Teach the controversy

[SomeRandom]

Somewhat inspired by the recent banning of Maus, I’m wondering what people’s opinions are on teaching very controversial subjects to children are. What methods are the best. And do you think shying away from such controversies can have unintended affects.
Controversy in this context is any topic that is considered too horrifying or something which a parent might object to teaching, for whatever reason.
Have at it and please be respectful

 

[Twilight Hue]

Let children be children. Controversial stuff later.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

Let children be children. Controversial stuff later.

Can all children be children if abusive people are allowed to reproduce?

 

[Father Heathen]

Let children be children. Controversial stuff later.

But what makes something "controversial"? Not everyone agrees, and sheltering children from some realities can have bad consequences.

 

[fantome profane]

Somewhat inspired by the recent banning of Maus, I’m wondering what people’s opinions are on teaching very controversial subjects to children are. What methods are the best. And do you think shying away from such controversies can have unintended affects.
Controversy in this context is any topic that is considered too horrifying or something which a parent might object to teaching, for whatever reason.
Have at it and please be respectful

This is why I think the decision to remove this book was so wrong. I think Maus was a perfect way to preset this material to children, The cats and mice do offer a little bit of a buffer, but it is still disturbing, as it should be.

 

[fantome profane]

Can all children be children if abusive people are allowed to reproduce?

That is how you end up with these guys.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...ts-held-over-the-weekend-condemned-in-florida

 

[SomeRandom]

Let children be children. Controversial stuff later.

I don’t know if that’s entirely possible. Even before the internet kids’ curiosity often lead them to some interesting subjects.
Is it not better to have a guiding force teaching them instead of learning incorrect info on the playground?
And let me tell you, some of that playground info was wild in my day

 

[Stevicus]

Somewhat inspired by the recent banning of Maus, I’m wondering what people’s opinions are on teaching very controversial subjects to children are. What methods are the best. And do you think shying away from such controversies can have unintended affects.
Controversy in this context is any topic that is considered too horrifying or something which a parent might object to teaching, for whatever reason.
Have at it and please be respectful

I grew up in a family where there were political arguments at every gathering. It was a constant thing, and with various political issues going on at the time, it was something that might be asked about or discussed in school.

I do recall in sixth grade when we had to read a story, and the teacher pointed out that we would find words like "hell" and "damn" in there, and expected us to be mature about it.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

Somewhat inspired by the recent banning of Maus, I’m wondering what people’s opinions are on teaching very controversial subjects to children are. What methods are the best. And do you think shying away from such controversies can have unintended affects.
Controversy in this context is any topic that is considered too horrifying or something which a parent might object to teaching, for whatever reason.
Have at it and please be respectful

I have probably read a few hundred books since graduating high school in 2004, but you know I really can't find better books than were in the school curriculum from about 6th or 7th grade until graduation. They started us off in the beginning, with 'where the red fern grows,' and short stories by Jack London. Then 1984, lord of the flies, the grapes of wrath (I think?), and to kill a mockingbird. Then Night, and All quiet on the Western Front. Animal Farm

Probably a few I forgot the titles of as well, I'll try to remember them. But every single one of those books, every single one, dealt with unimaginable horror. You could chew on the content of those books with your brain, for the rest of your life.

And the reason I think you could do that, is because none of the books actually offers a solid conclusion, on how to solve the problems they present. But despite that, they paint the problem out for you in intricate detail, in each of those books.

And besides that, there are the talks they give driver's ed, which I guess seem pretty necessary. They played footage of people dying in accidents, and talked quite explicitly about pain and death. What can you do about that? I was thinking about that just the other day, about how that class was traumatic, but I guess necessary. Not driving is hardly an option around here, though I try to avoid it.

I was thinking about freeway onramps that are too short with no merge lane.. How many people have died there, in a bloody, fiery mess? I remember I was just a couple years out of high school, and my old friend said his coworker (she was about our age) didn't show up one day, because they were jackknifed by a semi. Yet, if the infrastructure is messed up, I guess the individual is to blame, right.

