To kill a mockingbird at SR

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They aren’t teaching TKAM not because black students can’t handle it, it’s because white parents can’t handle it taught the correct way... that Atticus is a racist snd part of the problem. That the writer is short sighted and racist too.

Could you imagine the Washington post article of all the poor Stone Ridge girl being traumatized by the truth.

The question of Atticus as racist is most interesting, and made more so by the added perspectives of Go Set A Watchman.

I think people are quite prepared to delve into this question. To me, it's fascinating and worthy of study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Google it, educate yourself. But the whole point of not teaching it is because it will most likely be taught the way you understand it, which is old and out of date.

No, that's not good enough. That is not an adequate answer in the context of a debate.

Explain your premise. Nobody knows what you mean by an "80s idea of the novel". You need to explain what you mean by using facts and examples.

There are many thoughtful posts in this thread that show a willingness to listen and learn.

Conversely, there are posts like yours which are insulting, generalized, and ignorant.

Telling someone to Google something is the usual response of those who either don't know or can't explain.

Here is a “taste” and here is the problem with white people they refuse to educate themselves, they put the burden on others. DO.THE.WORK.YOURSELF

WORK ON YOURSELF.

I'm the poster who was initially told to "educate" myself. I haven't responded until now, and I thank the other posters who tried to ask for an explanation to the "80s" comment. I see now we aren't going to get anywhere. I was sincerely interested in finding out why my interpretation was "old." I understand a newer interpretation may be that Atticus is the "white savior," but we discussed that back when I read it... in the 90s, not 80s... and dismissed it. Atticus learns in the novel. He grows. He doesn't save anybody. If anything, his experiences save him and he handles the Boo Radley narrative at the end better because of them.
I'm willing to learn. I'm not willing to be treated rudely. I also see *major* misinterpretations in these responses. Tom Robinson is not pushed to the side of the story, as little as a mockingbird. We don't shoot mockingbirds because they are innocent and do nothing to harm society. When Tom is shot, innocence was shot. It's a symbol... a major one.

Google why white women turn every lesson about racism into them being the victim and act indignant like you are right now. Stop pretending you are a victim here. Being educated may feel uncomfortable but stop with this I’m am feeling attacked BS. You could start with White Fragility and “educate yourself”

Nope. I reread everything I wrote and not once did I claim to be a victim or say I’m being attacked. It’s almost as if your response here is meant for someone else. I said I won’t be treated rudely. That’s it.

Nobody was being rude. They were just telling you the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Google why white women turn every lesson about racism into them being the victim and act indignant like you are right now. Stop pretending you are a victim here. Being educated may feel uncomfortable but stop with this I’m am feeling attacked BS. You could start with White Fragility and “educate yourself”

Nope. I reread everything I wrote and not once did I claim to be a victim or say I’m being attacked. It’s almost as if your response here is meant for someone else. I said I won’t be treated rudely. That’s it.

Nobody was being rude. They were just telling you the truth.

So, racist AND sexist......cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Google why white women turn every lesson about racism into them being the victim and act indignant like you are right now. Stop pretending you are a victim here. Being educated may feel uncomfortable but stop with this I’m am feeling attacked BS. You could start with White Fragility and “educate yourself”

Nope. I reread everything I wrote and not once did I claim to be a victim or say I’m being attacked. It’s almost as if your response here is meant for someone else. I said I won’t be treated rudely. That’s it.

Nobody was being rude. They were just telling you the truth.

So, racist AND sexist......cool.

And this is where I leave this thread. There was hope for it a few comments ago, when the discussion led back to the flaws of Atticus’s character and the merits of the novel. Now it’s become vague comments about posters, based on nothing but conjecture. Good luck to Stone Ridge and its teachers. Whatever decisions they make, I trust the students will learn to think critically and responsibly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And this is where I leave this thread. There was hope for it a few comments ago, when the discussion led back to the flaws of Atticus’s character and the merits of the novel. Now it’s become vague comments about posters, based on nothing but conjecture. Good luck to Stone Ridge and its teachers. Whatever decisions they make, I trust the students will learn to think critically and responsibly.

