God Damn !! - Maus banned in Tennnessee for curse words like "God damn!!"

[braalian]

I've stated that it isn't about the so called nudity in the book, why must you continue to try and inject that into the argument....?

That’s why the book was removed

 

[braalian]

In general I agree with your stance about book banning.....But, in this case there are other resources they could replace this book with....Why is it so important to have THIS particular book? Could it not be removed as part of the curriculum, but retained in the library?

Why remove it in the first place. It’s their right to do so, technically. But what offends you about it? Can you really say the fact that the Jews were mice offends you? Honestly?

it was all figurative

nazis = cats
Jews= mice
Americans = dogs

cats hunt mice. Dogs chase cats. Get it?

 

[j-mac]

That’s why the book was removed

Not for that reason alone....And you know it...

 

[braalian]

Not for that reason alone....And you know it...

You’re right, I forgot the salty language. Middle schoolers shouldn’t be exposed to words like “damn”

 

[Tommy Tainant]

If you restrict the books available to the kids you arent going to challenge them. Some kids will be ok but some kids will want more adult or interesting themes. Decisions like this will hold those kids back and basically encourage mediocrity.
When I was that age I cant remember what we were being taught in class, but in the playgrund we were passing round well thumbed copies of the "skinhead" books which were ace.
I suspect that the parents involved are not well read and are nervous about their kids getting ahead of them.
If a cartoon book is beyond these kids then they have bigger problems than naked rodents.

 

[j-mac]

Why remove it in the first place. It’s their right to do so, technically. But what offends you about it? Can you really say the fact that the Jews were mice offends you? Honestly?

it was all figurative

nazis = cats
Jews= mice
Americans = dogs

cats hunt mice. Dogs chase cats. Get it?

Don't do that....Of course I am smart enough to get the use of animals as replacements for nation states...I am also smart enough to see the bigotry involved in assigning which animals to which nationalities as well...As well as the underlying subliminal suggestion as portraying Jews as vermin....Hezbollah does the same thing....

Just say it, you hate Jews, and want the youth of this nation to hate Jews as well...Own your bigotry....You see no problem as portraying Jews as vermin, but my guess is that you would loose your mind if there were a graphic novel depicting blacks as sloths....

 

[j-mac]

You’re right, I forgot the salty language. Middle schoolers shouldn’t be exposed to words like “damn”

Oh come on....Seems like you're just going to try and troll now...So, I'll leave it at that unless you'd like to continue rationally...

 

[braalian]

Don't do that....Of course I am smart enough to get the use of animals as replacements for nation states...I am also smart enough to see the bigotry involved in assigning which animals to which nationalities as well...As well as the underlying subliminal suggestion as portraying Jews as vermin....Hezbollah does the same thing....

Just say it, you hate Jews, and want the youth of this nation to hate Jews as well...Own your bigotry....You see no problem as portraying Jews as vermin, but my guess is that you would loose your mind if there were a graphic novel depicting blacks as sloths....

All I can say is, if you think Spiegelman was using the Jews-as-mice allegory to promote some anti-Semitic subliminal message then you have zero understanding of the book.

It’s widely regarded as one of the best and most original books about the holocaust ever written. Including by many Jewish organizations.

but I guess you, who’ve never even read it, know better

 

[j-mac]

If you restrict the books available to the kids you arent going to challenge them. Some kids will be ok but some kids will want more adult or interesting themes. Decisions like this will hold those kids back and basically encourage mediocrity.
When I was that age I cant remember what we were being taught in class, but in the playgrund we were passing round well thumbed copies of the "skinhead" books which were ace.
I suspect that the parents involved are not well read and are nervous about their kids getting ahead of them.
If a cartoon book is beyond these kids then they have bigger problems than naked rodents.

All I can say is, if you think Spiegelman was using the Jews-as-mice allegory to promote some anti-Semitic subliminal message then you have zero understanding of the book.

It’s widely regarded as one of the best and most original books about the holocaust ever written. Including by many Jewish organizations.

but I guess you, who’ve never even read it, know better

Have you read it?

“widely regarded” eh? By like minded…not impressive.

Would it surprise you to learn that many Jewish organizations work sometimes against their own interestest?

 

[braalian]

Have you read it?

“widely regarded” eh? By like minded…not impressive.

Would it surprise you to learn that many Jewish organizations work sometimes against their own interestest?

I’m curious what you have against this book that’s making you attack it.

