# The Martian--now sanatized for your children's protection **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953 "2017-02-27T15:50:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/41 "2017-02-28T15:15:55Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Why am I picturing that in a John Oliver voice? Anyone who’s unfamiliar with the reference can click the smiley in Post #25. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/42 "2017-02-28T15:45:53Z")
I was reading “classroom editions” (aka: cleaned-up) versions of Shakespeare 30 years ago. I specifically remember reading _Romeo and Juliet_ as a high school freshman, then discovering that certain naughty lines had been redacted or cleaned up when I found the play from another source – and these didn’t even involve cussing, just naughty imagery or wordplay. I wouldn’t mind my 12-year old reading the original _Martian_. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to be a teacher trying to lead a classroom full of 12-year old boys through a passage that begins “Well, I’m fucked.” Class is pretty much over at that point. So, I don’t think this is a travesty if it gets more kids reading it. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/43 "2017-02-28T16:35:37Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > It would be unfortunate to lose the phrase “science the shit out of this”. Concur ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/44 "2017-02-28T17:35:47Z")
The “science the shit out of this” line came from the screenwriter. It’s not in the book. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/45 "2017-02-28T21:48:42Z")
In my experience, the main problem with having middle school kids (and high school kids) read **The Martian** is that somebody always makes a crack about “poo-tatoes.” ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/46 "2017-02-28T21:59:13Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > So now they have produced [a bowdlerized version of _The Martian_](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/business/andy-weirs-best-seller-the-martian-gets-a-classroom-friendly-makeover.html) with all of the naughty words removed so that it won’t hurt the delicate sensibilities of middle school students. > > I’m again’ it. But what about the disturbing references to music and television from the 1970s? Surely those must be removed, unless we want children asking their parents (or grandparents!) about such things as “Three’s Company” or “The Six Million Dollar Man”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/47 "2017-02-28T23:52:32Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > But what about the disturbing references to music and television from the 1970s? Surely those must be removed, unless we want children asking their parents (or grandparents!) about such things as “Three’s Company” or “The Six Million Dollar Man”. That would be damned embarrassing! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/48 "2017-02-28T23:58:37Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > It would be unfortunate to lose the phrase “science the shit out of this”. > [@BlankSlate](#): > > The “science the shit out of this” line came from the screenwriter. It’s not in the book. I’ll just be thankful it wasn’t added to the book as “Jesus the shit out of this”. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2017, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/49 "2017-03-01T00:14:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That would be damned embarrassing! I know. Or imagine some kid asking “Granddad - in school I heard about something called “Abba” - that wasn’t real was it?” “Susie, I’m sorry to say, Abba is real. But we defeated them at the battle of Waterloo, which really Rocked the Boat, and turned the whole Beat Around, leading to Happy Days for all.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953/50 "2017-03-01T01:35:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Dewey Finn** : > > If a book such as this is adopted widely by schools, the author can expect a steady stream of revenues for a good long while. So it’s in the author’s interest to agree to minor changes if his book will be used in schools. On a similar note, a few of the schools I’ve taught at have had visits from famous young adult authors. At first I thought that it was really nice of the authors to go on tours like that… but then I realized that in every case, in the months prior to such a visit, every single English class in the school was reading one or two of that author’s books. It’s still nice of the authors, of course, but it’s also good business. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-now-sanatized-for-your-childrens-protection/780953.md?page=2)