....or at least more critically and responsibly than "Ms. Edumacate Yourself".

[Anonymous]

I listened to this audiobook with my 12 year old daughter at bedtime for about a week this year. I read this in class when I was ... in middle school? ... but I don't think APS will teach it and wanted my kid to know the story and the book.

I wonder if some of the upset over this is because the DMV is filled with lawyers and the book inspired so many people to become lawyers. To tell all those people that the book no longer applies, that the lesson it was teaching was a bit white saviorish and wrongheaded, is a little hard for some of those lawyers to hear imho. (I am one of those lawyers but I agree the book is white saviorish. Lots of other books where black characters are the heroes of their own stories.)

My daughter liked the audiobook fwiw. Even with discussing some of the deeper themes together. It was a nice mom/daughter experience. She wants to listen to more audiobooks now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Google why white women turn every lesson about racism into them being the victim and act indignant like you are right now. Stop pretending you are a victim here. Being educated may feel uncomfortable but stop with this I’m am feeling attacked BS. You could start with White Fragility and “educate yourself”

Nope. I reread everything I wrote and not once did I claim to be a victim or say I’m being attacked. It’s almost as if your response here is meant for someone else. I said I won’t be treated rudely. That’s it.

Nobody was being rude. They were just telling you the truth.

So, racist AND sexist......cool.

So fragile

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And this is where I leave this thread. There was hope for it a few comments ago, when the discussion led back to the flaws of Atticus’s character and the merits of the novel. Now it’s become vague comments about posters, based on nothing but conjecture. Good luck to Stone Ridge and its teachers. Whatever decisions they make, I trust the students will learn to think critically and responsibly.

....or at least more critically and responsibly than "Ms. Edumacate Yourself".

Edumacate? your white hood is showing Karen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I listened to this audiobook with my 12 year old daughter at bedtime for about a week this year. I read this in class when I was ... in middle school? ... but I don't think APS will teach it and wanted my kid to know the story and the book.

I wonder if some of the upset over this is because the DMV is filled with lawyers and the book inspired so many people to become lawyers. To tell all those people that the book no longer applies, that the lesson it was teaching was a bit white saviorish and wrongheaded, is a little hard for some of those lawyers to hear imho. (I am one of those lawyers but I agree the book is white saviorish. Lots of other books where black characters are the heroes of their own stories.)

My daughter liked the audiobook fwiw. Even with discussing some of the deeper themes together. It was a nice mom/daughter experience. She wants to listen to more audiobooks now.

I taught it to a white, private school 8th grader this year and had a very positive experience. I don't really see how Lee could have explored all the internal texture and thinking that went into white racism then by telling the story from the black characters' perspective. That was the whole point - so she chose Scout, an innocent girl confronting a system that would teach her racism if she didn't learn better.

Learning not to absorb racist messages or take them for granted as "the way things are" is a powerful lesson. It applies to other kinds of prejudice as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know Atticus is not the moral, kind, etc person you describe.

Atticus is a racist... he says the KKK is a political organization, he says they don’t exist anymore in his town.

He’s not a good guy, he’s a bad guy who did a good thing.

Plus it’s a white savior role, which is a flaw in the whole narrative of the book. All classics are flawed. You didn’t learn why TKAM is flawed?

What is the major flaw? It’s a white savior book who dehumanizes and ignores all black characters. The story is about a black man falsely accused, but he is on the fringe of the story... portrayed as helpless, stupid and as useful as a mockingbird.

How is that a problem/flaw in the writing of the book?

Did you learn any of that in the 80’s?

NP: Those themes were discussed as possible ways to read the book when I read it with a class in the ‘70s. (Not the first time I read the book.) One useful exercise that I recall was discussing the issue of “point of view” in the book, and how the story or our understanding of the story might change if a different character from the novel or a different character or point of view not present in the novel was represented.

