Name of God!

[conuly]

Some people...

"Gay students aren't the only kids targeted -- this isn't about special rights for them," Howe said. "But the fact is that 'faggot' is probably the most common insult at schools."

Yup. Not even at actual gay people.

Incidentally, have you ever noticed that the people who shout "special rights" the loudest are inevitably the recipients of special rights?

"No Name-calling Week" takes aim at insults of all kinds -- whether based on a child's appearance, background or behavior. But a handful of conservative critics have zeroed in on the references to harassment based on sexual orientation.

Oh dear....

"I hope schools will realize it's less an exercise in tolerance than a platform for liberal groups to promote their pan-sexual agenda," said Robert Knight, director of Concerned Women for America's Culture and Family Institute.

Robert Knight, director of Concerned Women of ANYTHING, should really think carefully before speaking. And possibly change... her? name.

"Schools should be steering kids away from identifying as gay," Knight said. "You can teach civility to kids and tell them every child is valued without conveying the message that failure to accept homosexuality as normal is a sign of bigotry."

Why should schools be doing this?

Aside from the fact that it is NOT the school's place to "instill moral values" (and the fact that her? morals clearly aren't mine)... strangely, I don't think that saying "don't harass people, period" is the same as saying "if you think gay people aren't normal, you're a bigot". When it comes to that, I think that it *is* the same (unless you take a very literal view of the word normal, in which case I commend you), but that's beside the point.

In Colorado, lawmakers last year rejected a proposal to declare a statewide "No-Name Calling Week" in conjunction with the inaugural GLSEN-backed event. House Majority Leader Keith King said he was concerned about fostering a "victim's mentality" and argued that children should be taught to ignore taunts.

They should be taught to ignore taunts, but not taught not to harass others? WTF?

"There's no question middle school can be a difficult place -- I'm not advocating that any group gets mistreated," Throckmorton said in a telephone interview.

"But it will definitely make traditionally oriented teachers and parents and kids feel very uncomfortable, if they happen to object to homosexuality on moral grounds," he said of GLSEN's program. "If you disagree, you're hateful, you're bigoted, you're a homophobe. They're using name-calling to combat name-calling."

Whine, whine, whine. Nobody is saying you can't believe what you want. They're saying that you can't use your beliefs as justification for harassment. I would really have thought that was obvious.

Comments

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

Isn't it just wonderful how adult faux-conservatives are upset, believing that their "freedom of speech" is being violated because they're being asked not to call thirteen-year-old kids "faggots"?

[conuly]

Well, in fairness, it's the kids who are being asked not to call other 13-hear-old kids faggots. The adults are assumed to already know better.

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

While this may be true of the rather jejune attitude towards homosexuality evidenced by the 13-year-old population, "National No-Name-Calling Week" is proving difficult for me, and I'm 30. It's raised tremendous awareness of how much name-calling is part of our culture, and how strong a part it is of my own behavior.

When I discovered that this was No-Name-Calling Week, I figured it was wonderful idea and something I definately wanted to try. Now that I realize who is behind making this No-Name-Calling-Week, my feelings towards this week haven't changed a bit.

This is really starting to strike me more and more as something out of The Onion. "'Please don't kill us'" demand homosexuals during No Lynching Week. Conservatives vow not to grant any special rights"

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure most people who use the term free speech even know what it means. I frequently have conversations with people where they say something, I disagree and present some evidence as to why, and they say "I have a right to free speech and I have a right to my opinion." My main response is "...and???"

[conuly]

They have a right to free speech. You don't. Clearly.

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

A lot of people seem to think that free speech means never having their own opinions challenged. (Some on the net also seem to think it applies to things like never being moderated on mailing lists or message boards for any reason.)

[conuly]

Funnily enough, their free speech also means not letting you speak, though.

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

Precisely.

[adiva_calandia]

Mm, I like the phrase "traditionally oriented." Not a term I've heard before. Must have been coined by someone who never read about the Romans. Or the Spartans. Or Shakespeare. . . .

[conuly]

*snrk*

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

It really escapes me how trying to stop kids from calling each other names, including "faggot", is part of some gay agenda. I mean, one can disapprove of homosexuality without calling people names. Using this person's "logic" one could say that it shouldn't be wrong to call fat kids names because kids should just lose weight and then they won't be called names.

[conuly]

Clearly, you don't understand. Dem hoomoos have an agenda. And it involves destroying the world as we know it!!!!!111

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Oh, of course! I forgot about that. How careless of me.

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

"Damn, that's a sweet Earth!"

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

But but but but

Don't go blabbing about the lesbian overlord takeover to everyone on LJ. Remember the first law of the people's kinky republic of hentai is that you dont talk about the PKRH until we dominate the whole world.

(happy rabbit day!)

[ladydiana.livejournal.com]

Oh geez, here we go again with the "pan-sexual agenda" nonsense.

God these people are morons.

[conuly]

In fairness, there does seem to be a bit of a gay agenda. It goes as follows: convince people that equal rights aren't special rights, and also convince them that harassment is wrong. No, really.

