This story is so bizarre that I had to check it twice to make sure it was not an early April Fool’s joke. The New York City Department of Education has barred the use of “Dinosaur” on tests to avoid upsetting people who believe creationism. Putting aside the fact that creationists do not deny that dinosaurs existed, the decision is to bar the use of a reference to an entire species because a fact might insult religious sensibilities.
Educations in New York decided that, with such things as Halloween and dancing, the reference to dinosaurs “could evoke unpleasant emotions in the students.” Also banned is the word “evolution.” It is basically designing a test for Sarah Palin to pass.
“Birthday” is also out because Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays.
The problem with this type of self-censorship is that runs against a core value of public education. I have been a long advocate of public educations and we have kept our kids in the public schools. Public schools are a core foundation for civil society — training future citizens in a shared and pluralistic environment. A child must learn not to be “distracted” by references to evolution because it is an accepted scientific fact in the world. It is part of the learning process and is itself a measurement of educational development. The same can be said for the realities of dancing and birthdays. Political correctness is being allowed to trump intellectual content.
Here are the other words on the list:
Here is the complete list of words that could be banned:
Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological)
Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs
Birthday celebrations (and birthdays)
Bodily functions
Cancer (and other diseases)
Catastrophes/disasters (tsunamis and hurricanes)
Celebrities
Children dealing with serious issues
Cigarettes (and other smoking paraphernalia)
Computers in the home (acceptable in a school or library setting)
Crime
Death and disease
Divorce
Evolution
Expensive gifts, vacations, and prizes
Gambling involving money
Halloween
Homelessness
Homes with swimming pools
Hunting
Junk food
In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge
Loss of employment
Nuclear weapons
Occult topics (i.e. fortune-telling)
Parapsychology
Politics
Pornography
Poverty
Rap Music
Religion
Religious holidays and festivals (including but not limited to Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Ramadan)
Rock-and-Roll music
Running away
Sex
Slavery
Terrorism
Television and video games (excessive use)
Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters)
Vermin (rats and roaches)
Violence
War and bloodshed
Weapons (guns, knives, etc.)
Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.
Source: Daily Mail
I was always educated in private schools so I cannot comment on a public school experience. However it does seem to me that the rougher neighborhoods have crappier schools, major problems with violence, kids dropping out, etc. while the better communities have better, stronger schools. For instance in Potomac, MD there are tons of private, expensive schools and then there is the public school Churchill, one of the highest rated public schools in the country. The USNews ranks high schools:
http://education.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-high-schools/rankings/gold-medal-list
I would imagine that most of them are in good neighborhoods though I could be wrong.
Mike Spindell 1, March 27, 2012 at 5:02 pm
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As to the issue at hand, tongs are getting curiouser amd ccuriouser, in the American Wonderland.
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A lot of the “curiouser” is because we understand “reason” in 18th and 19th century terms.
Which said terms are false and no longer accepted science.
Irony has its limits, as one who has been misunderstood—-that is to say they did not get the irony. But they did not see what I said as malicious.
There ANON is different.
I think we can agree that ANON is not very convincing if he thinks that what he said was ironic.
Guess I’m sensitive to calling social workers feminist.
Some of them are men. And most of them work their ass off, trying to keep up with the poverty load the system gives them to help.
Jeez, why do we waste time on idiots.
Anon,
Thank you. I had to previously apologize because I couldn’t find the mispgynistic reference. Now it is right there above, or are you going to complain that I fail to see your use of irony?
As to the issue at hand, tongs are getting curiouser amd ccuriouser, in the American Wonderland.
No, I don’t hate guys. I just realize their limits.
i wrote here how they could be replaced, and one said that was nonsense.
Everybody knows guys are essential to making babies. He had not read what I had posted. Which was a good way of showing stupidity. Duh.
And being Einstein has nothing to do with the replication/evolution problem.
bettykath,
It was not my daughter, it was the lady’s who helped me fix my food.tonight.
As for being dumb, you don’t know the half of it.
Let me just say, that I’ve been a stranger to myself for 74 years, and also to other humans. Seven years ago I went to a therapist and told him I felt like a Martian. So it was a slow process even with help to come into contact with myself and others this last fall.
Thanks for the humor. But am serious when I say guys are stupid, if you compare to women. Who but women could have figured out how to live with meatheads bringing home the bacon. Mostly men are worthless.
And associating with them dumbs down the women.
Whew.
OK, I finally found an AP account of this story which featured quotes from representatives of the NYC Dept. of Education. It’s not nearly as sensational:
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP04725768580e49a8994c965e3a5ec842.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
But no, it’s not a hoax.
Ah, Brandon, (sigh) I’m truly grateful for my public school education. I’d have learned a bunch of stuff on my own b/c I’m naturally curious and I love to read. But that small town public school provided me with much that I might not have learned otherwise. It wasn’t perfect by any means – the history courses, in particular, didn’t measure up for me (then I discovered Howard Zinn, biographies, historical novels, etc and history is soooo interesting) and I found that writing papers for English class to be a real chore (I could do them but the blank sheet of paper was a bit more intimidating than it was stimulating). But I learned anyway. No way I could have afforded a private school. Couldn’t have afforded a different public school either if that had been my choice. My choice: put the voucher money into more classrooms and more teachers, thereby reducing class size so the teachers and the students have a chance to do what they’re there for: teach and learn. And have the teachers uses more interactive teaching so students learn to be critical thinkers, rather than regurgitators.
idealist707, It took you 26 years to realize it? Your daughter is right. : )
People are individuals and one size doesnt fit all.
Public schools are a joke. They are not vital for a civil society, public schools like all monopolizes provide failure. Privatizing schools is logical and efficent, it amazes me how many people think public schools are necessary. Public schools were implimented for the purpose of indoctrinating immigrants with christianity, not because of a failure with in private sector. Public schools eliminate all competing mid level education leaving a monoploized service that provides shity education services and only high end private education. Thus leading to the misconception that only rich people would get an education if private schools didnt exist. If public schools didnt exist there would be a demand for cheap mid level education so the free market would provide this. Private mid level educatio doesn’t exist now because they cant compete with public schools. No one is goingt to pay for a mid level private school when they pay tax that pay for a mid level public school that provides shitty services.
bettykath,
my “home help” tonight was a mother of 2, one a 12 year old girl.
She was not sure if her daughter was pulling her leg today when she said:
“Mama, boys are dumb”
Look, I said, she’ll get this confirmed and will realize that men are that way, and will learn the control techniques all women use. “Smile, say yes, and manipulate.”
She grudgingly admitted this might be so.
I said, my wife did, and it took me 26 years to realize she behind her lovely voice was doing so. Did I mind, not after I understood it.
how are they going to teach history without using the word “war”?
beetykath – I think you are on to something there. Of course we all know its not those feminazis at DOE mandating NYC schools do this – hits that Muslim, atheist, radical Christan, socialist, Fascist, Communist corporate sell out Obama. He called in the super secret orders. Surely the black helicopters and feminazi DOE reeducation camps can’t be far behind.
Gad or politics is screwed up.
Anon, you leave me almost speechless. Guess some woman, a teacher?, called you out on your misogynistic ideas and you still haven’t forgiven her. Nor has she forgiven you since you obviously haven’t learned anything.
The NYC DOE did reply. However due to the word ban [censorship] the reply was blank…