Merriam-Webster dictionary banned in California

I was about to begin this post with the words "Every once in a while, politicians and school boards come up with some truly bizarre edicts." Then, I would have gone on to report one really whacked out policy...

But in truth, it's not just ‘once in a while’. In this age of space exploration, cultural pluralism and enlightenment, common sense and fair play have gone out the window like a bat out of — well, you get the idea!

Dispensing with the usual introduction, gaze at an incredulous article:

Dictionaries Banned From Schools – “Not Age Appropriate”

The original story is shorter than this Wild Duck retort. But in case the link no longer works, here's a thumbnail edition: Based of the complaint of one parent, a Southern California school board pulled Merriam-Webster's 10th Edition from fourth and fifth grade classrooms because “it is not age appropriate”. The parent was upset that the dictionary did not censor itself. It defined a sexual term.

[caption id="attachment_617" align="alignleft" width="317" caption="Oh my gawd! An uncensored dictionary!"][/caption]

Note to whacked out parent: It's a dictionary, not a Bible! (speaking of Bibles, a dictionary is certainly less obsessed with sex.)

It is a religious zealot or a narrow-minded fanatic who values ignorance and "innocence" over a comprehensive scholastic dictionary. Dictionaries are a repository of language and culture. Not just your language, but the words and phrases that are a product of the world around you. Dictionaries obviously define terms for many activities and things that you might not wish to visit upon your children. Good Gawd, lady! That's no excuse to keep them under a rock.

Why not ban the definition of "murder", "diarrhea" and "warts". We certainly don't want our kids to be visited by these plagues. Yet, few parents would attempt to shelter them from these definitions.

[caption id="attachment_629" align="alignright" width="265" caption="Don't want your child to experience this? Simply ban it from the dictionary!"][/caption]

Who taught you that information is poisonous? For how long do you want your 5th grader to be ignorant of sex or even its basic terminology? From whom should he or she learn – If not from a dictionary, a school and from family?

Actually, I am more concerned with the response of the school board than with one ignorant parent. To be fair, the board is complaining, but not about the parent! Believe it or not, they are upset at the difficult task ahead. They plan to read the entire dictionary to see if other terms might offend another whacked out parent! Quoting the immortal Homer Simpson, “D’OH!”

Some people fear learning. They believe in the ostrich axiom “ignorance is bliss”. But school boards stand for education – that is, if brains aren't checked at the door. Why would a school board kowtow to ignorance or fanaticism? Perhaps, the fanatic has a louder voice than the silent majority. Hopefully, parents who want educated offspring are still in the majority.