North Carolina schools ban "dictionary of slang"

[villager]

Under pressure from the wingnuts, of course...

Duncan Campbell
Friday June 23, 2006
The Guardian

The author of what has been described as the definitive dictionary of slang is gobsmacked, gutted, throwing up bunches, honked, hipped, and jacked like a cock-maggot in a sink-hole. A North Carolina school district has banned the dictionary under pressure from one of a growing number of conservative Christian groups using the internet to encourage school book bans across the US.

Jonathon Green, who compiled the 87,000 entries in the Cassell Dictionary of Slang, which was published last year, said that North Carolina is the only place he knows of where the book cannot be used in schools.

A Wake County school official told ABC News that five books, including the dictionary, were formally challenged. The others were listed as The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, Junie B Jones and Some Sneaky, Peaky Spying by Barbara Park, Reluctantly Alice by Phyllis Reynolds and In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. School officials acted after pressure from Called2Action, a local Christian activist group.

Some parents were also reportedly upset that their children were required to read books such as The Colour Purple by Alice Walker and Beloved by Toni Morrison, on the grounds that the books contain "vulgar and sexually explicit language".

<snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1804520,00.html

[grilled onions]

1. If They Are Going To split Hairs

Many of our English words can be taken the wrong way or by adding several words together. Screw could be a no-no. You have push and her but together they could be a pusher. You have stick and it or you have stickit. YOu have rubber balls or you can have "balls". They simply cannot omit every word that can may or might offend those who spend every minute of the day trying to find words they find repulsive. The Bible is chock full of words that many would turn green if their five year old shouted in a public place. They are just WORDS. We have a true injustice called a war that should really be considered the big obscenity.

[pooja]

2. burn the books.. that's how edumacate the US kids

[madinmaryland]

3. That's right, George Bush is going to educate us!

:grr:

[Kerrytravelers]

4. They are following in the tradition of their heroes.

They only crush Dixie Chick cds right now. But, we're certainly on their way.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. Don't be surprised if several DUers come out in favor of this nonsense

They'll be crying Won't anybody think about the children?

[bleedingheart]

6. how about banning the Bible... it has incest, war, rape and

a whole lot of stuff in it that is hard for children to understand

[villager]

7. It should be on the "restricted" shelf, at least!

n/t

[Sequoia]

15. Tee hee!

[Marie26]

8. Then they should

be banning Shakespeare as well.

[villager]

9. Give 'em time. They will.

n/t

[MGD]

10. Interesting, the lessons being learned in public schools today.

They'll undoubtedly learn to be very obedient and docile citizens who don't question the "sound judgements" of those in authority.

[villager]

11. let's hope these kids have another "60's" in 'em..

n/t

[Odin2005]

12. Here comes the book burnings.

I am starting to be reminded of the late Roman Empire where the phrase "what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem," basically meaning that salvation is more imporant then learning, was often used by early Christian leaders. The end of Graeco-Roman civilization is often thought to be represented by East Roman Emperor Justinian closing Plato's Academy in Athens after almost a millenium as one of the greatest universities in the classical world.

[villager]

13. The Emperor Bush will probably commit similar sins while dismantling

the American empire...

[w4rma]

14. Less information = learning in wacky world (nt)

[Drum]

26. And everyone laughs at the Ayn Rand fans? nt

[LostinVA]

16. Wake Country? That surprises me, actually n/t

[villager]

17. why?

n/t

[LostinVA]

19. Because that's not an area or school system known for

this nuttiness -- at least not in the last ten years. Some areas east and west, Fayetteville, around Monroe? Sure... but Wake has alot of those educated RTP people living there... weird. I know people who teach i that system.

[villager]

22. maybe they've been asleep at the switch there, then?

If there's a remnant of "thinking Americans" still there, they'd better get their asses in gear...

That, or their kids are already in private schools...

[KansDem]

18. The final paragraph is also choice...

The ban comes a week after a children's book about Cuba was removed from Miami-Dade County school libraries because it painted too rosy a picture of life on the island. There were objections to pages reading: "People in Cuba eat, work, and go to school like you do". The American Civil Liberties Union has protested against the decision.

Painted too rosy a picture of life in Cuba? So the people in Cuba don't"eat, work, and go to school" like we do? How, pray tell, do they "eat, work, and go to school?"

[Morning Dew]

28. to make it fundy correct, it should read

"People in Cuba eat, work, and go to school under the thumb of Godless Communism."

[Carni]

20. We have an asshole running the country that says *ain't*

routinely -- this has got to be a joke--please tell me this is a joke.

[saltpoint]

21. The most vulgar, crude, inappropriate and spiritually dismissive phrase

I've heard in many many years is George W. Bush taunting the terrorists to "bring it on."

Let's have the concerned parents object to that instead of worrying if their kids are reading controversial language in certain novels.

THE COLOR PURPLE is a far cry from JUNKY to begin with.

If every school in the nation took THE DICTIONARY OF SLANG off evry shelf in the nation kids would still learn dirty words effortlessly.

[Massacure]

23. I read The Color Purple for a college credit English class my senior year

That book should be required reading for everyone. Period.

[nealmhughes]

24. Attention Wake County Students! The Urban Dictionary is online!

It has words and phrases for sexual acts that I didn't even know existed, even after 6 years in the Navy and two masters degrees and five years in NYC! Just use your favorite search engine and look for "urban dictionary". Follow the links kids, and you can use words in a fun and creative way to dismay the old folks!

[mconvente]

25. I've read Beloved

Bullshit - it isn't nearly as bad as Color Purple. In fact, it's one of my favorite books - so emotional and telling and moving - it should be required reading. So many ideals one can obtain from that single book.

[T_i_B]

27. How about importing "Roger's Profanisaurus"?

Truly hilarious swearword dictionary we have available in all major UK Bookstores! Very "Britishy" but achingly funny, and no controversy over it in the media either, although it won't be let into schools anyway as it is ahem, somewhat "Gynecological" and as such not suitable for children.

Over time a lot of slang does become so common that it gets into the dictionary anyway. :shrug: I think that "Chav" was the last such entry to cause a fuss in the media about it's inclusion.