This story is fake news: the book was swapped out from the 8th grade curriculum, not "banned." The board voted to find a better book for the Holocaust and said they'd even use Maus again if they don't find a good replacement.
Judd Legum is the Jussie Smollett of journalism.
Judd Legum is the Jussie Smollett of journalism.
The Left is always using the ratchet method of argumentation, which ends up as: "If this thing we like isn't mandatory and subsidized by the taxpayer, that's censorship/banning/fascism." It's bunk. Don't fall for it.
I personally wouldn't have a problem with my child reading Maus in 8th grade, but I respect that other communities have different preferences. The journalistic culture of the NYT shouldn't colonize the curriculum of a small school in Tennessee. Pluralism means difference.
Richard makes the other essential point. The media hysterics about minute (and entirely normal) curriculum decisions in small school districts obscures the actual power dynamics at play.
https://twitter.com/RichardHanania/status/1486547074900365315?t=YOE0_f3I-F__BXlIOzYOJw&s=19
A liberal Seattle-area school district recently swapped "To Kill A Mockingbird" out of its curriculum. I think it's a good book and would have no problem with my kids reading it, but it's entirely legitimate for them to choose a book they think is better!
foxnews.com/us/washington-…
foxnews.com/us/washington-…
It's good to have a robust debate about what's in school curricula, but it's not "book banning" to choose one text over another. Curriculum space is finite. School boards should absolutely keep developing and refining their curricula to meet the preferences of their communities.
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