Vince,
The article states that the workshop took place at Tufts University and was not school-related, so I don't think your presenting it as validation for what goes on in our schools-- which I believe was your argument-- is correct. I know you want to be vindicated, but I don't think this does it.
Also the article leaves many questions unanswered. How old were the participants? (THere was mention of one being a middle-school teacher) Were permission slips required for underage students? What information was sent home regarding the subject matter to be covered to parents? What information was given to the state about the content of the workshop? (My supervisors were always given an outline of any training programs we did through Social Services) Were these three presenters mavericks or were they carrying out the prevailing philosophy of the Dept of Education re: gays. (It would seem NOT) All of these make, imo, a great deal of difference in assessing whether the workshop was out of line, and just how representative this is of --- anything..
What I feel personally about this subject matter of this or any other workshop, including the advisability of presenting it to young adults who are struggling with their own sexuality, will depend on what the participating parents knew beforehand, the age of the students involved and whether there was anything mandated about the workshop.
For you to embrace it so wholeheartedly with so little questioning only says how closed you are to looking at things objectively. And to refer to it as the "New Curriculum" is highly inaccurate. This was not taught in the schools.
Also regarding this sentence:
Maybe there is a hidden agenda by some of our peers , including some of our fellow posters here on SI, to stop teaching our kids religion and morals and replace that part of the curriculum with teaching our young boys how to suck bananas.
This is a perfect example of discussion-defeating, polarizing, and intentionally inflammatory writing. It's illogical and well- darn it-it's a stupid thing to say. I don't want my children taught to suck bananas, but I also don't want them taught your religion. NEITHER of these things belongs in the schools, imo. But when I read opinions like this, it closes me to anything valuable you might say.
Here's another example of the kind of emotional and biased writing that defeats intelligent exchanges-
I invite those who support this new curriculum to come out of the closet and defend your position. Maybe X could tell us if she would encourage her sons to give head.
I can;t respect anyone who lowers himself to this kind of writing. There is no "coming out of the closet" (with all the implied homosexual context you so obviously and nastily wanted to convey). How X, or I, raise our sons, including teaching them about sex, is none of your business. If I want my sons to attend a workshop on homosexual behavior, that is my parenting decision. if you want to raise yours to be religious, or to to hate those who are different from you, that is YOUR business. If we can't offer well-documented and well-reasoned responses to each other, without lowering ourselves to that kind of mudslinging, then we are no better than the extremists on both sides. |
