What do the poolees and civvie wannabes think?
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  1. #1

    What do the poolees and civvie wannabes think?

    This was posted by ladileatherneck on a different forum. I'll keep my own political view out of this (for now) but I'm curious as to what my peers think of this:

    Calif. Offers Textbook Case of Political Correctness

    Wednesday, April 30, 2003

    By Anita Vogel



    LOS ANGELES — A textbook review process in California has changed or eliminated references to everything from the Founding Fathers (search) to hot dogs, leaving many to charge the state with distorting history in the name of political correctness.

    The textbook review process, which is routinely done in many states, is meant to eliminate or replace outdated words or phrases. But what’s happening in California has a lot of people wondering – quite literally – "Where’s the beef?"

    That’s because many California textbooks will no longer feature pictures of hot dogs, sodas, cakes, butter and other kinds of food that are not considered nutritious. Nor will the books contain any phrases judged to be sexist or politically insensitive.

    The Founding Fathers, for instance, are now referred to as "The Framers," in an apparent effort to make them sound less male-dominant. And there will be no more reading about Mount Rushmore (search), where the faces of four U.S. presidents are carved into stone, because it appears to offend some American-Indian groups.

    The changes, which reflect a wide range of political correctness (search), have been brought about by pressure groups on both sides of the political aisle, as both Democratic and Republican legislators have been lobbied.

    Snowman? No more. Melt that image and replace with Snowperson. Want to sail away on a yacht? No, again. It’s too elitist.

    And if you think grandpa is a senior citizen, guess what? You’re wrong. That’s demeaning, according to the new standards. He is now simply an "older person."

    The laundry list of words and images banned or considered offensive is not a short one. The word "jungle" has been replaced with "rain forest." The word "devil" has disappeared entirely, with no replacement.

    Many of the changes seem to represent a direct assault on historical accuracy. For example, the new guidelines dictate American Indians should not be depicted with long braids, in rural settings or on reservations. There are no suggestions on how they should be depicted, however.

    The problem there, say historians, is that some American Indians did wear their hair in braids, and generally lived in rural settings before being relocated to reservations.

    Some say the changes are needed to better reach out to today’s diverse student population. Others have a different name for it.

    "It's outright censorship," said author Diane Ravitch, who has written extensively on the subject of how the nation's schools have dealt with the issue. "It dumbs down our textbooks, makes them bland, far less interesting than anything children might see in the movies -- even in G-rated movies or TV.

    "The problems that have happened in education is that the textbook publishers and the test developers have become so sensitive to any controversy that whenever they receive a complaint it is very likely that they will remove the source of the complaint," explained Ravitch.

    Textbook publishers admit they are in a bind. They say if they don't adopt the changes made by large states like California and Texas, they would suffer severe economic consequences.

    Still, there are those who defend the changes made.

    "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 (search). "We need to make sure that all ethnicities are represented. We need to make sure that both males and females are represented. We need to make sure that our materials cover the full gamut."


  2. #2
    In my Personal Opinion,

    Society is becoming to concerned on being liberal. Too much political correction, Too much affirmative action, Too much time being spent to make sure everyone feels "equal". I think Americans need to move forward and discover better ways of being a cohesive society, which is what this intended to do, but at the same time I believe that we should keep many of our culture traits even if they are condsidered "Barbaric" or "behind the times" because its what makes our society unique from others.

    I could be wrong though. Who knows perhaps this is the best step for America. Also this is only happening in California. The state is about as liberal as it can be. Spreading the changes to other states that are more conservative, like South Carolina, is somewhat different


  3. #3
    Registered User Free Member Avatar0fCha0s's Avatar
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    I think it's just stupid. It sounds like they're changing history to make it sound better, why change the Founding Fathers becasue it's to male dominating? They WERE male dominated. And snowman? For one thing it doesn't even snow in California (at least i dont think it does), and well, it's IS a snowman until you put breasts on it right? and whats the point of changing jungle to rain forest? These people are just trying to cause as much trouble as they can...I like things the way they were when I was in grade school, they're dumbing stuff down so much it's getting pathetic.


