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[johnslat]

Some things are so downright dumb they boogle the mind. Where's George Orwell when we REALLY need him?


Language police bar 'old,' 'blind'

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Oh heck: Hell hath no place in American primary and high school textbooks.

But then again you can't find anyone riding on a yacht or playing polo in the pages of an American textbook either. The texts also can't say someone has a boyish figure, or is a busboy, or is blind, or suffers a birth defect, or is a biddy, or the best man for the job, a babe, a bookworm, or even a barbarian.

All these words are banned from U.S. textbooks on the grounds that they either elitist (polo, yacht) sexist (babe, boyish figure), offensive (blind, bookworm) ageist (biddy) or just too strong (hell which is replaced with darn or heck). God is also a banned word in the textbooks because he or she is too religious.

To get the full 500-word list of what is banned and why, consult "The Language Police," a new book by New York University professor of education Dianne Ravitch, a former education official in President George H.W. Bush's administration and a consultant to the Clinton administration.

She says she stumbled on her discovery of what's allowed and not allowed by accident because publishers insist that they do not impose censorship on their history and English textbook authors but merely apply rules of sensitivity -- which have expanded mightily since first introduced in the 1970s to weed out gender and racial bias.

Ravitch's book is taking people by surprise the same way that Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" did in the 1960s in exposing the effects of pesticides.

'The Older Person and the Water'
She says a lot of people are having fun finding new titles for Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" which presents problems with every word except "and" and "the." Ravitch said old is ageist, man is sexist and sea can't be used in case a student lives inland and doesn't grasp the concept of a large body of water.

But some people say the phenomenon of sanitizing words and thought is not isolated to textbook publishers seeking not to offend anyone so that sales can be as wide as possible.

The New York Times recently reported that National Institute of Health researchers on AIDS are not only avoiding using words like gay and homosexuals in e-mails so as not to offend conservatives in the Bush administration, they are also inventing code words.

Times journalist Erica Goode reported that one researcher was told to "cleanse" the abstract of his grant proposal of words like gay, homosexual and transgender even though his research was on HIV in gay men.

Nor is the government the only source of constraint or censorship in the watch-what-you-say business. Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, recently banned racy men's magazines from its shelves although it continues to sell sexy underwear.

According to Ravitch both the right wing and the left wing get what they want in American textbooks, for example an emphasis on family values and equality among ethnic groups.

"Everyone gets their pet causes incorporated in textbooks. The history texts are reluctant to criticize any dictator unless they are long dead. And even then, there are exceptions like Mao is praised in one text for modernizing China but his totalitarian rule is not mentioned," she said.

She was also unhappy to see photos in one text of Saudi women working as doctors and nurses because that implied that they had gender equality.

"You also can't say Mother Russia or Fatherland or brotherhood in texts and that's both silly, trivial and breathtaking. It is like George Orwell's 'Newspeak' come to life," she said in an interview, referring to the manipulation of language in "1984."

Ravitch said that textbook publishing is controlled by four main publishers and they aim to sell texts state by state, thus forcing them to dumb down the books and make the language as inoffensive as possible. "They don't want controversy and they don't want people screaming," she said.

Disgustedly,
John

[gerard]

johnslat-good post and no you cant show them anything. Reading Notes From Underground now no WAY can you show this to students. Or anybody for that matter. Free speech is a myth.

FATMAN!!! FATMAN!!

[johnslat]

Dear gerard,
Free speech may be a myth - but we live by myths. What the heck has reality ever done for ME? I would rather push a shopping cart down the streets and sleep in doorways than ever be a party to this kind of idiocy. For the dumb to succeed it is only necessary that the aware do nothing. This kind of c r a p shall not pass, not on MY watch.
Regards,
John

[gerard]

If we did have "language police" it wouldnt be these clowns. These are the fools that were burning Beatles albums "Catcher in the Rye" Yeh thanks a lot. Keep burning records on me and I wont have any left..

