Father sues district over reading about slavery

[peonyu]

Wait, let me get this straight; "the excerpts were read last school year during a unit to prepare students for Black History Month" (February), but this father waits until now to file suit for this?

How ridiculous. Oh wait, this is Detroit lol.

Christmas time is coming and he needs some money. It makes perfect sense and perfect timing.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Well as usual, looking at this only from white rose colored glasses. I am not in any way saying suing is right in this situation. But I will look at this from the other side of the coin. Why on earth would any one read a book aloud to "5th graders" with racial epithets. You can have positive discussion about slavery without using the N-word. You don't have to repeat all the filth verbatim concerning slavery to raise discussions in black history month. My daughter is in fifth grade and yes I would be highly concerned if she came home and said the book they were reading out loud had language like that. High school kids, its a different story, but grade and middle school kids should be taught with more discretion. Again, I don't agree with the family trying to get money, but I can definitely see their point.

History revisionism only comes later in life, in school only facts should be told and they are indeed a part of this book, are they not?

In MOST books the profanity, racial slurs and what have you are there to provide the tone of the text, i suppose you could say juppedi instedad of fuck and say it cutely instead of enraged but that wouldn't get the point across.

This whole "protect the young" is so fucking ridiculous, they are going to grow up to learn about reality and wonder why the fuck all their parents and teachers told them were outright known lies.

If the racial slurs make them emotionally hurt, then the treatment of the slaves should be described as "ok" at worst because otherwise they might be emotionally hurt and "slaves" should be replaced with "workers" so they don't get emotionally hurt.

If the words they were calling them by would get your kid emotionally hurt, how about a real world description of what they did to their slaves? Oh wait, you can justify that by reading them the bible, slaves are ok.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Bah. Not a chance. I don't cheer any party. Only freedom.

Just like Pjabber...

However, you are nothing like him, i don't think there is anyone like him, he's a very special child.

Well that and i happen to agree with you on this issue.

 

[bamacre]

Really? That's funny. I'm the most liberal person here.

ORLY? :hmm:

 

[werepossum]

I'll agree with Classy in one respect - 5th grade school books should not contain derogatory racial slurs or profanity. True, most kids will hear that word many times a week, but not all. And when you are dealing with something as heinous as slavery, do derogatory racial slurs really add anything to the story? "We were taken in a neighboring tribe's raid and sold to white men, who took us across the ocean in horribly overcrowded ships. Many of us died. We were whipped bloody when we were slow to comply or argumentative. Then we were sold again to men who forced us to work their farms, fed us poorly, killed us if we tried to escape, made us live in ramshackle huts where we baked in the summer and froze in the winter, ripped away our children and sold them. And they called us names."

Really, does that last bit add anything? I think by this time the lack of respect is pretty much understood by everyone. If this book is to be part of a fifth grade curriculum, then they should arrange a cleaned up version. Just because this particular black man (the author) thinks this is appropriate for fifth graders doesn't mean every parent is going to agree, and in principle, a fifth grader's curriculum should be free of profanity and racial slurs even if the majority of them are already exposed to this.

 

[D1gger]

From two reviews of this book:

Amazon.com Review
Children may be initially startled by From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, but they will also be engaged and enlightened. (Ages 10 to 13)

From Publishers Weekly
"Brown's 21 paintings provide a cohesive narrative line and have a stunning power of their own, but the confrontational tone of the text may usurp readers' attention," said PW of this volume, which traces the African-American journey from the Middle Passage to post-Civil War emancipation. Ages 8-up.

 

[Ns1]

seriously
# Reading level: Ages 9-12
# Paperback: 40 pages
# Publisher: Puffin (December 1, 1999)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0140566694
# ISBN-13: 978-0140566697

 

[Zebo]

The fuck you won't. Nice job talking out of your ass, though.

Bullshit. You defend the strong mitigate the weak. In essence you're an overdog worshiper. I've seen this for awile now, claiming to be for justice and truth and hard work while negating factors of control.

