Parents want school officials fired for assigning NICKEL AND DIMED

[proud2BlibKansan]

One of the best books I've ever read, BTW. But then I am an evil librul.

BEDFORD – The parents of a Bedford teen are calling for the ouster of school officials who assigned their son a book that refers to Jesus Christ as a "wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist."

"We had almost PhD people letting this fumble through their fingers, and they all said it was grand," said Dennis Taylor, a conservative Christian. "I think there should be a review of these individuals and perhaps some firing done."

Taylor and his wife Aimee became upset when they learned that their son had been assigned the book "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America," in his personal finance class at Bedford High School.

"Nickel and Dimed" is a first-person account of author Barbara Ehrenreich's failed attempts to make a living at various minimum wage jobs across the country. Written in response to 1996 welfare reform, the book offers a serious critique of the current economic system, which Ehrenreich argues preys on the poor.

This fall, Dennis and Aimee Taylor complained about the book to the school district, citing its occasional use of obscene dialogue and anti-capitalist message.

more . . . http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Parents+outraged+over+finance+class+reading&articleId=a9e54470-9958-4bae-a865-41186cdf2e18

[redirish28]

1. So Capitalism is equal to Christianity in there eyes? I can give them ley-way on the

Obscene dialogue. My wife doesn't find swear words as offensive as I do. To each their own BUT the Anti-Capitalist is just BULL CRAP.

Perhaps they themselves should read the book OR better yet mimic a chapter or two and get a REAL LESSON!

[hobbit709]

4. Let's see now what Jesus did.

1. Chased the banksters out of the temple-Check
2. Healed the sick at no charge-Check
3. Fed the hungry-Check
4. Made various comments about rich people-Check
5. Preached compassion, tolerance, and love-Check

By golly, he was a Socialist.

[redirish28]

6. How do these fundies who are so afraid of Socalism justify the Jesus in the bible and Capitalism

[Wednesdays]

26. Fundies dwell on certain passages in the Old Testament

Also, some of the most intolerant parts of the epistles. The rest of the New Testament--the Gospel specifically--is just an afterthought.

Quite the irony, no? To them, "What Would Jesus Do" is answered by some of the worst demagogues in the Bible.

[MedicalAdmin]

36. They don't use the Jesus from the Bible. They use the Jeebus from Wall Street.

Justification is as justifications buys, so to speak.

THIS is the Jesus they worship. It's the fuck-you-I-got-mine Jesus.

[demwing]

16. Wine guzzling is OK

if he were a wine guzzling capitalist

[redirish28]

19. true

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. I've read it and don't remember any cuss words

Not saying they aren't there but they don't stand out in my memory.

[Recursion]

13. I remember some from the waiting tables chapter

And I think the nursing home. Mostly verbatim from her conversations, though she does drop the F-bomb in the narrative once or twice.

[hobbit709]

14. If they believe their little teenage darling hasn't heard or used any of those words.

Then they haven't a clue.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Well we already knew they had no clue

[MedicalAdmin]

38. If they believe their little darling is "doing" any of those words ...

then they don't have a clue.

Yes, Junior is sexually active and like any good repub wannabe douchebag, he's in diapers and having meth sex with a male hooker while preaching against gays.

[The Straight Story]

2. Well, people want to keep religion out of schools, and this mentions religion

:evilgrin:

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Who wants to keep religion out?

Not the parents in the OP.

[lunatica]

3. A segment of this country suffers from trickle down Puritan religionism

One sentence in a book and in their horror of horrors they yank their high school son out of school to home school him. And just in the nick of time too! Their son was saved I tell you. Saved!

[dgibby]

31. My maternal 8th great grandparents were Puritans.

I have a feeling I'd have been the first one they burned at the stake!:evilgrin:

They came here in order to practice "religious freedom", then imposed it on everyone else. Go figure!

[MedicalAdmin]

39. Ahhhhhh - the Puritans.

They were so uptight the BRITISH kicked them out.

[dgibby]

46. What's even worse is that I share them with George W. Bush.

They are also his 8th great grandparents. Good thing my mother's dead, 'cause that news would have killed her for sure. I'm not feeling so good, myself!

