Sometimes you just have to clutch your pearls and push forward

Julie Reeder

Publisher

In the Valley News this week, we have a screenshot of a play that a parent has objected to having assigned to her daughter at TVUSD. It’s part of a larger discussion that parents, board members, teachers, and now Sacramento is having about what is appropriate and helpful in children’s education.

This play very openly describes a man having sex with what appears to be a minor or a young guy who still lives with his parents. It’s very graphic and the “f” word is used over 100 times. This is just one example.

The Valley News or the Village News doesn’t typically publish foul language. It’s usually not necessary.

When we are covering school curriculum, that’s the point. If it’s too graphic to put in a newspaper that mostly adults read, how appropriate is it for school children?

It’s an important discussion as our culture changes. It’s a local decision. All the grown ups in the room need to be an example to the children and carefully consider the options without rhetoric, name calling, yelling, or screaming.

So, keep pressing forward to do the hard work of facing people who may not like you, call you names, accuse you of being horrible, racist, homophobic, nazi’s, right wing, left wing, etc. Big deal. It’s just bullying and name calling. It seems to me that people resort to name calling when they can’t have an articulate conversation. It makes people angry when they feel trapped, fearful or powerless.

That’s why the First Amendment is so important. Open discussion empowers both sides if everyone is discussing intelligently. Send letters to the Valley News editor. Clutch your pearls and make your voice heard.