To kill a mockingbird at SR

[Anonymous]

The reason TKAM was dropped was because a bunch of kids complained about having to read the n-word in 8th grade English class. Yes, you got that right, read it silently. The discussions of the book were basically overwhelmed by kids saying that they were traumatized, language is violence, blah blah insert woke language here. A conversation about this issue devolved into accusations of racism and a race-to-the-bottom (no pun intended) of who was more woke among students. This is a general theme at SR (and other schools, from what I read); almost everything is now being framed in CT / antiracist / intersectional language. It's become a fetish and almost pseudo-religious, which is ironic at a Catholic school. This is most definitely cancel culture, no matter what the rationalizers say.

[Anonymous]

TKAM hasn’t been cancelled or censored if anyone at SR is still free to read it on their own time. Isn’t liberty great?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You lost all credibility by claiming the school was grandstanding by publicizing its decision.

Your view of my credibility (which doesn't make any difference to me one way or the other) doesn't negate the fact that SR is currently drunk on DEI Kool-Aid. This kind of thing will only continue, will only get more involved and more extreme. If you think it's going to stop at To Kill a Mockingbird you couldn't be more wrong.

You can find anything offensive if you look hard enough.

Nuance, context, ideas, assumptions, perspectives.......these are all important to absorb, study, and explore as we move forward into an uncertain world.

I was under the impression that the liberal intelligentsia was against dogmatism of all kinds.

I see, however, that they have simply exchanged one dogma for another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason TKAM was dropped was because a bunch of kids complained about having to read the n-word in 8th grade English class. Yes, you got that right, read it silently. The discussions of the book were basically overwhelmed by kids saying that they were traumatized, language is violence, blah blah insert woke language here. A conversation about this issue devolved into accusations of racism and a race-to-the-bottom (no pun intended) of who was more woke among students. This is a general theme at SR (and other schools, from what I read); almost everything is now being framed in CT / antiracist / intersectional language. It's become a fetish and almost pseudo-religious, which is ironic at a Catholic school. This is most definitely cancel culture, no matter what the rationalizers say.

Hardly surprising, considering they've been doing presentations on microaggressions to the Middle School for several years now. Everything is about what makes you feel "comfortable" or "uncomfortable", and as anyone who has had a Middle School aged child knows, they can decide to feel uncomfortable about anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to provide some food for thought on the matter for those who have a problem with this. Imagine being a black student and constantly reading these "classics" which shows a history of time, in which blacks were treated sub-human and the author makes no apology, but writes it from a perspective of it is what it is. Page by page, you have to read words that cut deep to your race. However, rather than an awakening of morale taking place, you have an educated white lawyer that takes on a case because of his daughter. The poor uneducated black is once again saved by the educated white man, who takes pitty on him. But wait, this is a classic, to hell with others, it's written well.

Well, you clearly didn’t master English writing. Your syntax is terrible. “An awakening of morale”?

Harper Lee is describing racism as it existed. It is brutal and nearly incomprehensible to a child. That’s what she conveys. Novelists do not apologize for the contexts in which their stories occur.

The Bluest Eye describes abuse, neglect, internalized racism, and madness. Did you want Toni Morrison to apologize for that fact that these things can exist within African American communities?

You have absolutely no understanding of literature.

It's always sad when one feels the need to argue their position beginning with an insult to the previous poster. "Your syntax is terrible." Apologies if all choose not approach their post as a legal brief.

[Anonymous]

I am personally tired of being told by those who have never experienced racism, what racism is or feels like. Those who choose to remain willfully ignorant are the problem. The frequent fieldtrips to Mt. Vernon with the gleeful tour of the slave quarters where the true conditions of slavery are down played to the reading of TKPMB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am personally tired of being told by those who have never experienced racism, what racism is or feels like. Those who choose to remain willfully ignorant are the problem. The frequent fieldtrips to Mt. Vernon with the gleeful tour of the slave quarters where the true conditions of slavery are down played to the reading of TKPMB

I am personally tired of being told by those who know nothing about me that I am racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am personally tired of being told by those who have never experienced racism, what racism is or feels like. Those who choose to remain willfully ignorant are the problem. The frequent fieldtrips to Mt. Vernon with the gleeful tour of the slave quarters where the true conditions of slavery are down played to the reading of TKPMB

I am personally tired of being told by those who know nothing about me that I am racist.

