Conservatives Bad-Mouth "No Name-Calling Week"

annaplurabelle · January 25, 2005, 5:56am

When I first read it, I thought it was a joke. It’s not…

National ‘No Name-Calling’ Week Irks Conservatives

NEW YORK – Using a young readers’ novel called “The Misfits” as its centerpiece, middle schools nationwide will participate in a “No Name-Calling Week” initiative starting Monday. The program, now in its second year, has the backing of groups from the Girl Scouts to Amnesty International but has also drawn complaints that it overemphasizes harassment of gay youths.

The initiative was developed by the New York-based Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which seeks to ensure that schools safely accommodate students of all sexual orientations. GLSEN worked with James Howe, the openly gay author of “The Misfits” and many other popular children’s books.

“Gay students aren’t the only kids targeted - this isn’t about special rights for them,” Howe said. “But the fact is that ‘faggot’ is probably the most common insult at schools.”

GLSEN is unsure how many schools will participate in this week’s event, but says 5,100 educators from 36 states have registered, up from 4,000 last year. Participation in a related writing-music-art contest rose from 100 students last year to 1,600 this year. The winning poem was written by Sue Anna Yeh, 13, from Sugar Land, Texas.

**No Name-calling Week" takes aim at insults of all kinds - whether based on a child’s appearance, background or behavior. But a handful of conservative critics have zeroed in on the references to harassment based on sexual orientation.

“I hope schools will realize it’s less an exercise in tolerance than a platform for liberal groups to promote their pan-sexual agenda,” said Robert Knight, director of Concerned Women for America’s Culture and Family Institute.

“Schools should be steering kids away from identifying as gay,” Knight said. “You can teach civility to kids and tell them every child is valued without conveying the message that failure to accept homosexuality as normal is a sign of bigotry.”**

“Pan-sexual agenda”? Don’t you love it?

I was going to remark on the fact that Concerned Women for America have a man as director, but I guess that’s par for the course, with people like this.

I’m trying to muster sufficient outrage, in these times of outrage fatigue.

Can anyone help?

BTW, Concerned Women for America was founded by Beverly LaHaye, a woman who once said that acceptance of homosexuality would render women “unnecessary”, and wife of Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind books.

If you follow the links, we have connections to the John Birch Society, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and Jack Kemp. If anyone can connect the dots to SpongeBob and/or Kevin Bacon, we’ll really have something here…

AskNott · January 25, 2005, 6:12am

So, if I understand their objections, it’s perfectly OK to call the Concerned Women for America’s Culture and Family Institute a bunch of ignorant dyke weasels. Did I get that right? 'Cause they don’t believe in “No Name-Calling Week.”

Monstre · January 25, 2005, 6:16am

So how exactly are the middle school adminstrations going to convince the middle school kids not to call each other names for a week? Because if they don’t do that, it’s going to be just a bunch of meaningless policital posturing on both sides.

Maybe they should aim higher and try “No beating up the smaller kids and stealing their lunch money week” instead.

Monstre · January 25, 2005, 6:19am

po-li-ti-cal. dammit.

:::off to write “Preview is your friend” on the board 1000 times:::

elucidator · January 25, 2005, 6:21am

So is a “dyke weasel” anything like a “fruit bat” or a “chicken hawk”? I try to keep up with slang and other cultural developments.

buttonjockey308 · January 25, 2005, 6:31am

This is almost as funny as Demon Pants.

Yeah, it’s funny. I think it’s entertaining to watch these twits hash it out.

I’M GAY, YOU HAVE TO GET USED TO IT.

I’M XTIAN, YOU’RE GONNA BURN IN HELL.
These people need to go to opposite ends of the playground, and fast. :rolleyes:

rjung · January 25, 2005, 6:37am

Well, of course the conservatives would be against “No Name-Calling Week.”

How could they endure an entire week without their fix of Rush, Sean, Bill, and Ann??? :eek:

Monstre · January 25, 2005, 6:37am

Maybe it’s not middle schools where the “No name-calling week” is needed.

It’s politicians.

annaplurabelle · January 25, 2005, 6:38am

As a newly certified teacher, I was going to post something substantial in reply to this, when I realised my posts-to-date mainly consist of meaningless political posturing.

IOW, I agree.

It’s a joke, no matter how you look at it.

Monstre · January 25, 2005, 6:45am

Sure, and the paragon of kind words, Al Franken, could lead the charge for promoting no name calling.

Perhaps we can call it “Anybody who calls names is a big fat idiot” week?

matt_mcl · January 25, 2005, 6:50am

As a side note, how is “you need to get used to [my existence],” equivalent to “you are going to burn in hell”?

Paladud · January 25, 2005, 7:11am

Both are verbal statements. Neither is an incitement to violence. Pretty equivalent to me.

rjung · January 25, 2005, 7:12am

That’s too easy. He’d just read the headlines, and let the news speak for itself…

Wolfowitz Story falsified

Gonzales: Did He Help Bush Keep His DUI Quiet?

Secret Unit Expands Rumsfeld’s Domain

Families of servicemembers killed in Iraq turned away at Pentagon

White House Scraps ‘Coalition of the Willing’ List

Far, far too easy…

FinnAgain · January 25, 2005, 7:15am

All statements which are spoken tend to be verbal ones.
One is saying “I’m living my life, just leave me alone.”
The other is saying “You’re living your life, and I’m passing judgement on you and you’re going to hell.”

Not. Equal.

Monstre · January 25, 2005, 7:27am

And all these links have exactly what to do with my comment?

Which was essentially, “It’s ridiculous to imply that conservatives have cornered the market on name-calling”.

Now, if you want to argue that politicians on both sides of the aisle are better at name-calling than just about anybody… well, you have a much better chance of convincing me on that one.

Paladud · January 25, 2005, 7:38am

“[Y]ou need to get used to [my existence],” does not equal “I’m living my life, just leave me alone” by my book. I am not obligated to like you. I am not obligated to get used to you. My sole obligation to you is not to harm you. If I don’t like you in the first place, all you will do with that statement is mildly piss me off.

The statement “you are going to burn in hell” would also mildly piss me off and cause me to ignore the speaker from there on out.

Tracy_Lord · January 25, 2005, 8:14am

Not that this has anything to do with the OP, but God, the picture of that woman clinging to her son’s photograph broke my heart.

bienville · January 25, 2005, 8:44am

Um, the part that strikes me as particularly silly is that someone is suggesting a “No Name Calling Week”!

Just by virtue of defining a No Name Calling Week, it is suggested that at all other times name-calling is perfectly O.K.

But, yeah, to object to the idea of children being taught not to call others hurtful names is pretty ridiculous.

For the record, I will not be participating in No Name Calling Week, Ass-Faces.

Liberal · January 25, 2005, 9:34am

Gay is your existence? I’ve often heard homosexuals insist that gay is not what defines them. There is no gay lifestyle and so forth.

Already_in_Use · January 25, 2005, 10:18am

Liberal, there’s a distinction there. Sexual orientation is certainly not the sum total of what defines an individual, but it is nonetheless an immutable facet of one’s existence.

And BTW, if I join the pan-sexual agenda, do I get to use the rotoplooker?