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ocheewah
Skeptic Friend
USA
50 Posts |
 Posted - 09/08/2005 : 09:48:59
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I work for the public school system in what bills itself as the 16th largest city in the nation. I'm in a middle school which serves 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Our school just received a shipment of books via our Board of Ed's media services department with a note encouraging us to distribute this "free" reading material through our school library. This messsage also states "...exposing liberal media bias and countering it with the truth that is so often missing in the major media..." The books include such wonderfully entertaining reading as:
The Case Against Hillary Clinton
Unfit for Command
Bias
Nixon's Ten Commandments of Statecraft
Reckless Disregard
Limbaugh's Persecution
Losing Bin Laden
Dereliction of Duty
Anyone else see a pattern here? And should I be outraged that a Board of Education in a predomminantly Democratic city would present such a one-sided and extremist viewpoint as that represented by this reading material. I wouldn't give this to the adults in this building much less make it available to young adolescents - at least, not without having books available to present a balanced perspective. Okay, I'm done venting now...
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Those who danced were thought quite insane by those who could not hear the music. |
Edited by - ocheewah on 09/08/2005 10:24:20
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 12:39:34 [Permalink]
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| Never censor ideas out of fear. Countering absurdities with contradicting ideas/info is the best way to handle it. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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ktesibios
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 16:11:11 [Permalink]
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I disagree. Attempts to use school libraries to disseminate patently partisan political propaganda (how's that for alliteration?) of any stripe need to be exposed and resisted vigorously. It doesn't sound like they B of E is trying to mandate placing them in libraries; if they do that's cause for raising the biggest stink and putting up the biggest fight possible.
Some of those titles look familiar. Are they all from one publisher- say, Regnery? If so, you might just be looking at a promotional scheme coinciding with the presence of an individual dittohead or drone working for the Board.
I would kind of "forget" about the shipment, and meanwhile talk to co-workers about their opinion of using a library for kids as a political tool. Make up a list of books by people like, say, Michael Moore, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky etc. and see how they would feel about placing them in the library, as a comparison.
If you come under pressure or if placing these books in the library turns out to be policy, the progressive blogosphere (e.g. Daily Kos, Atrios, Steve Gilliard, etc.) could be a useful ally. Over the last couple of years blogs have proven to be able to instigate many thousands of letters to officialdom.
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"The Republican agenda is to turn the United States into a third-world shithole." -P.Z.Myers |
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Dry_vby
Skeptic Friend
Australia
249 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 16:25:13 [Permalink]
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This seems like a blanket marketing campaign rather than a specific attempt at dictating policy.
All these titles are more than likely represented by a single entity somewhere down the line, be it publishing or distributing, and it comes as no surprise that they would try to insinuate themselves in such a large and fertile field of "customers".
Trying to ban these titles would only bring unnescessary notoriety and attention to them.
Exploring the possability of getting an opposition balance to the literature would be a good first step in the right direction.
Making your concerns known is also a good move.
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"I'll go along with the charade
Until I can think my way out.
I know it was all a big joke
Whatever it was about."
Bob Dylan
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 19:35:50 [Permalink]
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ktesibios, I see your point of view, but I don't think you give students enough credit. I found it ironic that you wrote: "Make up a list of books by people like, say, Michael Moore, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky etc. and see how they would feel about placing them in the library, as a comparison." because personally I'd love to see Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" in school libraries, even if the tradeoff is that there would also be crap by conservative nutjobs.
Most kids aren't going to read any of these books because most kids are bored by politics. The curious kids will read both, which could be very beneficial since they could see how extremely opinions can range from the left to the right. Might help them learn to think critically and decide truth for themselves.
I also agree with Dry_vby that "Trying to ban these titles would only bring unnescessary notoriety and attention to them." |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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tw101356
Skeptic Friend
USA
333 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 19:57:56 [Permalink]
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New teaching modules for English class each year: Introduction to Propaganda, Critical Thinking and Propaganda, and Political Manipulation. You've now got the reading materials. |
- TW
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2005 : 23:11:43 [Permalink]
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tw101356 - actually you bring up an interesting topic (at least interesting to me) of what qualifies as propaganda. A straight dictionary defintion includes any "Material disseminated by the advocates or opponents of a doctrine or cause". This sounds harmless enough.
However, another straight dictionary definition says: "The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause." - and this implies a sort of manipulation, perhaps even persuasion without critical thinking via appeal to emotion. It is this idea of propaganda that gives the term its negative connotation. So I'm not saying propaganda isn't dangerous, especially to children. But when does something cross the line into being propaganda? Is there a way to clearly measure it?
I guess another way to ask that is: when is something a subjective yet legitimate way of interpreting/viewing a bit of factual information, and when it something a straight out lie? |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 09/08/2005 23:13:15 |
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