6 ms·

Scholastic, and a Faustian Bargain

22 points by calcifer 3y ago

dsr_ 3y ago
http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/our-commitment-sharing-diverse-stories http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/our-commitment...
- cat_plus_plus 3y ago
  Yikes, if you apologize and backtrack every time crowds make a noise, you have no genuine values of your own. Obviously it's possible to change one's mind in the face of new perspectives, but I don't see any explanation of what the reasoning for original change request was and how it is flawed. How are food deserts same as Japanese Internment and why should my children be educated on such made up inferences?
mjhay 3y ago
Yet another instance of the right's complaints of censorship being projection. They were censoring and cancelling people before the term "cancel culture" existed.
- cat_plus_plus 3y ago
  One one hand, sure anyone with power to censor will censor, human nature. On the other hand, so long as most parents can only afford to send their children to a single assigned school, what is taught in this school has to be curated. Hopefully nobody is suggesting that they are taught based on works of various 20th century dictators, even as adults should be able to buy these books from willing sellers. What then? Local community values that work for 90% of parents seem to be the least evil way to decide. Why would anyone else have the moral authority to dictate what is taught to one's own children?
myself248 3y ago
Welp, time to order a dozen copies and seed the local Little Free Libraries... ....aaaaand it's sold out everywhere but amazon.
SpicyLemonZest 3y ago
“The word RACISM would be removed from the author’s note altogether” doesn’t seem like an honest way to summarize the proposed edit. They didn’t propose to edit out the frank descriptions of the trauma of Japanese internment, or the conclusion that it was inexcusable. They struck out an unrelated political rant about how Americans are all racist and various modern policies the author doesn’t like result from that. I guess the “everything is politics” meme has reached fixation in the author’s circles, but it’s baffling that the author would see “let’s not have an aside calling the readers racist over food deserts” as a Faustian bargain which fatally compromises her message.
cat_plus_plus 3y ago
I agree with Scholastic. As much as I am glad that Russians such as myself are not treated any differently in US today, racism was not the most direct cause of Japanese internment, Japan attacking US was. German and Italian Americans were also affected by EO 9066. It's fair to say that racism was one factor that contributed to meager public pushback and disproportionate practical impact on Japanese Americans. Claims that immigration enforcement, police shootings, voter ID laws or food deserts are the same as Japanese internment are unsubstantiated fabrications. Food deserts are part supply and demand due to unhealthy local tastes, part impracticality of running full supermarkets in high crime neighborhoods, part residents lacking time and money for cooking and part agricultural subsidies distorting prices. These issues are worth talking about, but it's not like anyone set out to make people obese based on race. All in all, I want my children to be taught based on facts and sound analysis, not words of people carrying a hammer and determined to see everything as a nail. If adults want to read other kinds of books or buy it for their own children, sure.
- wahnfrieden 3y ago
  Your post to be clear is unsubstantiated and expresses a rw talking point (several)
  - cat_plus_plus 3y ago
    I am not proposing my post for school curriculum and if you want a more substantial discussion, the ball is in your court. Why should I search for references when you are just ranting?
    - wahnfrieden 3y ago
      No thanks bud
StrangeATractor 3y ago
I'm still mad about Scholastic censoring His Dark Materials, one of my favorite books as a kid. If you read the censored passage it wasn't in any way offensive or inappropriate. You used to be able to get an uncensored edition from Book Depository, but Amazon is shuttering it just a few years after buying it.
- cat_plus_plus 3y ago
  Would you be Ok with "Left Behind" series being taught in school, or is it best to keep pros and cons of religion as something individual parents can bring up at home by getting their kids whatever books they choose?

22 points by calcifer 3y ago

dsr_ 3y ago

http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/our-commitment-sharing-diverse-stories http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/our-commitment...

cat_plus_plus 3y ago
Yikes, if you apologize and backtrack every time crowds make a noise, you have no genuine values of your own. Obviously it's possible to change one's mind in the face of new perspectives, but I don't see any explanation of what the reasoning for original change request was and how it is flawed. How are food deserts same as Japanese Internment and why should my children be educated on such made up inferences?

mjhay 3y ago

Yet another instance of the right's complaints of censorship being projection. They were censoring and cancelling people before the term "cancel culture" existed.

cat_plus_plus 3y ago
One one hand, sure anyone with power to censor will censor, human nature. On the other hand, so long as most parents can only afford to send their children to a single assigned school, what is taught in this school has to be curated. Hopefully nobody is suggesting that they are taught based on works of various 20th century dictators, even as adults should be able to buy these books from willing sellers. What then? Local community values that work for 90% of parents seem to be the least evil way to decide. Why would anyone else have the moral authority to dictate what is taught to one's own children?

myself248 3y ago

Welp, time to order a dozen copies and seed the local Little Free Libraries... ....aaaaand it's sold out everywhere but amazon.

SpicyLemonZest 3y ago

“The word RACISM would be removed from the author’s note altogether” doesn’t seem like an honest way to summarize the proposed edit. They didn’t propose to edit out the frank descriptions of the trauma of Japanese internment, or the conclusion that it was inexcusable. They struck out an unrelated political rant about how Americans are all racist and various modern policies the author doesn’t like result from that. I guess the “everything is politics” meme has reached fixation in the author’s circles, but it’s baffling that the author would see “let’s not have an aside calling the readers racist over food deserts” as a Faustian bargain which fatally compromises her message.

cat_plus_plus 3y ago

I agree with Scholastic. As much as I am glad that Russians such as myself are not treated any differently in US today, racism was not the most direct cause of Japanese internment, Japan attacking US was. German and Italian Americans were also affected by EO 9066. It's fair to say that racism was one factor that contributed to meager public pushback and disproportionate practical impact on Japanese Americans. Claims that immigration enforcement, police shootings, voter ID laws or food deserts are the same as Japanese internment are unsubstantiated fabrications. Food deserts are part supply and demand due to unhealthy local tastes, part impracticality of running full supermarkets in high crime neighborhoods, part residents lacking time and money for cooking and part agricultural subsidies distorting prices. These issues are worth talking about, but it's not like anyone set out to make people obese based on race. All in all, I want my children to be taught based on facts and sound analysis, not words of people carrying a hammer and determined to see everything as a nail. If adults want to read other kinds of books or buy it for their own children, sure.

wahnfrieden 3y ago
Your post to be clear is unsubstantiated and expresses a rw talking point (several)
- cat_plus_plus 3y ago
  I am not proposing my post for school curriculum and if you want a more substantial discussion, the ball is in your court. Why should I search for references when you are just ranting?
  - wahnfrieden 3y ago
    No thanks bud

StrangeATractor 3y ago

I'm still mad about Scholastic censoring His Dark Materials, one of my favorite books as a kid. If you read the censored passage it wasn't in any way offensive or inappropriate. You used to be able to get an uncensored edition from Book Depository, but Amazon is shuttering it just a few years after buying it.

cat_plus_plus 3y ago
Would you be Ok with "Left Behind" series being taught in school, or is it best to keep pros and cons of religion as something individual parents can bring up at home by getting their kids whatever books they choose?