The Columns
This week's column is about the outcry against Newbery Medal Award winning book, "The Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron. Parents and some librarians have succeeded in banning the book in many schools across several states. Why? Because the author uses the word 'scrotum' in the book.
The word isn't used in a sexual way. In fact, the 10 year old protagonist overhears the word while eavesdropping on an AA meeting. A man is describing his rock bottom moment that consisted of being drunk while his dog was being bitten on the scrotum by a rattlesnake. He passes out and his wife takes the dog to the vet, saving it. While 10 year old Lucky is intrigued by the funny word "scrotum", she's more interested in the search for a higher power the man describes. And throughout the book, Lucky employs the 12 steps searching for her own higher power to get control in her life.
What is this overreaction about? Is it more revenge of Janet Jackson's boob? What is it?
The book is aimed at the 9-12 year old segment of young readers. Scrotum is no more offensive word than nose, ankle, or earlobe. It's just a descriptive term for a body part. I keep wondering if the offending parents would've rather the author wrote "nutsack", "jewels", "ballsack", "ballbag", or just "balls"?
So many parents have babyish names for body parts. In my family, a penis was refer to as a weewee, peepee or a ding dong. It's a penis. Why not just call it by it's name and get comfortable using that term?
Shouldn't we be able to say words like nipple, penis, scrotum, vagina and the like? Shouldn't kids know that these are appropriate terms to use and aren't dirty?
The way we do that is to use them comfortably without snickering or speaking in hushed tones or God forbid, banning a Newbery Award winning book because the word scrotum is in it.
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The other column is about voting by mail, which is something California should adopt. We're halfway there. I think it's the logical step. We need to become more like Oregon in that regard. In many regards actually. Oregon has paved the way in a few areas.
I've been a permanent absentee voter for several years now. I like the convenience and the time I can spend voting. I don't have to rush anywhere or wait in line to vote. Everyone should have that same convenience.
It will save us money and should result in more honest elections. I don't hear Oregonians claiming that their votes aren't counted or that they're disenfrancished. Plus, a vote by mail means that every ballot will have a paper trail, unlike electronic voting.
Make it happen.
The word isn't used in a sexual way. In fact, the 10 year old protagonist overhears the word while eavesdropping on an AA meeting. A man is describing his rock bottom moment that consisted of being drunk while his dog was being bitten on the scrotum by a rattlesnake. He passes out and his wife takes the dog to the vet, saving it. While 10 year old Lucky is intrigued by the funny word "scrotum", she's more interested in the search for a higher power the man describes. And throughout the book, Lucky employs the 12 steps searching for her own higher power to get control in her life.
What is this overreaction about? Is it more revenge of Janet Jackson's boob? What is it?
The book is aimed at the 9-12 year old segment of young readers. Scrotum is no more offensive word than nose, ankle, or earlobe. It's just a descriptive term for a body part. I keep wondering if the offending parents would've rather the author wrote "nutsack", "jewels", "ballsack", "ballbag", or just "balls"?
So many parents have babyish names for body parts. In my family, a penis was refer to as a weewee, peepee or a ding dong. It's a penis. Why not just call it by it's name and get comfortable using that term?
Shouldn't we be able to say words like nipple, penis, scrotum, vagina and the like? Shouldn't kids know that these are appropriate terms to use and aren't dirty?
The way we do that is to use them comfortably without snickering or speaking in hushed tones or God forbid, banning a Newbery Award winning book because the word scrotum is in it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
The other column is about voting by mail, which is something California should adopt. We're halfway there. I think it's the logical step. We need to become more like Oregon in that regard. In many regards actually. Oregon has paved the way in a few areas.
I've been a permanent absentee voter for several years now. I like the convenience and the time I can spend voting. I don't have to rush anywhere or wait in line to vote. Everyone should have that same convenience.
It will save us money and should result in more honest elections. I don't hear Oregonians claiming that their votes aren't counted or that they're disenfrancished. Plus, a vote by mail means that every ballot will have a paper trail, unlike electronic voting.
Make it happen.
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