Study: 'Language police' harming children {Education}

WorldNetDaily ^ | Posted: May 10, 2003 | WND staff

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

WorldNetDaily

Study: 'Language police'
harming children
Activists helping produce bored, cynical, 'dumbed down' students

Posted: May 10, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Activist groups acting as "language police" are exerting increasing control over American schools, resulting in bored, cynical and "dumbed down" children, according to a three-year study of education policy.

Diane Ravitch, author of "The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn," notes the classic children's story "The Little Engine That Could" has been banned in some U.S. jurisdictions because the train is male, the National Post reported.

"The Little Engine that Could" barred because train is male.

The book "The Friendly Dolphin" was rejected, she says, because it discriminates against students not living near the sea.

"Educational materials are now governed by an intricate set of rules to screen out language and topics that might be considered controversial or offensive," writes Ravitch, a professor at New York University. "Some of this censorship is trivial, some is ludicrous, and some is breathtaking in its power to dumb down what children learn in school."

References to bacon and eggs and ice cream also are growing in disfavor because of concerns over healthy eating habits. Mention of birthday parties has been barred for fear of upsetting children who do not get invited to them.

In her study, Ravtich uncovered through court action many policies of state and local authorities and educators that were deemed secret. She documents "an elaborate, well-established protocol of beneficent censorship, quietly endorsed and broadly implemented by textbook publishers, testing agencies, states, and the federal government."

Fearful of their titles being blacklisted, publishers are censoring themselves by removing anything that could conceivably cause offense, making classrooms an "empire of boredom" for young readers forced to read nothing but "pap," said Ravitch, who also is senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former education adviser for both Republican and Democrat presidents.

Some of the changes to books and test questions she found include:


• Women are not portrayed as caregivers or as doing housework and men cannot be professionals such as lawyers, doctors or plumbers;


• Elderly people must be active and not feeble;


• Regional bias is to be stricken – for instance, a story of a mountain climber would discriminate against students who live in flat areas;


• Girls cannot be depicted as watching sports – they must be playing them;


• Children cannot be portrayed as questioning authority or being in conflict with adults;


• Characters must not be orphans, ghosts or animals with negative or dirty associations, such as mice, bugs or scorpions;


• Ethnic stereotypes must not be propagated, so people with Irish roots cannot be police officers and a black person cannot be an accomplished athlete.

Ravitch told the National Post the result is harmful to children.

"It bores the tears out of them and makes them cynical," she said. "The things around them are far more interesting than what they are finding in the classroom. The books can't portray what the children see before them with their own eyes so they dislike reading."

A Fox News report on the study noted how the changes have subjected educators to charges history is being distorted. New guidelines, for example, dictate American Indians should not be depicted with long braids, in rural settings or on reservations, but offer no suggestions as to what would be deemed correct.

The pressure on officials, which comes from both the political left and right, began as a way of rooting out truly offensive material, Ravitch says. But increasing politicization has resulted in "stripping away everything that is potentially thought-provoking and colorful from the texts that children encounter."

Ravitch believes the solution is to remove state and school board control of approved reading lists and trust teachers to select material appropriate for their specific classes.

Others, however, defend the changes.

"I think our textbooks should, to our greatest capacity, be free of any type of stereotyping," said Sue Stickel, deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the California Department of Education.

"We need to make sure that all ethnicities are represented," she said, according to Fox News. "We need to make sure that both males and females are represented. We need to make sure that our materials cover the full gamut."

THIS article at WND

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

"make sure that our materials cover the full gamut"

All, ONLY as long as the "gamut" is "correct" according to the fascists in charge at any given time. Lies, half truths, and ommissions mean nothing to the PC. Peace and love, George.

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

Guys, "The World According to" ????????????? Peace and love, George.

[hedgetrimmer]

In our district elementary school children are taught that they must identify white privilege, and if they are white, not to use their white privilege to advance themselves in any way. Diversity Vs. White Privilege

[microgood]

You just cannot make this stuff up. Unbelievable.

[JimRed]

The inmates are running the freakin' asylum!

[FreeReporting]

Reminds me of a story on this theme, where dancers on television were chosen from people who were clumsy, so that ungraceful people wouldn't feel inferior. I suppose you need the worst qualified people to run the businesses and the government to make everyone feel comfortable, especially the enemies of the country.

[maxwell]

"I think our textbooks should, to our greatest capacity, be free of any type of stereotyping," said Sue Stickel,

Hmmmm. And isn't all this foolishness just another form of stereotyping?

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

"Hmmmm. And isn't all this foolishness just another form of stereotyping?"

M, YES!!! And, it figures that one of the highest officials in the California school system would seem not to notice her hypocracy. But, they AIN'T stupid. They know well the evil they accomplish with the kids. Peace and love, George.

[jd777]

Conservatives take back education!

[George Frm Br00klyn Park]

"Conservatives take back education!"

JD, The "conservatives" {Bill Bennetts and Llamar Alexanders} engineered this kind of stuff when they headed the Department of Education. Peace and love, George.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Wow. That whole site (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/) is an eye opener. It's basically a resource for teachers who want to use schools as a vehicle for far-left propaganda.