It may also involve "have hott gay sexx!!!111", but... yeah.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I really can't fathom the logic of this. Like, I CANNOT wrap my brain around how they think this doesn't make them sound hateful.

We reserve the right to call people faggots without being bigots.

But if I call them a bigot, suddenly I'm the bad guy? BUH-JUH-WHA!?

Over the Edge

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

One of GLSEN's most persistent critics is Warren Throckmorton, director of counseling at Grove City College, a Christian school outside Pittsburgh. His skeptical comments about "No Name-Calling Week" have been widely circulated this month on conservative Web sites.

OK... uh...

Has anyone else played the roleplaying game Over the Edge (or the card came On the Edge) and came across the Throckmorton Device?

I'm wondering if this device's name was inspired by Warren Throckmorton, but it wouldn't shock me. Of course, the whole "any similarities are purely coincidental" clause would keep Jonathan Tweet from confessing if he did.

I know in part the Throckmorton Device was inspired by Pink Floyd's "The Wall." The whole eyebrow-shaving fascist thing probably comes from there.

I wonder if anyone has told Warren Throckmorton that not only is he a bad joke, but that he is one with a punchline in a roleplaying game published by Atlas Games?

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

Isn't it just wonderful how adult faux-conservatives are upset, believing that their "freedom of speech" is being violated because they're being asked not to call thirteen-year-old kids "faggots"?

[conuly]

Well, in fairness, it's the kids who are being asked not to call other 13-hear-old kids faggots. The adults are assumed to already know better.

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

While this may be true of the rather jejune attitude towards homosexuality evidenced by the 13-year-old population, "National No-Name-Calling Week" is proving difficult for me, and I'm 30. It's raised tremendous awareness of how much name-calling is part of our culture, and how strong a part it is of my own behavior.

When I discovered that this was No-Name-Calling Week, I figured it was wonderful idea and something I definately wanted to try. Now that I realize who is behind making this No-Name-Calling-Week, my feelings towards this week haven't changed a bit.

This is really starting to strike me more and more as something out of The Onion. "'Please don't kill us'" demand homosexuals during No Lynching Week. Conservatives vow not to grant any special rights"

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure most people who use the term free speech even know what it means. I frequently have conversations with people where they say something, I disagree and present some evidence as to why, and they say "I have a right to free speech and I have a right to my opinion." My main response is "...and???"

[conuly]

They have a right to free speech. You don't. Clearly.

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

A lot of people seem to think that free speech means never having their own opinions challenged. (Some on the net also seem to think it applies to things like never being moderated on mailing lists or message boards for any reason.)

[conuly]

Funnily enough, their free speech also means not letting you speak, though.

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

Precisely.

[adiva_calandia]

Mm, I like the phrase "traditionally oriented." Not a term I've heard before. Must have been coined by someone who never read about the Romans. Or the Spartans. Or Shakespeare. . . .

[conuly]

*snrk*

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

It really escapes me how trying to stop kids from calling each other names, including "faggot", is part of some gay agenda. I mean, one can disapprove of homosexuality without calling people names. Using this person's "logic" one could say that it shouldn't be wrong to call fat kids names because kids should just lose weight and then they won't be called names.

[conuly]

Clearly, you don't understand. Dem hoomoos have an agenda. And it involves destroying the world as we know it!!!!!111

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Oh, of course! I forgot about that. How careless of me.

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

"Damn, that's a sweet Earth!"

[rantinan.livejournal.com]

But but but but

Don't go blabbing about the lesbian overlord takeover to everyone on LJ. Remember the first law of the people's kinky republic of hentai is that you dont talk about the PKRH until we dominate the whole world.

(happy rabbit day!)

[ladydiana.livejournal.com]

Oh geez, here we go again with the "pan-sexual agenda" nonsense.

God these people are morons.

[conuly]

In fairness, there does seem to be a bit of a gay agenda. It goes as follows: convince people that equal rights aren't special rights, and also convince them that harassment is wrong. No, really.

It may also involve "have hott gay sexx!!!111", but... yeah.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I really can't fathom the logic of this. Like, I CANNOT wrap my brain around how they think this doesn't make them sound hateful.

We reserve the right to call people faggots without being bigots.

But if I call them a bigot, suddenly I'm the bad guy? BUH-JUH-WHA!?

Over the Edge

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

One of GLSEN's most persistent critics is Warren Throckmorton, director of counseling at Grove City College, a Christian school outside Pittsburgh. His skeptical comments about "No Name-Calling Week" have been widely circulated this month on conservative Web sites.

OK... uh...

Has anyone else played the roleplaying game Over the Edge (or the card came On the Edge) and came across the Throckmorton Device?

I'm wondering if this device's name was inspired by Warren Throckmorton, but it wouldn't shock me. Of course, the whole "any similarities are purely coincidental" clause would keep Jonathan Tweet from confessing if he did.

I know in part the Throckmorton Device was inspired by Pink Floyd's "The Wall." The whole eyebrow-shaving fascist thing probably comes from there.

I wonder if anyone has told Warren Throckmorton that not only is he a bad joke, but that he is one with a punchline in a roleplaying game published by Atlas Games?