March 7, 2008
"Child Abuse" in America
We’re usually level-headed about other people’s opinions even if they don’t correlate with ours, and normally hold a live and let live attitude. But then something like this comes along so foam-at-the-mouth-inducing that our fingers tremble with all the rage we must type out.
Deerfield high school will continue to offer Angels in America, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, as an “opt-in” book for their Advanced Placement course for graduating seniors.
The piece, performed on stage and adapted into an HBO miniseries, focuses on the lives of two couples in the 1980s dealing with the emergence of AIDS, sexual and ethnic identity, and corporate greed. It is a beautiful, if strange, work that is, in our opinion, a cornerstone in the canon of modern literature.
Unfortunately for us, not everyone feel the same way. There are a couple groups trying to stop high schools from offering the book. One is Matt Barber, policy director for Concerned Women of America. This is what he said in the CBS2Chicago piece after he read the book:
"This isn't a First Amendment issue. This is about school officials betraying the community trust. Heads need to roll here. Assigning this racist, pornographic smut to high school kids is nothing short of child abuse.”
Our blood started to boil right here. First off, any student with HBO or a netflix account could easily watch the miniseries. Second, it's an opt-in book for an AP class. Most, if not all, of the students will be 18 by April (when the book is scheduled to be read). They graduate one month later, and if these now adults can't handle reading the material, they are more than free to choose the other book. To sum up, this is a class being taken by advanced, mostly adult, students who don't want to read those other highly racist or sexist books, of which you can take you pick of many major pieces of literature you read in high school.
Image of some fallen angels via Kozumel
|
Gary: And so this is the end of our story, and everyone is dead from AIDS. It took from me my best friend. My only true pal. My only bright star.
Woman: He died of A-A-AIDS
Gary: Well I'm gonna march on Washington, lead the fight and charge the brigades. There's a hero inside of all of us. I'll make them see everyone has AIDS. [tempo picks up] My father!
Choir: AIDS!
Gary: My sister!
Choir: AIDS!
Gary: My uncle and my cousin and her best friend!
Choir: AIDS! AIDS! AIDS!
Gary: The gays and the straights and the whites and the spades!
Woman: Woop
All: Everyone has AIDS!
Gary: My Grandma and my dog, Old Blue!
Choir: AIDS! AIDS! AIDS!
Gary: The Pope has got it and so do you!
Choir: AIDSAIDSAIDSAIDSAIDS!
Gary: Come on everybody we've got quiltin' to do!
Choir: AIDSAIDSAIDSAIDSAIDS!
Gary: We're gonna break down these barricades! Everyone has
All: AIDSAIDS! AIDS! AIDS! AIDS! AIDSAIDSAIDSAIDSAIDSAIDS! AIDSAIDS! AIDS! AIDSAIDSAIDSAIDS! AIDS! AIDS!
You know, I read the story on the CBS2 Web site, and there was really only one thing missing - the usual "of course, I haven't read it myself, but I'm very familiar with the themes. I'm a very busy hysterical censor, you see."
My previous comment was so important, I felt I had to post it twice.
Well see, had I not read it, then maybe that would be a good thing to add, but then again I probably would not have written a post on it either.
I think you misunderstand me. I wasn't saying you hadn't read it. I'm saying the people who want to burn every copy probably aren't all that familiar with the material they're crusading against.
Ah, sorry I was still on the war-path.
Yes I agree with you there, I'm sure as soon as the first gay reference or anti-semitic comment happens they stop and just say "That's it. This is heresy!" without seeing why the "controversial" material is there in the first place.
i absolutely LOVE that -matt- barber is the director for concerned *women* of america. WTMF?
and "heads need to roll?" what action movie does this douchebag think he's in?
hey, matt! watch 'jesus camp.' now THAT's some good, old-fashioned child abuse.
There's a place in central Berlin, near the Spree and not so far from the DDR musuem, where one can stand on a glass plaque that memorializes one of the earliest, if not the first, official book burning under the Nazi regime. It's is a small memorial but very chilling, and there are always tourists there (I've been to Berlin multiple times). I would love for these eager censors to stand in such a place after studying the history of book burning, and then contemplate their short-sighted, offensive actions.
