Readings, Rated
Good Ole Book Bannin’ in Antioch
According to an article in today’s Tribune, a group of parents wants to ban Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian from Antioch H.S.’s reading list.
A group of concerned parents object to the book’s graphic language, including fascist supermom Jennifer Anderson, who has deemed the book too vulgar for her 14 year-old son: “Anderson said she would like to make this a national conversation about placing warning labels on books. ‘We rate movies and put warnings on music and TV,’ she said. ‘What about books? There is no warning whatsoever if there is vulgar language in a book.’”
My second reccomendation to Ms. Anderson, right after “get bent,” is to go out and rent “This Film is Not Yet Rated.” There’s my contribution to her proposed dialogue. Stuff it, lady. You’re giving soccer moms a bad name.
John Whitehurst, Chariman of the Antioch H.S. English department, can hold his own quite nicely, though: “(Anderson’s argument) is like saying that because Romeo and Juliet committed teen suicide, we condone teen suicide,’ Whitehurst said. ‘Kids know the difference. Like it or not, that is the way 14-year-old boys talk to each other.’”
I am always amazed at how dumb people must think their kids are, while at the same time acting as if rainbows, unicorns and the Ode to Joy regularly shoot from their every orifice.
It’s the Right’s notion of the innocent child. Such hokum.
Rightly said, Eugenia!