[Recursion]

55. Then again, the Puritans became the UCC

Which is Obama's church

:tinfoilhat:

[timtom]

5. This looks fascinating.

I intend to read it and give it the old timtom rhetorical analysis.

[timtom]

9. Okay. I saw the offending passages.

I read enough of the book to know that she was being sardonic. What she says in this book is totally appropriate. I think the same thoughts myself every day, several times a day.

This Christian gives the book a THUMBS UP!!

[Recursion]

12. I was more thrown by "wine-guzzling" than "socialist"

Though there are some real problems IMO with calling Jesus a socialist (he seemed more interested in helping the individual in front of you than in systemically changing the economic system; this is still the complaint a lot of the left has against Christian charities).

But mostly it's my one and only complaint about Ehrenreich coming to the fore: picking fights she doesn't need to pick that distract people from her excellent journalism.

[timtom]

30. I completely agree.

I must admit, however, that I saw that particular characterization of Jesus as being cavalier to underscore the human aspect. He had been accused of such (concerning the wine-bibbing) at that time. But, the tone of her book seems to be why no one cares, when they should PRECISELY care, according to their (our) own doctrine.

One of my favorite books is still Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne & Chris Haw.

[bobbolink]

32. No, he was a "socialist" in that era. He and his disciples, and also the early Christians, lived

by "the common purse".

There was no way to change the larger political or economical system, but the way they lived was "socialistic".

[Recursion]

41. In a system without bourgeois property I'm not even sure what "socialism" would mean

There was no way to change the larger political or economical system

That didn't stop people from trying, and Jesus specifically didn't join them in that.

[bobbolink]

52. ..sigh.... you don't know that, but we KNOW that they shared resources in common.

This is truly a silly argument, and its like dealing with the fundies.

Sharing resources in common IS socialism, whether you happen to like it or not.

[Recursion]

54. And all this time I thought it was workers' control of the means of production

Silly me...

[MedicalAdmin]

40. What? He was a wine guzzling socialist.

Remember the last supper? Ever taken communion?

The dude drank and the dude was a socialist. And the dude abides.

[Recursion]

43. I was thinking of Matthew 26

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

[progressoid]

7. These fucking morans

wouldn't know an anti-capitalist message if it was plugging their bung-hole.


How's that for occasional use of obscene dialogue and anti-capitalist message.

[Solly Mack]

8. Damn

[Recursion]

10. "This Land is Their Land" might be better for high schoolers, IMO

And as much as I love Ehrenreich she can be so defeatist sometimes (and eager to pick irrelevant fights, eg referring to Jesus that way in a book about how many low-wage jobs trap people in poverty rather than offering them a first step out of it.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. And I think it's a perfect book for high schoolers

Many are working their first job. They need to understand just how hard it is to support yourself on that salary. Most high schoolers have no clue.

[Jkid]

28. Apparently the parent doesn't want those students to know.

[Brother Buzz]

48. The parents are members of an anti-welfare group

A "Check your brains at the door and pick-up your crayons" type of group, I suspect.

The Taylors might benefit from actually reading the book. That, and reading Thomas Frank's book, What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America , but I find that unlikely as that book is undoubtedly on their Fundy "no read' list, too.

[madrchsod]

15. well, wine was probably better than the water and...

jesus was a radical socialist. after all, why do you think they hung him on the cross?

those kids should read "nickel and dimed" it`s the world they are facing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. If I ran a school every book on the banned list would be required

Controversy speaks volumes about our culture.

[bobbolink]

33. !!

:evilgrin:

[Wednesdays]

37. Yup, Jesus paid the price for challenging authority

In the first three Gospels, the last thing that happens before TPTB (the chief priests and elders) plotted against Jesus’ life was his lashing out against the priests, and then his predicting the destruction of the temple. The fourth Gospel (John) goes a little bit differently, but it too illustrates a long history of conflict between Jesus and the Pharisee priests. That, and advancing the notion that poor people were equal to the rich, was radical stuff for those days.