I dont need these things burning the few books I have left. Hate to say it but the West burn more books than anybody/

[bnix]

Oh.Ok.PC meaning "political correctness".When I first saw the thread title,I got this mental picture of johnslat's Personal Computer gone amok,chasing johnslat around the room,etc.Guess I have been watching too much sci-fi lately.
Amok...interesting word... I believe it comes from the Phillipines(Tagalog).Some of the natives there actually ran amok in the past...went crazy,smashing things.The Scandinavian equivalent is "berserK".Back in the days of yore or whatever,some of the Scandinavians actually had "berserkers"...who destroyed everything,pillaged,etc.Frenzy is another word that comes to mind,also.The word "boondocks "also comes from Tagalog.I guees sometimes they ran amok in the boondocks,as well as in the city.

By the way,I know we have already done the Trekkie thread...but does anyone remmebr the episode "AmokTime"....with the spotlight on Spock?

[johnslat]

Dear bnix,
It might make a good Twilight Zone episode - The Computer Revolt: PCs on the Rampage. However, so far my computer ( which is actually a laptop here at home, and so can't be defined as a PC, can it? ) has been very docile. That might be a facade, though, and perhaps it's just waiting for the right moment. But what the heck - at least it got you to read this tread. " Amok ", I believe, comes from the Malay - as I recall from my time in Indonesia. Did you ever see the movie, " The Year of Living Dangerously "? Great film about Indonesia in 1965, just before Sukarno's fall. And the Malays/Indonesians are usually such quiet, friendly, peaceful people. It's the extreme contrast, I think - going so suddenly from docility to murderous rage - that inspired the word in that area. I think I do have a dim memory of that Star Trek episode - Spock went " crazy " somehow, right?
Regards,
John

[bnix]

Johnslat,"amok"is either Malay or Tagalog. I am not sure which.Yes, in that Star Trek episode,I believe (all you diehard fans can correct me if I am wrong),that actually the "amok' was caused by hormonal changes as it was Vulcan "mating time" It has been a long time since I saw it...but it was something like that.

Another interesting word... "panic"...comes from the name of the Roman(?) or Greek(?) god Pan.Seems the ancients were afraid of actually happening upon this forest god,in the flesh,so to speak.Also the word "pandemonium".....
If you have never read it, I suggest people read "The Great God Pan"...by Arthur Machen.A great classic horror novel.

[Irish]

I have to admit that my interpretation of the thread name was the same as bnix's. Before clicking it, I thought, "Jeez, John, if you can still post here, it can't be that bad! Just reboot the damn thing." Then I read the actual message and went from perplexed to depressed.

I'd like to say I'm surprised but I can't--only disgusted. At least it's nice to know that there are other people just as angry about this as I am, people who won't politely play along with this kind of absurdity. Maybe it is a losing battle but I've always enjoyed gambling on long odds. If I can't whup it, I'll go down fightin'.

[Roger]

...and 'dumbing-down' was coined in the USA, wasn't it? It is what has been happening in its schools for some time.

Etymology:
"Amok", also "amuck" is borrowed from Malay; (OED);
"berserk" definitely some Scandinavian word (both the OED and
a Kluge etymological dictionary of the German language);
"panic" is of Greek origin, containing the name of the God of terror,
Pan.

[johnslat]

Dear Irish,
As e e cummings put it:
" there is some s h * t I will not eat. "

" i sing of Olaf glad and big
whose warmest heart recoiled at war:
a conscientious object-or

his wellbelov�d colonel(trig
westpointer most succinctly bred)
took erring Olaf soon in hand;
but--though an host of overjoyed
noncoms(first knocking on the head
him)do through icy waters roll
that helplessness which others stroke
with brushes recently employed
anent this muddy toiletbowl,
while kindred intellects evoke
allegiance per blunt instruments--
Olaf(being to all intents
a corpse and wanting any rag
upon what God unto him gave)
responds,without getting annoyed
"I will not kiss your f*cking flag"

straightway the silver bird looked grave
(departing hurriedly to shave)

but--though all kinds of officers
(a yearning nation's blueeyed pride)
their passive prey did kick and curse
until for wear their clarion
voices and boots were much the worse,
and egged the firstclassprivates on
his rectum wickedly to tease
by means of skilfully applied
bayonets roasted hot with heat--
Olaf(upon what were once knees)
does almost ceaselessly repeat
"there is some sh*t I will not eat"

our president,being of which
assertions duly notified
threw the yellowsonofabitch
into a dungeon,where he died

