As a part of my english class we are required to read Native American folk lore. These consist of the Winnebago tribe's trickster stories. They are humorous, but are supposed to teach moral lessons. One of the stories, was teaching about how homosexuality, and trans gender people were not moral and wrong. I was really upset by this, but considering I am not out at school (only my counselor knows) I don't really know what to do. Should I just ignore it, should I talk to my counselor, should I try talking to my teacher, I dont know what to do, any advice. Thanks -Bryan
dude...it's an ancient story. i don't think the school is trying to be malicious by having the class read it. that's like trying to get rd of every piece of anti-gay, anti-<insert race here>, or any other piece of literature that you disagree with. i, personally, think it wouldn't be right to remove a pice of literature from the curriculum simply because it has an anti-whatever message. now, if the school was promoting the mesage behind the story, however, that might be a different issue. but i'm pretty shure that they're having you read the folk lore to get an idea of native american customs, not to say that it's wrong to be gay
i agree with kai, its a piece of a culture. its like learning about hate groups, we learn and we move on. as long as the teacher doesn't focus on it or teaches it as truth applying today, there's no intention of harm and no offense should be taken!
its an old story. in school we read stories of murder and hate yet we don't promote it. i'd only worry if the teacher agrees and talks about homosexaulity being wrong. as its been said^ its the story not the school.
yeah, I over reacted, but the way the teacher taught it made it pretty clear he thought that homosexuality was wrong. Thanks anyways for your advice.
interestingly enough, that doesnt really bother me a whole lot I mean... its one story out of a collection of extremely old native american folk lore thats like those athiests who don't want to have to say the ENTIRE pledge of alligience just because they have to say God in it I wouldn't really say anything about it but at the same time it does kind of bother me that homophobic people would be getting affirmation about their beliefs lol
If you talk to the counciler and something gets done about it... then what? "I'm sorry students but I planned on reading you this story but apparently this particular tribe's views offended a student and we are no longer allowed to teach it at school. Even though it's views are not what this school is trying to promote. This is an English class... if anything I'm trying to promote you to write in complete sentences and stop writing in your internet form of talking." It might just be me who hates it when we aren't allowed to be taught something because someone took it as an attack against them instead of just learning about different things.
I would definitely at least talk to your counsellor about your teacher's attitude, because it sounds like that's the problem, not the story.
Oh you so lost me at the whole Pledge of Allegiance thing. Why should people who don't believe in God (especially the God who was added to the Pledge during the height of freaky McCarthyism in the US) have to say it? Just the genesis of when all the "one nation under GOD" crap was added to all things American should be enough to make people go "nuh uh."
freedom of speech? i don't pray at my catholic school when the whole class does. i just stand there. even through the pledge. i prefer not to take a denomination of religion and i don't believe in that sort of prayer. i'm so quiet in class though i doubt they notice me not talking again. *sigh* my anarchist anti-religion rebel ways again aren't noticed. i'm kinda sick of america's ways to just say its 'against their rights/freedom' so they don't have to do something. i mean like grow up. i just don't do things cause i don't want to and they can't physically make me even if there actually is laws and such. but to dig out that over used 'freedom' junk is just getting old. thats why i stopped reading the news.