But the one thing, curiously, that didn't teach my millennial generation about, was about what the cold war really meant, and what the existence of the possibility of nuclear war might mean, existentially. I still don't know what to make of that omission

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

I don’t know if that’s entirely possible. Even before the internet kids’ curiosity often lead them to some interesting subjects.
Is it not better to have a guiding force teaching them instead of learning incorrect info on the playground?
And let me tell you, some of that playground info was wild in my day

That's correct. It's typically human nature to read a book or watch a t.v. show that we're told we shouldn't see. Our curiosity takes over, and we can become defiant. It's the same with young children and teenagers. As a mother of seven children myself, I think it's always best to be honest with your children (young or teenagers), and explain in such a way that your child will understand you (age appropriate). My kids have told me that they appreciate me and their dad being honest with them. They know they can trust us. So, I know from years of personal experience that honesty and transparency builds trust between parents and their children.

 

[Father Heathen]

Let children be children. Controversial stuff later.

Btw, I thought you opposed nanny state policies?

 

[Father Heathen]

Learning is part of being a child. Not being aware of nor understanding the evils of tyranny, racism, genocide, etc. is far more harmful to a child than cartoon mouse nudity or whatever it is these dopey backwater bumpkins find offensive.

 

[SomeRandom]

I grew up in a family where there were political arguments at every gathering. It was a constant thing, and with various political issues going on at the time, it was something that might be asked about or discussed in school.

Reminds me of visiting my cousins on the weekend every so often (they’re all trained teachers. Just trained for different age groups.)
When I was younger they would be rather sneaky about our conversations. Enquiring about the gossip of my friends and I. Only to subtly hint at thinking of the other side’s perspective. When I reached high school age that subtlety flew out the window and playing Devil’s Advocate was the norm regardless of topic. Or how drunk I was lol
In hindsight I think that really helped with developing my critical thinking skills. Even if I don’t always put that into practice

I do recall in sixth grade when we had to read a story, and the teacher pointed out that we would find words like "hell" and "damn" in there, and expected us to be mature about it.

In all honesty, by that age most of us associated such immaturity exclusively with American culture (mostly due to pop culture.)
Maybe because Aussies tend to be a little more “colourful” in their language by default lol

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Teach controversies, but do so in the context of critical thinking. This is extremely important. Kids need to learn how to analyze problems and develop their own ideas.

Kids often bring up controversies themselves, and when it comes to politics, often from their parents' perspective. Eventually, they will need form their own perspectives, so we need to be teaching them how to do this rationally.

 

[exchemist]

Somewhat inspired by the recent banning of Maus, I’m wondering what people’s opinions are on teaching very controversial subjects to children are. What methods are the best. And do you think shying away from such controversies can have unintended affects.
Controversy in this context is any topic that is considered too horrifying or something which a parent might object to teaching, for whatever reason.
Have at it and please be respectful

So far as I know, the subject matter of Maus is not in the least controversial.

The controversy, surely, is over whether the author's way of depicting it is suitable for children of a particular age. You could easily have the same controversy over how films are classified for viewing by those under 18.

It's not really a very interesting or profound controversy, in my view.

 

[SomeRandom]

So far as I know, the subject matter of Maus is not in the least controversial.

The controversy, surely, is over whether the author's way of depicting it is suitable for children of a particular age. You could easily have the same controversy over how films are classified for viewing by those under 18.

It's not really a very interesting or profound controversy, in my view.

One would hope. But you’d be surprised

 

[RestlessSoul]

I grew up in a family where there were political arguments at every gathering. It was a constant thing, and with various political issues going on at the time, it was something that might be asked about or discussed in school.

I do recall in sixth grade when we had to read a story, and the teacher pointed out that we would find words like "hell" and "damn" in there, and expected us to be mature about it.

Seems so odd to me that hell and damn are considered swear words in the US.

 

[Father Heathen]

Seems so odd to me that hell and damn are considered swear words in the US.

Of course they are. Their mere utterance causes irreparable psychologic trauma to vulnerable minds. Any kid who reads your tainted post will now undoubtedly join a street gang, become addicted to drugs, or dabble in the occult.

 

[exchemist]

Seems so odd to me that hell and damn are considered swear words in the US.

Well "Godverdomme" is a strong swear word in Dutch.

In France "foutu" is used blithely, even by little old ladies, and to call someone a "con" or "conne" is not particularly strong, whereas "sacre Dieu" is too strong and is bowdlerised into "sacre bleu". It seems the order of precedence of swear words varies a lot from one country to another.

 

[Stevicus]

Seems so odd to me that hell and damn are considered swear words in the US.

Perhaps not so much anymore. Standards have loosened quite a bit since then.