally similar were private companies given full rein.       I also suggest that the public schools are reflecting a larger, nonpartisan trend toward an increased aversion to risk. Once, every child (especially boys) pretty much broke a limb or two growing up; crashing your bike, getting in a fight, falling off a wall-- all just part of "kids will be kids". From what I've seen, though, conservatives are just as likely to throw helmets on their kids as conservatives, and so is limiting access to those dangerous areas likely to cause injuries in the first place: if your kid can get in a fight after school, they're just as likely to get offered drugs-- best to remove them from danger while you can (a current minivan commercial makes this point to a T). In this environment, "safe" texts are a reflection, not a rejection, of the status quo.       In sum, I think removing the current emphasis on universal education would improve textbooks only slightly for some, but would be a disaster for large numbers of the poor. Inefficiency is an easy charge to level against populist democratic systems, but I find the alternatives even more abhorrent. Eschew Obfuscation Assiduously   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

4.  Yes, these are oversensitive times   by lucas_m       at Fri 2 May 3:36am score of 1     Yes, these are oversensitive times. I think it's time for a pressure group for books without restrictions, because those restricted texts really disadvantage the politically incorrect. Moi, j'aime ricocher.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

5.  Oh No!...   by Conrad Bombora       at Fri 2 May 4:31am score of 1     As a consequence to this current trend "Addison Wesley" in a cost saving move is now planning to fire all there writers and illustrators and print nothing but blank books. "Must be nice to hope for the thing you wish to want... Sure beats doing it." Strangers with Candy   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

7.  Language police?   by mmandell       at Fri 2 May 5:43am score of 1.5 funny     I am awaiting the see "niggardly" used in the SAT's...   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

31.  Re: Language police?   by moxen       at Fri 2 May 3:23pm score of 1   in reply to comment 7     It's funny you should mention this; I just took the GRE last weekend, and, in the course of my studying, found that the Kaplan "GRE exam Verbal Workbook" has 'niggardly' in the back. My eyes practically popped out of my head on that one, I assure you. I did not, however, see it on the exam itself. Incidentally, the section is prefaced by, "this Minidictionary provides you with the definitions of many common GRE words."   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   40.  Re: Language police?   by Anywhere       at Sat 3 May 2:55pm score of 1   in reply to comment 31     Your reaction to the word "niggardly" forces me to ask: Why? Is it, I hope, because you believe the GREs are taking a chance on people misinterpreting the word as has happened in the past and that you think they should cover their ass by omitting it? If so, I would argue that kowtowing to the ignorance of others only allows them to remain ignorant. Please, please, please tell me it is not because you think the word "niggardly" has some connection to the racial slur "nigger". Gateway computers are pieces of shit, and their customer service is abysmal. Ask me why if you want to hear me vent.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   47.  Re: Language police?   by snarkism       at Mon 5 May 1:59am score of 1   in reply to comment 40     Oh, for fuck's sake, don't be so niggardly, loser! snarkism That's using your ass.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

9.  Reminds me of school   by MustHaveBeenTheDevil       at Fri 2 May 6:08am score of 1     My form-tutor had a little private library of old 1950-1970s science textbooks. That's were we all went when we actually wanted to know something. IMHO the best "textbook" ever written was "The Way Things Work" — but that would exclude non-mammoths :-) must have been the wind blowing and not my crying   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

10.  Re: Reminds me of school   by Dvandom       at Fri 2 May 6:20am score of 1.5 funny   in reply to comment 9     FWIW, _The Way Things Work_ was used as a supplemental textbook by the honors engineering physics course at Ohio State while I was there. And the closest thing they would have experienced to a mammoth was, well, me. :) ---Dave, too annoyed by the main topic to draft a response that wouldn't be begging for a downmod.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

11.  We don't need no thought control   by Anonymous SidVicious       at Fri 2 May 6:29am score of 2 astute     Besides the fact that books already can't compete with the unrelenting modern media blitzkrieg of television's 500+ channels, video games and countless other distractions, now they've actually figured out a way to discourage reading even more? Perhaps permanently? Could anyone have ever envisionned a future with kids cutting school just to sneak off to the local library or used bookstore, to try and find unedited versions of what they're supposed to be learning? Systematic ignorance; you know of anything scarier than that?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

17.  Re: We don't need no thought control   by slavdude       at Fri 2 May 9:28am score of 1.5 compelling   in reply to comment 11     Besides the fact that books already can't compete with the unrelenting modern media blitzkrieg of television's 500+ channels, video games and countless other distractions, now they've actually figured out a way to discourage reading even more? Perhaps permanently? --And so, when children actually want to read something, we have concerned Christians trying to ban Harry Potter. Tomorrow I will be sober, but you will still be ugly.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

