the word american removed from ps textbooks

Discussion in 'Homeschooling in the News' started by mamaof3peas, Aug 11, 2009.

  1. mamaof3peas

    mamaof3peas New Member

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  3. mamaof3peas

    mamaof3peas New Member

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  4. rhi

    rhi New Member

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    It's all completely ludicrous. I think our country has gone to far with being politically correct and making sure nobody gets their feelings hurt. I don't think if some of these people were in the real world understand that sometimes life isn't always fair and sometimes being politically correct isn't always what's right for everyone.
     
  5. dawninns

    dawninns New Member

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    I can't view the link (I'm on dial up.) Do you have any source with a text article?
     
  6. shelby

    shelby New Member

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    what a bunch of bull!! what has the country come to!
     
  7. Bry's-Gal

    Bry's-Gal New Member

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    How ridiculous!
     
  8. mamaof3peas

    mamaof3peas New Member

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    dawn, hold on and i will try to find text
     
  9. Marcia

    Marcia New Member

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    What is this world coming to? I can't believe this!
     
  10. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    Great topic! I watched the link. I usually like the Fox reporting, but I think they are wrong here.

    First of all the term "American" has been claimed by citizens of the USA, but to use the word accurately it should describe all citizens of the American continents. It would be like Floridians claiming they are the only Southerners when that term really does describe a much larger area.

    I am a US citizen and I stopped using the word American to describe myself years ago when my Canadian husband pointed out that America is not limited to the United States.

    Also, many of those terms (not all) in the link are using people first language which is a nicer way to describe someone. For instance "person with autism" is nicer than "autistic person." "Autistic person" shows you are defining someone by their disability. "Poor person" defines a person by their poverty. It is much nicer to say "person living in poverty". Now, there is nothing wrong with the word "poor," but it sounds like textbooks are being rewritten in people-first language which is a good thing to me.

    Some more contrasts of people first language

    deviant child- child who acts deviant
    rich person - person who is rich
    disabled adult - adult who is disabled
    stutterer - a person who stutters

    I certainly have no problem with my child learning how to describe people in a nicer way.
     
  11. mamaof3peas

    mamaof3peas New Member

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    sorry, im an american, and i cant believe that it is now being taken out of textbooks, i dont care who else calls them selves american. if the s americans want to call them selves americans, that is fine. but to look at your example, a floridian, can call themselves a southerner. i dont like propoganda.
     
  12. cnjwilliamson

    cnjwilliamson New Member

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    I agree. This was just very very poor reporting. I think it may have been an act of political pot stirring mixed with a hint of promoting the book: The Language Police by Diane Ravitch. It was very twisted.

    You can view the entire list, which btw is a list of words UP FOR REVIEW to be replaced and not actually all word to be banned at freewebs.com/bannedwords/

    Not all of them are ridiculous. And if you look at the list WITHOUT the twisted words of the media telling you WHY these words are being REPLACED you can form a better opinion, an opinion of your own, about this issue.

    American does apply to both the North and South Continents and is not geographically or culturally specific and can be offensive. Some Japanese and Chinese people will become offended when called Asian because that puts them in a group as a whole which they are not. To be called a person of the United States should be looked at as a good thing.

    People are looking at this American thing all wrong and should realize that by being called American we are grouping our selves as a whole with all of North and South America. We aren't seeing it this way because we hi jacked the title from both continents so many years ago we thing it should only apply to us. Which is a bit arrogant and another part of the reason it should be changed.
     
  13. Embassy

    Embassy New Member

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    Yes, you are an American. Floridians are southerners. But the word American has come to mean only citizens of the USA. If the word southerners only meant residents of Florida, people in Georgia or South Carolina may protest that it was not a correct usage of the word. The change in terminology in a textbook just shows a more correct way to describe a US citizen. It isn't propaganda. I'm not sure why it is perceived that way. I think the claiming the name America all came about because of the name America is part of the name of our country. Remember though that the name of our country is not America, but the United States of America. America is much larger than the United States.
     
  14. cnjwilliamson

    cnjwilliamson New Member

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    no one is stopping you from calling yourself an American. If you are proud to be American feel free to shout it from the roof tops. There is nothing wrong with that but to call someone else an American may be offensive to them. That is the issue. It isn't that you can't call yourself an American or even to have others recognize you as an American it is that you should have the same respect for those who DON'T want to be called an American. You want to be recognized American and find it offensive not to be but there are people on the other side of the spectrum who deserve the same respect.

    This is not an issue just here in the U S. Many people from many continents don't like to be grouped in with one another just because they come from the same area. They want to be recognized as a person from the country, state or even town they originate from and not be grouped in with the continent as a whole. And there are some who don't take offense to being called European, African, or Asian. It is a matter of respect.

    Everyone, you included, deserves to be respected when it comes to their origin.
     
  15. Cornish Steve

    Cornish Steve Active Member

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    The only practical problem here is that it's going to take a lot longer to get our words out. For example, when identifying yourself in a group, instead of saying "I'm the short Rhode Islander", it would have to be "I'm the vertically challenged male member of the human species from the Commonwealth of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation" - at which point, the other person has fallen asleep!

    In general, though, I agree we can do a lot of good by choosing our terms carefully. A person who is physically challenged is not, as we used to call that person in Britain, a handicapped person. Indeed, focusing on the person and not their affliction can make a big difference. The BBC used to have a radio show aimed at this audience called "Does he take sugar?" - the point being that we too often assume that those with physical challenges can't answer for themselves.

    Where it can go over the top is with generally accepted terms. In business, for example, it's a bit of a pain to keep referring to person-hours or staff-hours instead of man-hours. Everyone knows what man-hours means, and I don't believe it causes any kind of problem to use it.
     
  16. cnjwilliamson

    cnjwilliamson New Member

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    lol I love it! I think I will start following these guidelines if for nothing more than a good laugh.
     
  17. mamaof3peas

    mamaof3peas New Member

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    this is so weird i need to laugh or i might cry!
     
  18. Cornish Steve

    Cornish Steve Active Member

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    When they were younger, my children used to go outside to play "Younger humans of the male gender associated with bovine cattle of the female gender (in a purely platonic arrangement) and native citizens of the United States." :)
     
  19. cnjwilliamson

    cnjwilliamson New Member

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    I love the "purely platonic arrangement" part.
     
  20. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    So next 4th of July we will all stand up and sing.....

    "I'm proud to be a person-of-the-United-States
    Where at least I know I'm free....."
     
  21. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Then if they have a problem with being called an American, perhaps it's time they get out of this country. No offense, but that's a bunch of crap! I don't mind if they qualify it by saying an Afro-American, Italain-American, Japanese-American, (fill in the blank)-American. Sure, they SHOULD be proud of their ethnic background. Nothing wrong with that. But if they have chosen to live in THIS country as a citizen, then they need to also take the name American. And that's true for those who have immigrated here, AND those who have been here since the 1600's. You don't like it, then leave!
     

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