I’m also curious why people here seem to assume the book is “liberal” or “left wing”.

What makes you all think that? I’ve read it many times. There’s no political slant one way or the other in it.

 

[j-mac]

If you restrict the books available to the kids you arent going to challenge them. Some kids will be ok but some kids will want more adult or interesting themes. Decisions like this will hold those kids back and basically encourage mediocrity.
When I was that age I cant remember what we were being taught in class, but in the playgrund we were passing round well thumbed copies of the "skinhead" books which were ace.
I suspect that the parents involved are not well read and are nervous about their kids getting ahead of them.
If a cartoon book is beyond these kids then they have bigger problems than naked rodents.

Were those "skinhead" books part of your lesson plan?

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

Tennessee school board bans Pulitzer prize-winning Holocaust novel, Maus

Author Art Spiegelman says decision by McMinn county, which cited inappropriate ‘curse words’ and nudity, is ‘demented’

www.theguardian.com

8 curse words and a drawing of a NAKED female mouse.

Its not the end of the world but it is a signpost on the way. One of the board commented that there was a lot of unpleasant stuff in the Pulitzer Prize winning book. There must be a way to depict the Holocaust without subjecting the kids to unpleasentness.

Its easy to mock these people but I am sure they are genuinely doing what they think is best for the kids. But really.....................

Huck Finn and Of Mice and Men have been banned by Leftists. Are you pissed off?

 

[j-mac]

I’m curious what you have against this book that’s making you attack it.

I’m also curious why people here seem to assume the book is “liberal” or “left wing”.

What makes you all think that? I’ve read it many times. There’s no political slant one way or the other in it.

Why are you against using some other resource other than that particular book in curriculum of these students? If this one school board deems it inappropriate, does that threaten others?

My opinion on the book, and why I believe it to be destructive to the underlying perceptions of the Jewish people by depicting them as vermin, bolstering other anti semitic teachings in our classrooms today. It's all connected brother...

 

[braalian]

Huck Finn and Of Mice and Men have been banned by Leftists. Are you pissed off?

Maus isn’t a “leftist” book. Those books being banned has nothing to do with this book being banned. It’s all wrong.

 

[braalian]

Why are you against using some other resource other than that particular book in curriculum of these students? If this one school board deems it inappropriate, does that threaten others?

My opinion on the book, and why I believe it to be destructive to the underlying perceptions of the Jewish people by depicting them as vermin, bolstering other anti semitic teachings in our classrooms today. It's all connected brother...

Ok fine,I give up

Maus truly is a great book. It’s not left wing. It’s not pornographic. It’s not vulgar. It’s truly a shame, when kids are already so bad at reading, that a book that might appeal to them was removed.

I get how, on the surface, Jew being mice, Frenchmen being frogs Poles being pigs might seem racist. But it’s obvious when you read it, Spiegelman’s entire point in doing so was to point out how we stupidly separated each other into those sorts of caricatures.

 

[j-mac]

Ok fine,I give up

Maus truly is a great book. It’s not left wing. It’s not pornographic. It’s not vulgar. It’s truly a shame, when kids are already so bad at reading, that a book that might appeal to them was removed.

I get how, on the surface, Jew being mice, Frenchmen being frogs Poles being pigs might seem racist. But it’s obvious when you read it, Spiegelman’s entire point in doing so was to point out how we stupidly separated each other into those sorts of caricatures.

Ok, that's fine, and we disagree...Nothing wrong with that brother....

 

[braalian]

In fact, spiegelman used the cat/mouse theme to show how confusing and illogical it was for Nazi Germany to persecute so many Jews who had been patriotic German citizens who fought for their country in WWI. Even though we the readers saw different animals, the characters themselves couldn’t always tell the difference.

 

[Concerned American]

How on earth did you jump from a book about the holocaust to hardcore pornography and letting pedophiles cruise classrooms? That makes zero sense.

It makes about as much sense as saying kids can't learn about the holocaust unless it is from a profane comic book.

 

[Concerned American]

neither do you.

btw - if they were voted in ... then they can be voted out.

That is the first correct thing that you've said in this thread. Thank you for agreeing. You will also agree that you can't vote them out and the parents haven't. So STFU.

 

[braalian]

It makes about as much sense as saying kids can't learn about the holocaust unless it is from a profane comic book.

Can you honestly say anything you’ve seen of this book could be called “profane”?