13.  Angry mobs   by M. Mosher       at Fri 2 May 8:11am score of 1     Getting upset over textbook meddling is pointless because it is only a matter of time before textbooks themselves are banned. Newsflash, California, 2006: Textbooks in public schools were banned today by the Governor's Select Committee on Education. Considered to be insensitive to the illiterate, textbooks and all forms of written educational materials have been ordered removed from California public schools. The committee's rationale for the ban is that the illiterate are unfairly targeted by this form of educational tool and suffer long-lasting damage to their esteem. "Since good self-esteem is known to be the single greatest asset in a young person's journey through life, the committee couldn't in good conscience tolerate this oppresive and outdated form of education, which unfairly puts our children at high risk", noted longtime committee member Xavier Onassis. A report on improving math education is due from the committee next week. In other news, large mobs of torch carrying villagers are mysteriously gathering outside the Capitol building in Sacramento...   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

14.  Reality   by wallfly       at Fri 2 May 8:38am score of 2 interesting     What seems to me the main problem with all this softening of language and dumbing down of books is that people are being disassociated with reality. You can remove scenes of a poor family living in a poor neighborhood, but it still happens in real life. Things happen in real life that aren't always pretty and nice and comfy. History is filled with it. And as they say, 'He who does not understand history is doomed to repeat it.' Real learning comes from understanding the world you live in, not some made up fairy tale land. What disturbs me more is the idea that these books will change what reality becomes. We've already started to be overly sensitive in our speech because it seems like you can't say anything without offending someone. For example, check out today's Non Sequitur. Perfect example. So what happens when the majority of kids are taught that this is the exact kind of life we supposedly want? People abandon conviction of any kind and eventually become eloi.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

36.  "They" vs Santayana   by crcreitz       at Fri 2 May 8:48pm score of 1   in reply to comment 14     And as they say, 'He who does not understand history is doomed to repeat it.' I'm expecting "pedantic" to pop into my top words list any post now, as I make a futile protest that I am not just before I do this... What Santayana (not 'they') actually* said is that "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." [my italics] My defence against the pedantry charge is this: the difference is eerily significant in this context, since Santayana was pointing out that those societies unable to write and later read their histories are so doomed. I can't buy the Sapir-Whorf argument that PC removes our ability to talk about un-PC ideas (Orwell apparently had never though hard about how languages develop in children, or he never would have made the claims he did for Newspeak), but certainly removing access to history has an equally pernicious effect. It prevents us from improving on our past. *Check here for a neat philological story about that 'actually.' entirely safe and fun: Very helpful!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   38.  Re: "They" vs Santayana   by wallfly       at Fri 2 May 9:39pm score of 1   in reply to comment 36     Well said. I misquoted and played directly into the folly that the actual quote warned against. That's an excellent point. Just because I see certain flaws in our education system does not mean I am immune to them. Thank you crcreitz   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   42.  Additionally   by iarnuocon       at Sat 3 May 9:26pm score of 1   in reply to comment 36     Santayana also said, "The great difficulty in education is to get experience out of ideas." and "History is a pack of lies about events that never happened told by people who weren't there." Both quotes point to the phenomenon that is taking place. Textbook manufacturers are attempting to placate both extremes of the bell curve of parents, and by doing so failing to please anyone. Conservatives see textbooks as a constructed lie that removes the "glory" of the past-- a mean-spirited attempt by the left to undermine the values that our country was built on (although they and I would tend to disagree as to what those values were.) Liberals see textbooks as a constructed lie that glosses over a variety of social conditions and historical precedents that underlie a variety of problems that we as a nation are currently facing. And somewhere along the line people accepted the bizarre notion that we each have a right not to be offended by anyone or anything. Unfortunately, life doesn't give a shit whether you are offended. You will undoubtedly be confronted throughout your life with situations which and individuals whom you find offensive. If your education was conducted properly, you will have developed the tools to deal with these situations and individuals appropriately. If it was not, you won't. Sadly, the state of education today consistently suggests that these tools will be lacking, because we are teaching in order not to offend, rather than in an effort to promulgate learning. And that is what constitutes the truly offensive. insanus omnis furere credit ceteros... ecce signum   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

15.  This reminds me...   by MiceHead       at Fri 2 May 8:53am score of 1     "If I don't survive, tell my wife, 'Hello.'" =MiceHead - The Stock Market for the Next 100 Years   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

18.  Ravitch   by Kevin T.       at Fri 2 May 9:43am score of 1     For those of you trying to search Google for more info on the author, her name is spelled "Ravitch." As the NY Times review indicates, she's pretty sensible, for a Republican.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

23.  Re: Ravitch   by fudgenozzle       at Fri 2 May 10:49am score of 1.5 informative   in reply to comment 18     Also try http://www.dianeravitch.com karma only matters on sites with rising Alexa numbers.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

21.  Worth Repeating   by keta       at Fri 2 May 10:29am score of 2 succinct     "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Mark Twain own your words...   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