No, I am not calling these local assholes Nazis, only pointing out the tradition to which the local assholes belong.
"This isn't a First Amendment issue. This is about school officials betraying the community trust. Heads need to roll here. Assigning this racist, pornographic smut to high school kids is nothing short of child abuse.”
It's funny that he name drops the bill of rights but on his page on their website it says:
Matt has now taken his fight from the boxing ring to the ring of public policy where he is proud to be part of CWA’s noble mission to “bring Biblical principles into all levels of public policy.”
"Racist, pornographic smut"? Really? Angels in America is definitely a play with adult themes. And the mini-series on HBO definitely would have been given an R rating in theaters. But "pornographic smut" makes it seem as though the sexual imagery is gratuitous, which it isn't.
The author's view of the play is correct. It's one that most people should read -- not just students. Beyond that, the way it presents the 1980s as more than simply a time of crappy music, big hair and Reaganomics is absolutely brilliant.
High schoolers deserve to be exposed to this stuff, even if you think it's crap, because it allows you to discuss things. I don't get why people ban books, because if you really find them offensive, this gives you an opportunity to discuss and question.
It's not a free speech issue, its an education issue. There's plenty of truly great literature for high schoolers to read that doesn't enrage religious people. Tony Kushner is not must-read material for high schoolers. The problems outweigh the merit in this case.
To Smussy:
I'm glad that someone else picked up on that.
I lost the point of the article completely because all I could think was "Wait... the director of Concerned WOMEN for America is a DUDE?!!?!?"
Thanks Smussy
I'm glad that someone else picked up on that.
I lost the point of the article completely because all I could think was "Wait... the director of Concerned WOMEN for America is a DUDE?!"
@goethean:
But this is not a must-read. It's one on a list of books that advanced placement students may or may not read. I agree that it probably should not be on a must read high school list, but I think it should not be banned from the options.
@smussy and smokes:
I wanted to go off that too, but there wasn't enough time in the post to berate books and discuss feminism.
He's obviously doing a crack-up job though.
Having a book protested and burned is the best non-Oprah way of assuring it DOES get read. Look at the Marquis de Sade - it's not great literature, but people still read it today because it made so many people collectively crap their pants.
"There's plenty of truly great literature for high schoolers to read that doesn't enrage religious people. "
Fuck that.
So, the criteria for literature for high-schoolers is that it doesn't piss off religious people?
Again, fuck that.
What a bullshit idea. And an unworkable one, too. For instance, what about a book that might piss off Catholics but might be OK with certain Baptists?
Concerned Women of America has long been known as one of the nutjob groups of the Far Right--I'm surprised CBS was even willing to cover them. Clearly a slow news day. Don't give these people any more attention than they deserve.
Planned Parenthood has a very successful male CEO - what of it?
The gender of this Matt fellow has no place in valid cricism of the group, and if you think that womens issues only affect women you are very wrong.
Anyway, this group is without credibility and the school board should be fired if they cater to a book burning cult. Fuck these religious people and their lame attempt at control over secular society.
Dig, it's not that a man cannot effectively run any group that is concerned with women's issues, but that a man is running this group called Concerned WOMEN of America. Unless there's something we're missing here, Matt is not, in fact, a concerned woman.
Planned Parenthood does not have "Women" in the name! It is possible for a man to be a parent, it is not possible for a man to be a woman!
As much as I wish this guy was the most concerned boss of "Concerned Women" he's actually just:
Policy Director for Cultural Issues
So either it's a typo or not so thorough reporting.
this guy gives people with the name matt a bad name.
Sorry, wrong "news" outlet-- s/b CBS, not Sun-Times. Oops.
The mistake by Concerned WOMEN of America is having this policy director being allowed to act in any what whatsoever as a commenter for the group.
If the group had any sense, they would have Matt Barber refer reporters to one of the WOMEN in the organization.
Would that have been too complicated?
By the way, this use of "Angels in America" is NOT opposed by any reputable groups on the Right.
Just a couple of tiny splinter-whacko groups.