How often are you being told that you're a racist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason TKAM was dropped was because a bunch of kids complained about having to read the n-word in 8th grade English class. Yes, you got that right, read it silently. The discussions of the book were basically overwhelmed by kids saying that they were traumatized, language is violence, blah blah insert woke language here. A conversation about this issue devolved into accusations of racism and a race-to-the-bottom (no pun intended) of who was more woke among students. This is a general theme at SR (and other schools, from what I read); almost everything is now being framed in CT / antiracist / intersectional language. It's become a fetish and almost pseudo-religious, which is ironic at a Catholic school. This is most definitely cancel culture, no matter what the rationalizers say.

Your smugness in belittling the students' experience in dealing with this word and all it represents is reprehensible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am personally tired of being told by those who have never experienced racism, what racism is or feels like. Those who choose to remain willfully ignorant are the problem. The frequent fieldtrips to Mt. Vernon with the gleeful tour of the slave quarters where the true conditions of slavery are down played to the reading of TKPMB

I am personally tired of being told by those who know nothing about me that I am racist.

How often are you being told that you're a racist?

I get the feeling it's been more than a few. Maybe someone is not receiving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am personally tired of being told by those who have never experienced racism, what racism is or feels like. Those who choose to remain willfully ignorant are the problem. The frequent fieldtrips to Mt. Vernon with the gleeful tour of the slave quarters where the true conditions of slavery are down played to the reading of TKPMB

Gleeful tour of the slave quarters? Please expand on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Students of color learn nothing from being forced to read this white savior narrative. Worse yet they are forced to listen to the n word over and over. Just because it meant something to you once upon a time as a white person does not mean that it is a good choice for students today. This is well documented. I am white FWIW. Stone Ridge is moving in the right direction. Well done.

Agree.

Disagree. It’s one of the all time great American classics. Yet another deficit in true education to omit this work.

Most “classic literature” is BS. If you wanna read it, knock yourself out, but there’s nothing inherently schoolworthy about TKAM or any of the other usuals.

Ain’t nobody ever not landed a job because they didn’t read a particular novel.

That’s patently untrue

[Anonymous]

Good question, why has the debate devolved?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good question, why has the debate devolved?

Because there is no debate. Everything is on shifting sand, and if you try and make a point against antiracism, you are told you don't understand, or you are misrepresenting, or you are being......racist.

You cannot win this debate. It is designed to be unwinnable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am personally tired of being told by those who have never experienced racism, what racism is or feels like. Those who choose to remain willfully ignorant are the problem. The frequent fieldtrips to Mt. Vernon with the gleeful tour of the slave quarters where the true conditions of slavery are down played to the reading of TKPMB

Gleeful tour of the slave quarters? Please expand on this.

I have been on multiple fieldtrips with my younger children to both Mt. Vernon and Monticello. On one trip the statement was made by another parent, "These were the good ole days when meals were freshly made." Also, tours of the quarters never focus or discuss the hardship of slavery, but had the talking points of how slaves were creative and made do with what they had to make life pleasant as possible. The tour guides are fixated on the architecture, gifts that remain in the house from foreign governments, and other details that are note worthy, but take away from the true history of how the plantation operated. Oh, and the cherry on top for Monticello is how Thomas Jefferson was truly conflicted over slavery parting speech. Yet, no acknowledgement of Sally Hemmings or how he failed to grant freedom of his slaves in his will upon his death. These historic landmarks don't address the ugly history or paint an accurate picture of the history.