24.  Let me get this straight...   by Azathoth       at Fri 2 May 12:05pm score of 2 clever     We shouldn't present material relating to mountains, because students in non-mountainous regions might have difficulty with it? How then will they ever learn what a mountain is? If students are restricted to things that are already within their experience, how will they learn anything? I have this image of someone from Kansas moving to Denver and freaking out, reduced to a quivering jelly like Carrie in the locker-room getting her first period. "You didn't tell me, momma! How was I supposed to know the world wasn't flat?" We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

25.  why should hisorical accuracy be a defense?   by thegooch777       at Fri 2 May 12:17pm score of 1 interesting     The fact that the passage was historically accurate was considered no defense for its "stereotypical" image of women and girls. This is where the article stepped over the line from reasonable critique to naive reactionary-style reading. If i were writing a textbook and the only times i mentioned slavery it was to talk about slaves who were really happy doing what they were doing, or refused to leave their masters after emancipation, i think it'd be pretty easy to say it's a slanted and hideous way to portray that stuff, despite the historical accuracy of the stories I might choose. Mere historical accuracy just isn't a defense if one systematically presents stories in a selective manner. It doesn't sound like that's how Ravitch proceeded, i just wanted to point out that the seemingly rational argument "but it really happened! i'm not distorting history or perpetuating stereotypes!" is a pretty poor one. All I want is a burrow owl, just like my old man   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

27.  Re: why should hisorical accuracy be a defense?   by indiaink       at Fri 2 May 1:29pm score of 1.5 compelling   in reply to comment 25     The fact that the passage was historically accurate was considered no defense for its "stereotypical" image of women and girls. It's interesting how differently something such as a caption about pioneer women quilting can be viewed. In the art world, during the feminist movement, women looked back through art history to find the artistic contributions of women. Quiltmaking was decided to be one important aspect of women's artistic output. Many argued that some quilts should be considered for their artistic quality and skill rather than their utilitarian purpose. It's possible that a passage on women and quiltmaking could be viewed as positive if it presents quiltmaking as an highly skilled art form. It is because of the general view that quiltmaking is less than an artform and produced through drudgery for a utilitarian purpose that such a passage could be considered to be a negative stereotype. "Warning: Please exercise caution- mask and chest plate are not protective; cape does not enable wearer to fly."   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   32.  The Meta-Meta approach   by moxen       at Fri 2 May 3:37pm score of 1   in reply to comment 27     Not only is quilting a highly skilled artform in terms of its color and patterning, the very act of producing something that demanding and precise will easily garner the praise of anyone familiar with its demands. That we do not value the expression of dedicated labor with the same worth as a brilliant idea is an expression of our culture. Some Native American societies see the beauty of demanding disciplines; hence the remarkable perseverance shown in their many-hour-long tribal dances. I'm sure there are others elsewhere.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

33.  It's about time!   by jasonm1       at Fri 2 May 5:18pm score of 1     I for one am very happy with the decision to replace prejudicial and derogatory language in textbooks. It's about time all of the snowwomen out there are properly recognized! Snowmen will now read snowpeople "Always be willing to speak your mind and a base man will avoid you" -- William Blake   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

39.  Re: It's about time!   by emperorpenguin       at Fri 2 May 10:15pm score of 2.5 funny   in reply to comment 33     Some people might find that source sexist. Can you find a link from another newspaper? everything moves real slow when it's forty below   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   43.  Re: It's about time!   by The Fuzz       at Sun 4 May 9:11am score of 1   in reply to comment 33     some of those suggestions at the end though are kinda far out. like changing "Founding Fathers" to "Founding framers" it makes no sense, there weren't any women in that committee so why change it? It's how we've been learning it for the past...long time so why are we suddenly changing all of it now? This message brought to you via the internet in much the same way bricks aren't.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

34.  Blind justice   by Subversive       at Fri 2 May 6:13pm score of 1     rejecting a story about a blind kid climbing a mountian for the same reason because 'students who lived in non-mountainous areas would theoretically be at a "disadvantage" in comprehending a story about mountain climbing.' Actually, I heard on NPR that this story would be rejected because it would imply that it was almost heroic for a blind person to climb such a mountain, and some (oversensitive) people would be offended at that implication because they feel that blind people can accomplish all the same physical tasks the rest of us and there is nothing heroic about it. This signature has been infected with Anthrax. Take your medicine.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

44.  We should learn something from Mr. Hankey.   by karmia       at Sun 4 May 12:17pm score of 1     This reminds me of a certain South Park Christmas episode. "One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." -- Friedrich Nietzsche   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

45.  damn those meddling liberals   by milovoo       at Sun 4 May 2:00pm score of 1     After reading some of her other scholarly works and also researching just how rampant this "problem" is, it seems clear to me that she was writing this with an obvious agenda. Trying to make the "bias" look like a result of Liberal interference in the Truth, when really it's just a few isolated and quirky incidents that she's blown up to try and advance her case. Yes, some textbooks seem dated and silly because of awkward phraseology, but the premise that she's providing an "anti-bias" is just more Bush-style doublespeak. Is there a little "sponsored by the Heritage foundation" label on this somewhere? It's just got that feel. -milo   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]