  4. #4
    I do like the idea of changing senior citizen back to old. Tell it as it is.
    Its hard to belive people can fine time for all this BS.


  5. #5
    firstsgtmike
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    Whoah,

    I agree that 99% of what they are doing is BS. However, I am a Senior Citizen, but I am NOT "old".

    If it ever happens, I'll accept my children (1,3,7,8) calling me their "old man", but God help anyone else who tries it.

    Call me an old man, and I better remember yo momma, or you can ask her if she remembers me.


  6. #6

    We don't like political correctness, but we don't like the opposite either

    Georgians Plan Whites-Only Prom Party
    Fri May 2, 3:51 AM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


    By ELLIOTT MINOR, Associated Press Writer

    ALBANY, Ga. - Gerica McCrary said she cried when she heard about the decision to hold a separate white-only prom only a year after she helped bring black and white students together in her rural high school's first integrated prom.



    Many white students at Taylor County High School said they plan to attend next week's mixed prom, but a small number of whites said they also wanted a private party.


    Juniors are charged with planning the prom each year and last year they decided to have just one dance — the first integrated prom in 31 years in the rural Georgia county 150 miles south of Atlanta.


    Until then, parents and students organized separate proms for whites and blacks after school officials stopped sponsoring dances, in part because they wanted to avoid problems arising from interracial dating.


    After school integration, separate proms were common in the rural South. Taylor County was among the last to cling to the practice.


    Erin Posey, a white senior, said the entire junior class joined together in hosting last year's prom, but this year's junior class wasn't as unified.


    "I think a lot of seniors were disappointed," she said. "Now we have to choose between two groups of friends."


    The school has 439 students, 232 of them black. McCrary, who is black, and a white friend passed out fliers informing students of all races that they would be welcome at the May 9 prom at nearby Fort Valley State University. The private prom is Friday night 50 miles away in Columbus.


    "I would have liked to see it together this year," said Gerard Latimore, a black junior class president who helped organize this year's integrated prom night. "My class would have, too. It just didn't happen this year."


    Gerard's mother, Glenda Latimore, a 1972 graduate, attended a segregated prom. She said relatives in Philadelphia and New Jersey laugh when they read about Taylor County's prom.


    "It seems like it's something secret," she said. "The white people are afraid to speak up against the separation.


    "But I went to a black prom and I had fun," she added. "It didn't kill me, so I tell my son, 'Just go to the prom and have fun. Don't come out hating anyone.'"


  7. #7
    I think we're forgetting where political correctness is needed and where it's not.

    If it's used in a derogatory manner, it's not correct, period. Forget the political part of it, it's just not correct. (In reference to Older person vs. Senior Citizen)

    If key information is neglected to be taught, it's wrong, period. Forget the politicalness of it, we need to teach our children something ... they will be the ones running this country soon enough. This world is male dominated. I understand and accept that. In no way does that mean that women aren't important parts of society, because they are, but our founding fathers did happen to be men. (In reference to changes in textbooks.)

    ... just saying I agree with ya'll.


  8. #8
    Registered User Free Member JChristin's Avatar
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    I grew up in a mix-race neighborhood. If any one, non-white, was not welcome at any type of party or social event - I would not attend that s-o-b racist event, period - end of statement. That's not political correctness - lets get that straight from the get go. It's simply good manners in their simiplest form.

    simper fi,
    jchristin


  9. #9
    I agree with you.

    The older I get (and I'm still a young'un) the more shocked I am at how people act.