So, the outcome was pretty predictable—you diss TPTB, and they find a way to silence you…nothing has changed in 2000 years except for the method. The crowd calling for his execution (fueled by ugly rumors) is a good example of manipulation by TPTB…once again, nothing has changed in 2000 years except for the mode of communication.

[madmom]

22. This kid is in HIGH SCHOOL? Talk about over protective. They should probably start

looking for his magazine stash, if ya know what I mean.:eyes:

[LWolf]

23. Hopefully, we have not yet reached the point

that parents can get educators fired for allowing books they don't like in classrooms.

[bobbolink]

34. Shhh, that's the agenda for next week.

[MedicalAdmin]

42. That point was reached decades ago.

Ask a teacher. Or read some of the education posts here.

I know more than 10 teachers who have been fired for teaching materials that were approved and which later some politically influencial asshat complained about. It happens all the frickin time and it's one of the reasons that I know so many FORMER teachers.

[Cal Carpenter]

24. Objective reality is anti-capitalist unless you are wealthy

which fewer and fewer people are. Although those who are are having a fucking ball right now.

Look at this system crashing around us. On the backs of the poor and working class. On the backs of poor people all over the world.

Demonstrating the reality of trying to survive under the rules of capitalism - sure it comes out as anti-capitalism because guess what?

CAPITALISM SUCKS. It's a baaaad system.

[Jefferson23]

25. The parents reaction is interesting, they feel threatened by the very

critique of capitalism. If capitalism is so fair and just, one would think the parents could laugh off the content of the book with their
son over dinner. My guess is the book made more than a few excellent points.

[closeupready]

27. If they don't like it, home school, AFAIC. Teachers choose study materials, not parents.

(Within reason.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

56. Apparently that's what they are planning to do

[1VaDem]

29. So freaking typical!

It is the SOSO, the people look not at the message but the messenger. Forget the point that you cannot survive much less prosper on a minimum wage job and what a drain that is on our civilized? nation. Concentrate on the one or three "insulting" passages that will stir up the old "us against them" and get it on. Pavlov, would be proud.

[NuclearDem]

35. How dare our kids be exposed to other ideas!

:sarcasm:

Fucking people like these are why America's going to remain stupid well into the 30th century.

[Javaman]

44. I read the book. It's a very good read. what I think is really at stake here is not religion...

It promotes the plight of the low wage worker. Especially, the single mom. And how impossible it is to get ahead. Wage slavery.

While this half wit right wing fundie couple screeches over being "insulted", I frankly believe their real motivation is to keep the voice of the poorest parts of society from being heard.

How dare someone who writes about poverty in this, "the greatest nation in the whole fucking god fearing world" have the right to criticize it!!!

They use religion as a right wing tool to silence the people.

[ck4829]

45. This book is what life unfortunately is for a growing number of people

Why this isn't required reading for every student is beyond me.

K&R.

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. I completely agree

[hfojvt]

47. well the slam at Jesus is uncalled for

as might be some of the other cussing. Not sure how that is avoided though, without weakening the message. Nor is it really necessary to shelter high schoolers from profanity. They should be able to handle a little bit of it I can certainly remember hearing it from my classmates.

[LuckyLib]

50. N and D should be required reading for every high schooler, not to mention his/her parents.

No better way to understand the myth of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps when trying to get by is a challenge. Wonderful book. These parents are idiots. But the best part is every kid within earshot of the protest has bought the book and is reading it. Nothing motivates like a book adults don't want you to read!

:evilgrin:

[BuelahWitch]

53. Yep, might as well let Junior know what he's in for as a wage slave

and let him plan his life accordingly. I had to read it for a Social Inequality class this semester. I loved it.

[krabigirl]

51. I think this is an example of too much parental involvement..seriously, trust the schools a bit more

I don't even mind my kids reading a book i might disagree with. The horror! These parents need a life.

[Puregonzo1188]

57. It's odd--they're angry at the book for "insulting" Jesus, but the author was in fact, in her mind,

saying something positive about Jesus.

They don't get it.