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| Fifth Column |
| Cali goes even more P.C., if that’s possible |
| 2003-04-30 |
| LOS ANGELES — A textbook review process in California has changed or eliminated references to everything from the Founding Fathers (search) to hot dogs, leaving many to charge the state with distorting history in the name of political correctness. The textbook review process, which is routinely done in many states, is meant to eliminate or replace outdated words or phrases. But what’s happening in California has a lot of people wondering – quite literally – "Where’s the beef?" That’s because many California textbooks will no longer feature pictures of hot dogs, sodas, cakes, butter and other kinds of food that are not considered nutritious. Nor will the books contain any phrases judged to be sexist or politically insensitive. The Founding Fathers, for instance, are now referred to as "The Framers," in an apparent effort to make them sound less male-dominant. And there will be no more reading about Mount Rushmore (search), where the faces of four U.S. presidents are carved into stone, because it appears to offend some Native-American groups. Snowman? No more. Melt that image and replace with Snowperson. Want to sail away on a yacht? No, again. It’s too elitist. And if you think grandpa is a senior citizen, guess what? You’re wrong. That’s demeaning, according to the new standards. He is now simply an "older person." The laundry list of words and images banned or considered offensive is not a short one. The word "jungle" has been replaced with "rain forest." The word "devil" has disappeared entirely, with no replacement. Many of the changes seem to represent a direct assault on historical accuracy. For example, the new guidelines dictate Native-Americans should not be depicted with long braids, in rural settings or on reservations. There are no suggestions on how they should be depicted, however. The problem there, say historians, is that some Native-Americans did wear their hair in braids, and generally lived in rural settings before being relocated to reservations. "Welcome to California-Land of fruits and nuts" They appear to take offense when someone taints their religion with fact. |
| Posted by:Mike N. |
| #12 Old Patriot: That's a damned good idea. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2003-04-30 19:21:17 |
| #11 I sent the current administration a suggestion that would undoubtedly make George Bush the undisputed "Education President" of all times. So far, I haven't heard anything about it. I proposed that the US Department of Education design and implement a website, freely open to anyone, containing K-12 educational material - lessons, including reading material and supplemental links, self-tests, etc. Cost would be less than that to run the current Ed dept for a few days. That makes too much sense. It would also make it difficult for the NEA to control what kids learn. Our kids are being cheated every day the attend a public school. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-30 17:24:38 |
| #10 AP, that's a form of secession I can approve of! To bad it's gonna take ten to twenty million years |
| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-04-30 16:59:56 |
| #9 Hey, Guys, be easy on my plane. I used to work for USGS c1970 in earthquake research on the San Andreas and branch faults. I had a survey going across the fault trace in San Juan Batista to determine local fault slip. Some places to the south were humming along at 25-30 mm/yr. This guy comes up to me and we start talking. He says that he was abducted by aliens, The west side of california will fall into the sea, etc. etc. He then asked what I was doing, and I said that the USGS was setting up control points for future surveys for beach front property. They guy got quite excited and said, "Now, finally, someone in the government believes me." And then he walked away. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending upon your point of view, the west side of California will just slowly head north at a regional rate of 30 mm per year, and will go into the pacific ocean around Pt. Reyes. And that is the end of my story. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-30 15:03:01 |
| #8 I keep hoping for that earthquake that's going to make CA. float out into the Pacific. I wonder what would happen if AP crashed his plane into the San Adreas (sp?) fault? Unmanned of course. No reason for AP to martyr himself over this. He can parachute to safety. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2003-04-30 14:38:59 |
| #7 I could really care less as long as they update the history books beyond the Korean war. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-04-30 14:10:09 |
| #6 Feel a tug of disbelief? Keep in mind this is a state that recently passed the "Klinger" law, and will probably pass a law in the near future which will allow employees to sue employers if, say, the employee gets punched by a customer for being a jerk. It's like being able to sue a car manafacturer when I get sideswiped by a non-insured driver. I used to worry about not being to buy a house in this state. These days, I can't see a downside. ccw |
| Posted by: FormerLiberal 2003-04-30 14:09:53 |
| #5 Alaska Paul, are you still offering the services of your plane? I got a target for ya. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-04-30 13:59:01 |
| #4 People, this is what happens when the Demoncrats hold all the cards politically as they do here in the once Golden State. We are running a defecit to the tune of 30 Billion (that's with B). That number increases by hundreds of millions every day...and the Demoncrats still have not passed a budget...let alone one that attempts to balance the books. Instead, they are more concerned about making sure that kids can't read The Little Engine That Could...why? Because the character is male. I'm crapping you negative, the book was just removed from the approved reading list for that very reason. This state has for all intents and purposes seceded from the union on political level. We are in fact a Marxist state. God help us. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-04-30 13:55:51 |
| #3 The CA Dept. of Ed. is a hotbed of PC morons, all protected by the teachers unions. Get a Sac pol to buck the teachers? Never happen, pal... |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-04-30 13:52:02 |
| #2 While those seemingly in political power amuse themselves with PC, the legislature amuses itself with cross-dressing discrimination laws. Meanwhile, after months of bickering and doing nothing, the State Debt is still there at $34 Billion and growing and has not been tackled. People in California are going to have to tackle the Governor and the Legislature, kick some ass, and get their problem solved soon, or there won't be money to even |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-30 13:45:29 |
| #1 Can they show our Native American cousins oh...I dunno....dealing Blackjack maybe? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-30 13:35:17 |