Reply to Scholastic Book Fairs gone political

Forum Index » Schools and Education General Discussion

Reply to "Scholastic Book Fairs gone political"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Why would you need to find a character who looks like you in a book? It’s not TV…[/quote]

Rudine Sims can help you out with understanding how it might be helpful to "see" yourself in a book (and why it can be helpful to "see" people who are different from you, too): 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AAu58SNSyc&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wgvu.org%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ&feature=emb_imp_woyt[/quote]

But that’s one of the joys of books!  You can “see” yourself in anyone!  (Why do you think there was controversy about the casting of Rue in the Hunger Games movies?  Because lots of white readers just assumed she was white… it’s a totally natural response people of any race have…)

It’s also why so many books have male protagonists, even when authored by women (ahem! Harry Potter). Girls have been conditioned to be able to “see themselves” even in boy characters, and boys typically can’t do the reverse.

Ultimately this is a superficial concern.[/quote]

People who view it as “a superficial concern” tend not to have it as a concern.  They think that their issues and their cultures are somehow both relatable and universal.  So, yeah, you can “‘see’ yourself in anyone to some extent , but culture is real, as are different experiences in society.  I assume that’s why people like the Virginia book banning lady are pressing so hard:  they don’t want other readers seeing themselves in Ruby Bridges, or someone gay, or someone who’s an immigrant,  or developing empathy .

Maybe ask yourself why you’re pressing so hard, PP.  It’s one thing to choose to not read certain books.  It’s another thing altogether to see that the adults making decisions about which books and topics and interests and lives are valuable and worthy of being written about and read — decide that the ones “like you” and that speak to your concerns have either been segregated in a special case or are absent altogether.

It’s ok to not get it PP. It’s odd, though, to be so insistent about an issue that apparently doesn’t impact you at all.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics