Tolerance column puts teacher's job at risk

[LostInTime]

link

The column in the student newspaper seemed innocent enough, advocating tolerance for people "different than you."

But since sophomore Megan Chase's words appeared Jan. 19 in The Tomahawk, the newspaper at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School, her newspaper adviser has been suspended and is fighting for her job, and charges of censorship and First Amendment violations are clouding this conservative northeastern Indiana community.

[cindianna_jones]

We are still a society of religious bigoted zealots.

[Lisbeth]

We are still a society of religious bigoted zealots.

What do you mean "still?"  When have ever not been that way?

[cindianna_jones]

Yup Lis, we always have been.  Fer shure.

I do think that society is opening up for us however.  It's just going to take a couple or three more generations.

Cindi

[Hazumu]

Sorrell, 30, said she showed the principal four stories about teen pregnancy, including an opinion piece advocating teaching safe-sex practices over abstinence education, for the same Jan. 19 issue because she thought that "was going to cause the stir."

But she acknowledges she never mentioned Chase's column. "There isn't anything controversial about tolerance," she said.

So, four stories on teen pregnancy, with one of them 'condoning' teen-sex by saying teens should learn about condoms and other stuff are okay. But one advocating being accepting of [homosexuals] gets the student paper adviser canned because she didn't run it by her boss?

In the book "The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker, he presents the results of recent research that strongly indicate that people are born with more or less of a tendency to bigotry (among other traits), and then the local society either encourages or discourages the expression of that trait by those who are genetically predisposed.  Some societies do better than others at suppressing bigotry.  But those who more strongly feel disgust and revulsion for 'others' will seek out those who 'feel' as strongly as they do.

It seems you can't turn a hate-monger into an accepting diversity celebrator.  So maybe multiple methods of containment and desensitization are the answer.  But desensitization ain't gonna' happen if the official policy is 'just SHUT UP! about it!'

<pant, pant>

Karen

[Attis]

I don't support tolerance, I simply support the right to individual expression. And this teacher had the right to exercise it on her own accord. Granted it was in a student paper, but all papers are subject to utilization of the 1st Amendment, such that it ensures free speech and expression on public grounds, in this case a school and its student newspaper. Therefore, no firing should have ever been considered or issued. And so on. I swear these idiots in the government never taken a constitutional law class once. I guess it doesn't take intelligence to operate in the public trust that is the government, just a loud enough voice or "good friends" will do just as well. 

-- Brede