January 27, 2010
failbetter: doylewesleywalls: icarusholmes: ‘Oral sex’ definition prompts dictionary ban in US schools Dictionaries have been removed from classrooms in southern California schools after a parent complained about a child reading the definition for “oral sex”. Merriam Webster’s 10th edition, which has been used for the past few years in fourth and fifth grade classrooms (for children aged nine to 10) in Menifee Union school district, has been pulled from shelves over fears that the “sexually graphic” entry is “just not age appropriate”, according to the area’s local paper. The dictionary’s online definition of the term is “oral stimulation of the genitals”. “It’s hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we’ll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature,” district spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the paper. While some parents have praised the move – “[it’s] a prestigious dictionary that’s used in the Riverside County spelling bee, but I also imagine there are words in there of concern,” said Randy Freeman – others have raised concerns. “It is not such a bad thing for a kid to have the wherewithal to go and look up a word he may have even heard on the playground,” father Jason Rogers told local press. “You have to draw the line somewhere. What are they going to do next, pull encyclopaedias because they list parts of the human anatomy like the penis and vagina?” A panel is now reviewing whether the Menifee ban will be made permanent. The Merriam Webster dictionary joins an illustrious set of books that have been banned or challenged in the US, including Nobel prize winner Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, which last year was suspended from and then reinstated to the curriculum at a Michigan school after complaints from parents about its coverage of graphic sex and violence, and titles by Khaled Hosseini and Philip Pullman, included in the American Library Association’s list of books that inspired most complaints last year. Merde!  After a basketball game in grade school (which we won, by the way) a half dozen of the losers were taunting a teammate of mine as we walked along outside the gym minding our own business.  Incensed by their behavior, I turned and called them a term I’d recently heard on the playground at school.  I didn’t know what it meant, but I had picked up on the fact that this strange new term implied something undesirable.  I figured the power of that word would settle the matter, and I turned to continue walking.  The losers, apparently, were familiar with the word; they tackled both of us, and the fight was on.  Once I was home, my parents noticed that my new sweater was torn.  They continued asking me questions until I finally gave up the term I had used that had ignited the ire of the losers.  (Please note: I mean “losers” in more than one sense.)  Upon hearing the “insult” I had used—which I will not give up here—my father rolled his eyes, and I had my dictionary lesson (sans dictionary) then and there.  Now you may be thinking that with this story I mean to suggest that a quality, up-to-date, uncensored dictionary that actually defined words used in our culture might have kept me out of a fight.  I mean to suggest no such thing.  What I do want to suggest is that an uncensored dictionary might have provided me with a word like “motherfuckers” which I am sure I had not yet heard but would have been a word I would have enjoyed hurling at them, motherfucking losers that they were.  But back to the news item I have reblogged.  Two points: One: It’s 2010 and any grade school child in America who is the least bit curious (not an unnatural state) knows how to enter curse words or words for body parts into a computer search engine.  Parents had better hope the first images those children pull up are of oral sex—and between humans.  Believe me: I am not making light of the situation.  I want all children to have a chance to be children and to grow up “naturally” into a lusty and robust adult sexuality of their own choosing.  Parents had better be more concerned about what their children see on TV (and specifically programs the parents are choosing to watch) than what words might be in a dictionary. Two: The most worrisome detail in the news report for me is this: “’It’s hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we’ll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature,’ district spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the paper.”  It is, in fact, not hard to sit and read the dictionary.  It’s hard to stop reading the dictionary.  The inability to sit and read a dictionary tells me volumes about Ms. Cadmus. Oh well, enough of this intercourse. I gladly direct anyone reading this to a post I made eight months ago here on my Tumblr.  Do a search for “Carlin” on my site and you’ll get this famous piece of comedy: George Carlin — “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television” We should start a petition to put dictionaries with motherfucker in fourth grade classrooms across the nation! I distinctly remember being upset when I was young because certain words I heard on the playground and at daddy’s poker night weren’t in my dictionary. Time would be better spent teaching children to swear correctly: for humorous effect and when they really mean it. So many people swear ineffectively, and I prefer my strong language undiluted. I mean, if David Simon can write a whole scene of The Wire where the characters say nothing but “fuck” and make it work, other people can at least make an effort. Preach on, sista Shellay. This is crazy & I had to reblog for anyone who hadn’t seen it already.

failbetter:

doylewesleywalls:

icarusholmes:

‘Oral sex’ definition prompts dictionary ban in US schools

Dictionaries have been removed from classrooms in southern California schools after a parent complained about a child reading the definition for “oral sex”.

