SPEAK labelled pornography

[merrily]

http://watchdogwire.com/florida/2013/07 ... rnography/

For those of you who don't know, SPEAK is a book that deals with the aftermath of a rape.

Edited to add another link to a sane commentary http://madwomanintheforest.com/really-a ... rnography/

[meep]

This makes me so mad, this is one of my favorite books. Far, far from "pornographic".

[TinyDancer87]

SPEAK is a great book, and the movie is wonderful as well. It's not pornographic, but it is graphic: covering the details of rape and bullying. But it's a great book for teens and preteens. These comments/discussion cracked me up:

DrSwier~Promoting violence and sex in our underaged students promotes violence and sex. Have you ever thought of that. What is happening is child abuse. The teacher used the book to denigrate young boys and portray them as rapists. Is that what teachers should be doing in public schools?

Devon~By this logic, having children read the Bible is child abuse. There's plenty of violence and rape depicted in that book--along with incest, dismemberment, prostitution... do I need to go on?

DrSwier~No, it is not. Reading the Bible teaches children how to live moral lives. There are various versions that can and must be read by children, with their adult parents. The Bible is a book for life and living. Speak is pornography with no moral lesson. Teach a child the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule and that child will cope with the evils presented in Speak. When is the last time you read a Bible? If not today, then I suggest you start.

No, DrSwier (AKA every ignorant preachy patriarchial bastard). The teacher did NOT use the book to portray young boys as rapists. Where did you even get that?

And it doesn't even seem like he's read the Bible, because he completey ignores that there is rape, incest, murders, etc.

[Trynn]

How are the ten commandments and the golden rule going to help a child cope with the horror and trauma of rape?

Eta:

Golden rule=do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Ten commandments:

1. No other gods

2. No graven Images/idols

3. No taking God's name in Cain

4. Remember the sabbath

5. Honor father and mother

6. No killing

7. No adultery

8. No stealing

9. No lying

10. No coveting

How on earth is ANY of that helpful in coping with trauma?

[Jinger Jar]

I taught that book for a number of years when I was teaching high school freshman. It was always a favorite with the kiddos and sparked some great class discussions about depression, bullying and marginalization, and some of the writing students produced about it was amazing.

Anyone who labels Speak pornography is an idiot.