  10. #10
    I don't think there is ever a place for political correctness in our society. We have laws that tell us everyone is equal, but the in comes the PC monster to tell us that they really aren't. They seem to think that some classes need special protection. While some classes are protected by the federal government, it isn't meant for situations like this. Instead they are to ensure that everyone enjoys "Equal Protection of the Laws" as the Fourteenth Amendment to our Constitution says they should. This means that persons over 40 are protected in the work place. You can't fire someone over 40 years old, just for their age, unless there is a compelling state interest to do so. (Think FBI, Secret Service, Military, etc.) Notice, there is a hard limit, you can fire someone that is 39 years and 364 days old for their age without a legal problem. Gender, race, some disabilities, age, and religion are the things protected. But, the Congress nor the Courts have decided that it is improper to call an old person old (Clearly not you First Sgt.) it is instead the liberal media and entertainment world that has brought these practices into our world. It isn't wrong to be politically incorrect and more than it is wrong to follow the "rules" imposed upon us by those 'elite' people that think they know better than the rest of us. So, they can put anything they want in a book, I will still teach my children about the real America, and trust my children will do the same for their children.
    Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go fire up the grill, cook a hot dog, get in my yaht, sail to Mt. Rushmore, wave at some old people, play bingo with the Indians and just in general think of California the same way I think of France and Germany... as an enemy to the American way of life.


  11. #11
    PC is a funny thing....

    Once a person was a cripple... then we changed it to being handycap... then it changed to disabled and now it is called physically challenged... it all means the same thing in the dictionay. The VA says I am disabled... but I dont think I am physically challenged....

    Another good one - I can tell this because my wife is Filipino - a friend of mine was told that he could not call a "Flip Chart" a "Flip" Chart anymore - they said it was disrespectful to Filipino's because a derogotory name for Filipino is "Flip"!

    Top


  12. #12
    Marine Free Member Silver_XAT's Avatar
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    The funny thing to me is... How can you make history politically correct? It wasn't! Women had little rights. Slaves had none! Native Americans were kicked right out of their ancestrial homelands. The list goes on. No country's history has been politically sensitive like they're trying to make it. "The Founding Fathers, for instance, are now referred to as "The Framers," in an apparent effort to make them sound less male-dominant." hmmm someone decided to make it sooouuund as if society then was less male dominant. IT WAS male dominant. So why not talk about it that way and put it into perspective in a way students can learn from it instead of sugar coating things in a way that is untrue. I get all fired up talking about this stuff so before I scorch my keyboard... What some people call liberal i call sensorship


  13. #13
    Registered User Free Member Barrio_rat's Avatar
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    Originally posted by top1371
    Another good one - I can tell this because my wife is Filipino - a friend of mine was told that he could not call a "Flip Chart" a "Flip" Chart anymore - they said it was disrespectful to Filipino's because a derogotory name for Filipino is "Flip"!
    At yearly inservice I heard that and let the instructor know "As a person of Filipino descent and having a wife and a child who were born in the Philippines, it's okay with us if you use the term 'flip chart'." It got a few laughs, but they still wouldn't use the term. LOL

    Here's one.. How many of you remember the term "black board" ?

    I had a sign for a while which read:

    POLITICALLY CORRECT: THE INABILITY OR UNWILLINGNESS OF ONE TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES.


  14. #14
    The "dumbing down of America" has begun, and is in full swing. Why is it, that there are all-African American colleges, but no all white colleges? Is this pollitically correct? We all use pollitical correctness at times, but I agree with Jchristin: out of respect. As for the textbook thing, I find it absurd, and am dissapointed that the parents would keep their child in that school knowing that is going on, or rather, would know if they helped their kid with studies and actually read the book. Please correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't a school need a certain number of attendees to retain all of its funding? Seems like some people need to create an uproar. Or is that too much work, just like going for a walk after dinner to burn off that hot dog and hamburger?

    Joe


  15. #15
    Registered User Free Member Avatar0fCha0s's Avatar
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    I agree Robo, lets all get on a plane to California and have ourselves a RIOT! WHO'S WITH ME! I'll bring the soda, someone else bring the chips.


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