The Getty Center Museum in Los Angeles was forced to apologize because one of its volunteer tour guides rubbed the hair of a young black student in an effort to demonstrate rough texture, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Activists said the action was tantamount to ridicule and invoked racial stereotypes. They want the volunteer fired.
The elementary school students were on a tour of the art museum when the docent was explaining smooth and rough textures in stonework and other materials when she touched the youngster's hair.
A teacher present said it was like the docent "ripped out [the kids'] spirits."
Where's the Outrage?
Conservative African Americans are wondering why American minority groups are not as incensed by a racially inflammatory cartoon featuring Condoleezza Rice (search) as they are about similar material featuring non-Republican targets.
In a press release, Project 21 decried a July 5 cartoon by Ted Rall that referred to the national security adviser as George W. Bush's "House Nigga." Project 21 is asking Universal Press Syndicate, the distributor of Rall's comics, to immediately terminate their relationship with him. Project 21 is also asking the NAACP, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to make demands of Rall similar to those they make every time someone makes a comment they deem racially insensitive.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (search) is being branded a sexist homophobe for referring to obstinate state lawmakers as "girlie men" in a speech, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Borrowing a line from an old "Saturday Night Live" (search) skit, the governor used the term in reference to lawmakers who are refusing to bargain on the state budget. The L.A. Times rounded up a number of the usual suspects to complain about the language.
Sen. Sheila Kuehl said it was "painful to hear the governor resort to such blatant homophobia."
Assemblyman Mark Leno added, "By playing to certain voters' discomfort with gender and sexuality, the governor has exposed himself to be a divider, not a uniter."
Flag-Waving
Two Michigan high school students who showed up in their school parking lot with Confederate flags in their cars will graduate after all, but only after apologizing in writing for their transgressions, reports the Flint Journal.
A third student who had a Mississippi state flag in his car still faces expulsion and a loss of his diploma because he has refused to apologize. The Mississippi state flag has the offensive symbol on it.
The students had the nerve to display the Confederate symbols on school property. African-American students offended by the display were subsequently involved in a shoving match over them.
For more doses of politically correct nuttiness, head on over the TongueTied daily edition.
Mailbag:
James S. writes:
If members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at the University of Pennsylvania are upset about "those pesky male/female boxes on university questionnaires and forms," perhaps the University should change the form to read: Y-chromosome? Yes or No.
You can't argure with genetics!
Frank M. writes:
The problem with those severely disturbed people who insist on "gender spectra" of more than two sexual categories is their failure to distinguish between the objectively real human characteristic of "sex" and the subjective, often delusional, characteristic of "gender."
Sex is very simple: do you have a penis and testes or a vagina and a uterus? Only in the very rare cases of true hermaphrodism is there an objective vagueness. So, there are two, and only two, sexes: male and female.
There should be no problem in anyone's mind about checking one of two boxes under a question of "Sex?" Other than true hermaphrodites, those who have a problem answering this simple question should urgently consult a mental health professional.
Gender is purely subjective, and for most of mankind's history "gender" has been a linguistic category, governing what endings nouns and adjectives should take in their declensions. Only with the rise of radical man-hating "feminism" has gender become a weapon of abuse and hatred. Those who wish to destroy Western Civilization have taken it a step further, transforming "gender" into a tool for undermining civilization.
Susan W. writes re: last week's "anachronistic" item:
Aren't you American? Do you really believe this is a PC issue for Americans? Americans don't believe in titles. It was one of the issues the founding fathers wanted to scrap when our government was being formed, so much so that it was written into the U.S. Constitution. So who cares if the British Parliament wants to scrap the awarding of knighthood and other honors to British citizens -- they probably should have done it a long time ago.
Gavin C. writes:
Your ridicule of the University of Michigan for providing some budget support for the annual Powwow is misplaced. The Powwows celebration and dance competition are two of the most popular events of the year for both students and the surrounding community. Attendance has grown so large that the Native American students now rent (yes, rent) the basketball arena for the event. Given the number of sports that are subsidized by the university, some level of budget support for the powwow is entirely appropriate.
Phil C. writes:
In times of record deficits, selective war time budgets and bankrupt states across the country, I do not believe you have any right or reason to gripe and moan about what any public university decides to cut or keep as part of their academic curriculum.
Kevin S. writes:
Read the story on Fox News about James Tuttle. I am amazed that education has become so narrow minded. When I got my B.A. degree, an education was to expand your horizons. Some classes were useful and some were a waste of time. One class I took was from a Buddhist monk on Buddhism. I didn't agree with everything he said but I was there to get an education -- and I did.
If students don't learn how to deal with differing opinions they will end up either a zombie or a "yes man" unable to think for themselves. The syllabus clearly states what the teacher is like. If the student has trouble with this then the problem may lie in remedial reading.
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