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Merriam Webster Dictionary Pulled From Elementary School For Defining Oral Sex; Guess What All The Students Just Found Out About?
from the yeah-good-work,-parents dept
Pickle Monger points us to yet another story of overreaction that will clearly backfire in a misguided attempt to "protect the children!" Apparently a parent of a student at Oak Meadows Elementary school in Riverside, California got very upset when she discovered that the schools had copies of the collegiate level Merriam-Websters Dictionary which (gasp!) contained a definition of the phrase "oral sex." Because of that the dictionary was removed from classrooms and a committee was formed to "investigate." Thankfully, the committee concluded that the original dictionary was fine and should be returned to the classroom, but that an alternative dictionary will be provided as well.
Of course, many other parents at the school pointed out how ridiculous it was that the dictionaries were removed in the first place. It's not as if kids will never hear a phrase like that and seek out an answer somewhere. Would parents really prefer that the kids go to Google and do a search on "oral sex," or go to a dictionary instead? Furthermore, this is a definite "Streisand Effect" situation. Now that this story has made the press, you have to imagine that a significantly higher number of elementary school students at Oak Meadows have now heard the term "oral sex" and figured out what it meant.
Of course, many other parents at the school pointed out how ridiculous it was that the dictionaries were removed in the first place. It's not as if kids will never hear a phrase like that and seek out an answer somewhere. Would parents really prefer that the kids go to Google and do a search on "oral sex," or go to a dictionary instead? Furthermore, this is a definite "Streisand Effect" situation. Now that this story has made the press, you have to imagine that a significantly higher number of elementary school students at Oak Meadows have now heard the term "oral sex" and figured out what it meant.
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Except for the metal detectors. And armed paramilitary. And drug & bomb sniffing dogs. And random searches.
But paper dictionaries, blackboards, flags with 48 stars, history books that refer to it as "The Great War" ... those are all still there.
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Similar story
A high school teacher of mine once told us that years before us, when he first began teaching at the school, there was a history book the school was using, and in one silly chapter introduction or something like that, there was the word "damn" (used, I believe, in a quote). Of course, no kid is going to go actively read a non-assigned portion of any textbook (much less a history textbook), but nonetheless, the school required all students in that class to give the teacher their book so that he could tear out the offending page and return the book to them. Naturally, every kid suddenly wanted to go read that page before having it torn out.
Plus ... over "damn"?
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Sigh
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Re: Similar story
So, naturally, everyone read it (and were just as bored as during the rest of the terrible book).
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Google
And that is why dictionary are still useful.
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Question
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Darn Kids
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What's the fuss about?
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Re: Darn Kids
Spoken like someone who never went to Catholic School....
/sarcasm
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Re: Google
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Re: Re: Google
I can't think of a more appropriate emoticon for a story involving oral sex....
Other than maybe :0
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Merriam Webster Dictionary Pulled From Elementary School For Defining Oral Sex; Guess What All The Students Just Found Out About?
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bunch of phonies
Think of the children, drug dealers have no interest in asking for ID's.
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Re: Re: Re: Google
*resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at you*
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Question
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Books are for..
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Re: Porno Parents
...Oh wait, come to think of it, I DO know which bothers me more.
Cweepy.
CBMHB
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Re: Books are for..
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Teach about it YES, but have the word in the dictionary??
In those schools (nay, Liberal/homosexual indoctrination centers for children) GAY sex is taught among other things such as fisting, Islam, Witchcraft etc. but never anything to do with Christianity.
In those brainwashing academies they have given the terms "Liberal Education" and "Liberal Arts Education" a whole new meaning.
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Re: I used to think all the Puritans were long dead.
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They're burning the wrong books
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Re: Teach about it YES, but have the word in the dictionary??
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Your Mom's a nut ! Haha
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Oral Sex:
I'm not that creative, found that here:
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/smileys.html
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:O
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Re: What's the fuss about?
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Re: They're burning the wrong books
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Now if it had a definition for "gerbiling" or "bukkake", I might agree that it was inappropriate for younger students. :)
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Re: Teach about it YES, but have the word in the dictionary??
....BWAHAHA.
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Re: Teach about it YES, but have the word in the dictionary??
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...
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Re: Teach about it YES, but have the word in the dictionary??
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Ironic.
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