Merriam Webster’s 10th edition, which has been used for the past few years in fourth and fifth grade classrooms (for children aged nine to 10) in Menifee Union school district, has been pulled from shelves over fears that the “sexually graphic” entry is “just not age appropriate”, according to the area’s local paper.

The dictionary’s online definition of the term is “oral stimulation of the genitals”. “It’s hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we’ll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature,” district spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the paper.

While some parents have praised the move – “[it’s] a prestigious dictionary that’s used in the Riverside County spelling bee, but I also imagine there are words in there of concern,” said Randy Freeman – others have raised concerns. “It is not such a bad thing for a kid to have the wherewithal to go and look up a word he may have even heard on the playground,” father Jason Rogers told local press. “You have to draw the line somewhere. What are they going to do next, pull encyclopaedias because they list parts of the human anatomy like the penis and vagina?”

A panel is now reviewing whether the Menifee ban will be made permanent. The Merriam Webster dictionary joins an illustrious set of books that have been banned or challenged in the US, including Nobel prize winner Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, which last year was suspended from and then reinstated to the curriculum at a Michigan school after complaints from parents about its coverage of graphic sex and violence, and titles by Khaled Hosseini and Philip Pullman, included in the American Library Association’s list of books that inspired most complaints last year.

Merde!  After a basketball game in grade school (which we won, by the way) a half dozen of the losers were taunting a teammate of mine as we walked along outside the gym minding our own business.  Incensed by their behavior, I turned and called them a term I’d recently heard on the playground at school.  I didn’t know what it meant, but I had picked up on the fact that this strange new term implied something undesirable.  I figured the power of that word would settle the matter, and I turned to continue walking.  The losers, apparently, were familiar with the word; they tackled both of us, and the fight was on.  Once I was home, my parents noticed that my new sweater was torn.  They continued asking me questions until I finally gave up the term I had used that had ignited the ire of the losers.  (Please note: I mean “losers” in more than one sense.)  Upon hearing the “insult” I had used—which I will not give up here—my father rolled his eyes, and I had my dictionary lesson (sans dictionary) then and there.  Now you may be thinking that with this story I mean to suggest that a quality, up-to-date, uncensored dictionary that actually defined words used in our culture might have kept me out of a fight.  I mean to suggest no such thing.  What I do want to suggest is that an uncensored dictionary might have provided me with a word like “motherfuckers” which I am sure I had not yet heard but would have been a word I would have enjoyed hurling at them, motherfucking losers that they were.  But back to the news item I have reblogged.  Two points:

One: It’s 2010 and any grade school child in America who is the least bit curious (not an unnatural state) knows how to enter curse words or words for body parts into a computer search engine.  Parents had better hope the first images those children pull up are of oral sex—and between humans.  Believe me: I am not making light of the situation.  I want all children to have a chance to be children and to grow up “naturally” into a lusty and robust adult sexuality of their own choosing.  Parents had better be more concerned about what their children see on TV (and specifically programs the parents are choosing to watch) than what words might be in a dictionary.

Two: The most worrisome detail in the news report for me is this: “’It’s hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we’ll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature,’ district spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the paper.”  It is, in fact, not hard to sit and read the dictionary.  It’s hard to stop reading the dictionary.  The inability to sit and read a dictionary tells me volumes about Ms. Cadmus.

Oh well, enough of this intercourse.

I gladly direct anyone reading this to a post I made eight months ago here on my Tumblr.  Do a search for “Carlin” on my site and you’ll get this famous piece of comedy:

George Carlin — “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television”

We should start a petition to put dictionaries with motherfucker in fourth grade classrooms across the nation!

I distinctly remember being upset when I was young because certain words I heard on the playground and at daddy’s poker night weren’t in my dictionary.

Time would be better spent teaching children to swear correctly: for humorous effect and when they really mean it. So many people swear ineffectively, and I prefer my strong language undiluted. I mean, if David Simon can write a whole scene of The Wire where the characters say nothing but “fuck” and make it work, other people can at least make an effort.

Preach on, sista Shellay.

This is crazy & I had to reblog for anyone who hadn’t seen it already.

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