I don’t have a problem with the novel being used as part of a HS curriculum— as long as it’s taught well, and the syllabus also includes multiple books, either fiction or nonfiction, where Black characters and Black points of view are depicted by Black authors, and this, too, becomes fodder for class discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And this is where I leave this thread. There was hope for it a few comments ago, when the discussion led back to the flaws of Atticus’s character and the merits of the novel. Now it’s become vague comments about posters, based on nothing but conjecture. Good luck to Stone Ridge and its teachers. Whatever decisions they make, I trust the students will learn to think critically and responsibly.

....or at least more critically and responsibly than "Ms. Edumacate Yourself".

Edumacate? your white hood is showing Karen

I think you and I need to conversate about this, don't you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And this is where I leave this thread. There was hope for it a few comments ago, when the discussion led back to the flaws of Atticus’s character and the merits of the novel. Now it’s become vague comments about posters, based on nothing but conjecture. Good luck to Stone Ridge and its teachers. Whatever decisions they make, I trust the students will learn to think critically and responsibly.

....or at least more critically and responsibly than "Ms. Edumacate Yourself".

Edumacate? your white hood is showing Karen

I think you and I need to conversate about this, don't you?

No I will never be around somebody like you! You be are pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Silly for All Girls Schools in particular to ban a book by a rare female writer. Message-- oooo racism is bad. Sexism-- no problem.

“Rare female writer?” Like there aren’t any others?

I don’t even know where to start. Do you even read? Have you been in a library since 800AD? What the actual... ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Google it, educate yourself. But the whole point of not teaching it is because it will most likely be taught the way you understand it, which is old and out of date.

No, that's not good enough. That is not an adequate answer in the context of a debate.

Explain your premise. Nobody knows what you mean by an "80s idea of the novel". You need to explain what you mean by using facts and examples.

There are many thoughtful posts in this thread that show a willingness to listen and learn.

Conversely, there are posts like yours which are insulting, generalized, and ignorant.

Telling someone to Google something is the usual response of those who either don't know or can't explain.

Here is a “taste” and here is the problem with white people they refuse to educate themselves, they put the burden on others. DO.THE.WORK.YOURSELF

WORK ON YOURSELF.

I'm the poster who was initially told to "educate" myself. I haven't responded until now, and I thank the other posters who tried to ask for an explanation to the "80s" comment. I see now we aren't going to get anywhere. I was sincerely interested in finding out why my interpretation was "old." I understand a newer interpretation may be that Atticus is the "white savior," but we discussed that back when I read it... in the 90s, not 80s... and dismissed it. Atticus learns in the novel. He grows. He doesn't save anybody. If anything, his experiences save him and he handles the Boo Radley narrative at the end better because of them.
I'm willing to learn. I'm not willing to be treated rudely. I also see *major* misinterpretations in these responses. Tom Robinson is not pushed to the side of the story, as little as a mockingbird. We don't shoot mockingbirds because they are innocent and do nothing to harm society. When Tom is shot, innocence was shot. It's a symbol... a major one.

Google why white women turn every lesson about racism into them being the victim and act indignant like you are right now. Stop pretending you are a victim here. Being educated may feel uncomfortable but stop with this I’m am feeling attacked BS. You could start with White Fragility and “educate yourself”

Nope. I reread everything I wrote and not once did I claim to be a victim or say I’m being attacked. It’s almost as if your response here is meant for someone else. I said I won’t be treated rudely. That’s it.

Nobody was being rude. They were just telling you YOURtruth.

Dp fixed it for you. We all don't have the same opinion. Not saying mine is the right one but, at least I am not claiming it to be "THE TRUTH"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am white and never thought that it would offend non-whites.

Hopefully now you can see why it would, and try to consider things from others’ perspectives.

It would only offend those perpetually seeking offense.