 

[IcePickFreak]

I'll agree with Classy in one respect - 5th grade school books should not contain derogatory racial slurs or profanity. True, most kids will hear that word many times a week, but not all. And when you are dealing with something as heinous as slavery, do derogatory racial slurs really add anything to the story? "We were taken in a neighboring tribe's raid and sold to white men, who took us across the ocean in horribly overcrowded ships. Many of us died. We were whipped bloody when we were slow to comply or argumentative. Then we were sold again to men who forced us to work their farms, fed us poorly, killed us if we tried to escape, made us live in ramshackle huts where we baked in the summer and froze in the winter, ripped away our children and sold them. And they called us names."

Really, does that last bit add anything? I think by this time the lack of respect is pretty much understood by everyone. If this book is to be part of a fifth grade curriculum, then they should arrange a cleaned up version. Just because this particular black man (the author) thinks this is appropriate for fifth graders doesn't mean every parent is going to agree, and in principle, a fifth grader's curriculum should be free of profanity and racial slurs even if the majority of them are already exposed to this.

I would say it does add quite a bit being that it's so controversial when anyone other than a black saying it is shunned while a large portion of blacks say it in just about every sentence - especially children. Confusing for a kid who doesn't know the historical significance behind the word and why it's not appropriate, no?

IMO the problem comes when the children have questions and they bring these questions home (I'm talking children of all races here) and parents rather point fingers and cry foul rather then be part of their childrens education. Honestly this is probably because they got the same glossing over and sugar-coating of history when they were in school and they don't know either. I don't mean this applies to only the history of slavery either, but history in general. The history of the US, and the history of the world is not very pleasant. Nobody is going to learn from mistakes if the lesson from the mistake is told in a sugar-coated way to make it sound like it wasn't a mistake. There's a reason history repeats itself.

 

[classy]

Its just comical. Recap of my opinion

It is irrelvant that
1. It is listed as a childrens book
2. The subject of the book
3. The color of the particpants
4. Whether or not the children have or are destined to hear a certain type of foul language
5. I do not agree with the father suing

But it is totally innappropiate for a teacher in any classroom of 10 and 11 year old kids to read any book and repeat the foul language. They are to young. There is no subject for kids that old where it would require any teacher to use or have any of the children in the class read or say any type of profanity or racial slurs. And only a complete and utter moron would fail to understand that concept. Again, while the father is wrong, his complaint is certanly not without merit.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Its just comical. Recap of my opinion

It is irrelvant that
1. It is listed as a childrens book
2. The subject of the book
3. The color of the particpants
4. Whether or not the children have or are destined to hear a certain type of foul language
5. I do not agree with the father suing

But it is totally innappropiate for a teacher in any classroom of 10 and 11 year old kids to read any book and repeat the foul language. They are to young. There is no subject for kids that old where it would require any teacher to use or have any of the children in the class read or say any type of profanity or racial slurs. And only a complete and utter moron would fail to understand that concept. Again, while the father is wrong, his complaint is certanly not without merit.

Oh no, I just got an F in ATOT.

Oh that's right, they don't give out F's anymore. It's too damaging to a young child's mind.

 

[piasabird]

You could get the same stuff by watching some daytime talk shows.

 

[Amused]

Bullshit. You defend the strong mitigate the weak. In essence you're an overdog worshiper. I've seen this for awile now, claiming to be for justice and truth and hard work while negating factors of control.

More bullshit.

I defend EVERYONE. Just because I don't fall for class envy and think some should have more rights than others based on income or some other factor does NOT mean I favor the strong over the weak.

The so-called progressives on this forum would cut off the legs of a whole football team to accommodate the legless player.

Zebo, life is not fair. You can be free, or you can be fair but you CANNOT be both.

 

[Kadarin]

I had to read The Scarlet Letter

That book was such a steaming pile of shit that I still have scars to this day, 25 years after high school.

 

[Patranus]

Shit like this is why the loser needs to foot the legal bills.