Christ(of His mercy infinite)
i pray to see;and Olaf,too

preponderatingly because
unless statistics lie he was
more brave than me:more blond than you."

Man and woman the ramparts:

" This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day. "


Dear Roger,
" Dumbing down " is a term that may have been coined in the USA, but from what I've read about the British school system, its application is not exclusively confined to that part of the globe.
Regards,
John

[arioch36]

Slat,
I too was fooled by your title. Good! I am sometimes so happy to teach in China, where there is no freedom of speech (but unfortunately, there is freedom of intellect)

Now, at the end of the semester I am having the students do some modern short plays based on traditional Chines proverbs (the poor students have now been locked down for a month.

I gave them my play. I read Luke 10, the parable of the Good Samaritan. I have a bible that is English and Chinese, had them read the Chinese, and then we acted out the story. They loved it, especially when the thieves (Oops sorry, the proactive needy people) beat up the businessman. It gave them a good insight to American culture ("judeo-christian quaisi stuff...why we don't espouse the principle of "guanxi" ..do good only to those who can do good for you)

I am sure i would have been fired from my job in America.

Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose!

[M.K.]

Etymology:
"Amok", also "amuck" is borrowed from Malay; (OED);
"berserk" definitely some Scandinavian word (both the OED and
a Kluge etymological dictionary of the German language);
"panic" is of Greek origin, containing the name of the God of terror,
Pan.[/quote]

Yes, "berserk" is Scandanavian. It comes from "bear sark", which is a bear skin. Scandanavians have an old legend about certain people who turn into bears on full moons and cause all kinds of mayhem (kind of like werewolves). So, it literally means "putting on a bear skin". If I remember correctly. I took a class on folklore in college. Good to know my ex$pensive education was worth it.

[xiaoyu]

Oh my! you are all lucky to be teaching abroad right now. i taught a class a bit ago here in the states adn actually got complained about by some students that are "Team Jesus"-ers (not a derogatory term necessarily, i simply use it to refer to those who constantly try to recruit you or stymie intellectual thought/expression on the basis of it not being correct or opposing their religious beliefs).... the topic was gender issues in america..... i allowed another student to bring up the topic of abortion and birth control as being relevant in gender issues.

this happened in my old highschool which now has stricter rules than most schools in las vegas or spokane....(according to my research) would even be willing to put them up against schools in denver or la..... the students are not allowed to read books by tolkien, j.k. rowling, h.b. stowe, ayn rand, etc. because they are seen as offensive or discriminatory.... or propaganda..... can you believe it? this is in a town of 2500 approximately which until 5 yrs ago was among the highest ranked highschools for its size (academically) in the northwest region of montana, wyoming, idaho, washington, colorado adn oregon...... as a side-> my sister teaches at a parochial school in the same state that has laxer reading strictures than this public highschool....

it is a horrid thing that is happening.... the thing that worries me is what kind of people the schools are going to be churning out in the future if they aren't able to look at reality in books?

xiaoyu

[once again]

I seem to remember that I received no end of posts saying that I was an idiot when I raised the very same topic of cultural and artistic censorship in relation to the Dixie Chicks and Harry Potter being banned by some school boards!!! No doubt more will come now!!!

[guest of Japan]

Xiaoyu, Do mean that the school libraries don't carry the books, or do you genuinely mean that the books are forbidden to be read?

I find both choices to be offensive, but one choice is in your face illegal.

Thanks Johnrepat60. This thread is interesting and painful.