Interesting insight to what the enemy thinks.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[sd-joe]

American Indians should not be depicted ... in rural settings

We all remember the great Cherokee nation in downtown Manhattan. :)

This is so silly. Every place the American Indians lived was in a "rural setting".

[Mister Baredog]

And they now have "ankle weights" to put on the fast runners on the track teams so the slow ones won't FEEL bad.

[EggsAckley]

• Elderly people must be active and not feeble;

This REALLY offends me. True, there ARE some elderly whose DNA supplies them with extreme youthfulness, but in my opinion THEY are in the minority. Now, with this brainwashing, imagine little kids thinking something's wrong with Grandma and Grandpa because they aren't out there jogging or riding a bike, like they see in their books.

[upchuck]

A question for the homeschoolers (God bless you!!): Where do you go to get textbooks that are free of all this PC bullsh*t?

[Nea Wood]

Regional bias is to be stricken – for instance, a story of a mountain climber would discriminate against students who live in flat areas;

This is stupid beyond belief. When I was a kid, I LOVED reading about areas that were different from the area I lived in! That was the whole point of reading, to be transported to a different place or time, to learn different things. Are there really schoolkids sitting around crying, saying, "It's not fair! The character in this story climbed a mountain! I don't have any mountains near me! How dare you make me read this book? My self-esteem is ruined!"?

When I read articles like this, I wonder if I've died and gone to hell. I don't remember dying...but I must've. And I must've done something really, really bad.

[RWG]

Ethnic stereotypes must not be propagated, so people with Irish roots cannot be drunk and a black person cannot be an accomplished criminal.

[TomGuy]

Who elected these language police?
How did they ever get any power?

Oh yeh. Another example of MINORITY RULE. For decades self-interest groups have sought ways to gain power and control. Slowly, over time, they get it--mainly by instilling some kind of fear in those that oppose them. Racial issues from the 1960's to the present are a prime example. "Be nice to me or... I'll...play....the.....race card!"

Another example of this is what is going on in the Senate with the judicial nominations. 41 Democrats have effectively thwarted the will of 51-59 majority. The Democrats have found an effective way to MINORITY RULE.

We've found it easier to give in, set back, don't offend, don't question, don't raise the issue---we don't want to be accused of being, uh, iiinnnnseeeennnnnsssiiiitttiiiivvveeeee, now, do we?

So each time, we allow it to happen. We lose and they gain. We begin to cower and they take center stage. They win. They get what they want--the power to control the minds and activities.

None of the so-called politically correct issues over the last 30 years have been anything to enhance culture. Rather than have methods of gaining and keeping control in a subtle power grab.

It is the old story of the frog in a pot of boiling water. We allowed it to happen and now it has run-amok and we can't/are afraid to stop it.

[4mycountry]

WHY THESE MODIFICATIONS WOULD NOT WORK.
by 4mycountry.

• Women are not portrayed as caregivers or as doing housework and men cannot be professionals such as lawyers, doctors or plumbers;

Mother: Look, kids, I'd love to stay, but I gotta go to work....*cough* since your father's too lousy to get a job...
Father: I am NOT lousy, I'm baking cookies!!!

• Elderly people must be active and not feeble;

Grandpa: Well, that was ok, but now I'll try lifting 1000 pounds.
Grandma: Are you sure? You're 95, remember?
Grampa: Yeah, I'm 95, what about it?
Grandma: Well, no offense, dear, but you should be able to lift 2500 pound weights by now....

• Regional bias is to be stricken – for instance, a story of a mountain climber would discriminate against students who live in flat areas;

Mother (reading):Once upon a time in a town in America that had mountains and deserts and oceans and lakes and hills and vallies and forests and beaches and iceburgs and.....

• Girls cannot be depicted as watching sports – they must be playing them;

Ref: And in this corner, weighing in at 125 pounds, GIRL POWER!!
Audience: Yaaaaaay!!!
Ref: And in this corner, weighing it also at 125 pounds, MACHO MACHO WOMAN!!
Audience: Yeaaaahhh!!

• Children cannot be portrayed as questioning authority or being in conflict with adults;

Mother: We're having spinach, broccoli, carrots and veggie burgers for dinner, with soy-based ice cream for dessert. What do you think?
Boy: Wow! Sounds great!!
Girl: You make the best meals, Mommy.

• Characters must not be orphans, ghosts or animals with negative or dirty associations, such as mice, bugs or scorpions;

Father (reading): As the entire family--Daddy, Mommy, Bobby, and Susie-- walked through the woods, they heard rustling in the bushes. They were scared. Suddenly, a ferocious bunny jumped out!
Boy: A BUNNY?!
Father: That's right, a big, scary bunny. And--
Boy: Bunnies aren't scary.
Father: Work with me, kid.

[4mycountry]

Whoops, almost forgot one:

• Ethnic stereotypes must not be propagated, so people with Irish roots cannot be police officers and a black person cannot be an accomplished athlete.

Boy: Mister, will you sign my autograph book?
Invisible Man: Why, certainly!
Boy: Say, what color is your skin?
Invisible Man: Oh, I don't have a color....
Boy: What nation are you from?
Invisible Man: Oh, I'm from no where...
Boy: Your race?
Invisible Man: That's easy! Indy 500! I'm actually a very good driver!!
Boy: Um, that's.....not what I meant...