"Scrotum" in children's book signals end times...
Offline Single Word Causes Uproar in Children's Book
By Mike McQuillian It's rare to hear the word "scrotum," in polite conversation. Seeing it on the first page of a children's book has some parents and teachers up in arms.On the first page of The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, this year's recipient of the Newbery Medal, Lucky Trimble, a scrappy ten-year-old orphan, hears the word through a hole in the wall. This happens when another character s explaining that a rattlesnake bit his dog on the scrotum.
Some school librarians, after hearing about the word being in The Higher Power of Lucky," have vowed to ban the book from their libraries. This has reopened the debate over what is acceptable for children to read.
Many teachers and school librarians have used the internet to weigh in on this issue. It has been a hot topic on dozens of literary blogs and social networking sites. Authors, teachers and school librarians have been forced to take sides in this battle over a book for children. All over the country librarians are debating their role when selecting (or censoring, as some say) literature for children.
Dana Nilsson, a teacher and librarian in Durango Colorado, had this to say about The Higher Power of Lucky": "This book included what I call a Howard Stern-type shock treatment just to see how far they could push the envelope, but they didn't have the children in mind."
A handful of school libraries in the South, West, and Northeast have already taken the book off of their shelves. Many more have indicated that they may do the same.
This topic has dominated conversation among librarians for the past ten days, ever since The Higher Power of Lucky was shipped to schools from the publisher.
Pat Scales, who at one time chaired the Newbery Award committee would be blatant censorship. When asked about the controversy she said "The people who are reacting to that word are not reading the book as a whole. That's what censors do - they pick out words and don't look at the total merit of the book."
Something like this would go unnoticed in most novels, but winning the Newbery Medal brings a huge amount of attention to a children's book. Libraries and bookstores order more of these books than most novels, and they are read out loud to children in schools.
The debate over The Higher Power of Lucky will likely go on for quite some time. The line between protecting our children and censorship has long been an issue, and probably will be for years to come.
Source:
"Children's Book Stirs Battle With Single Word"( http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/books/18newb.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)
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Maybe there should be a book in which a brave knight "beats off" the dragon?
Reminds me of that joker comic in which he says boner a lot.
The pianist likes pansies, but I said, "Put tulips around my organ."
I'm just wondering. What word would they suggest for replacing 'scrotum' in the book and maintain the story?
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Sack, maybe?
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Maybe scrotums are something you need not know anything about until you are much older. Kind of like the way the churches feel about condoms, don't tell anyone let them all get diseases and unwanted pregnancies when they can't resist human urges.
That's what the scrotum is? I thought it was the other bit.
Off topic: I'm having a bit of trouble with my avatar. I'm trying to change it, but when it tells me it has up dated I still have the same picture, and yes, it fits what is allowed.
Yup, that's what it is, bro.
Try deleting the avatar you have right now, leave it deleted for a little bit, then try uploading the new one. Hope that helps.
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Good thing I never had to use scrotum in conversation.
K
Children don't have scrotum's or penises or vaginas. Let's never ever bring this topic up again. They don't need to know about those awful parts of their bodies.
In the kindergarten class I volunteer in, there is a drawing of a human child with the muscles and nerves in a cutaway style hanging up and that picture doesn't have any of those parts in it.
(I wonder how many of those kids noticed that. Wow, aren't we just disgusted at our bodies!)
I think its kinda funny they freak out about the book using the right word. Most people would say something like, "Aw shit my dog is getting bit on the balls!!!"
Also I noticed in a few reviews people would say things like, "Stories connecting to a Higher Power can be uplifting, but THIS retched book deviates from anything remotely uplifting that I can imagine." I find it interesting that people don't pick up on the fact the author may be saying something about the idea of a god just because of a word they find dirty. What she is saying I don't know but a few of these reviews talk about Lucky's "interested in biology and Charles Darwin" and how the town doesn't have a church.
To me this whole thing sounds like people are just screaming, "I WANT TO SHELTER MY KIDS SO YOU HAVE TO AS WELL!"