A new form of gun control
And speaking of Canada, a self-styled pacifist mum living outside of Ottowa was appalled by her 7-year-old daughter's spelling assignment. It included the word, "gun," you see, and Ms. Sousa doesn't understand why her child - or any child - should ever learn how to spell a word she considers synonymous with death:
Amanda and Mark Sousa, who consider themselves to be pacifists and who are raising their two young children with this governing belief, were shocked when Amanda's spelling list last week included the word gun. "I realize people hunt in this area, but I still don't think that warrants the teaching of this word to my daughter or any other child," said Mrs. Sousa...
Mrs. Sousa wrote a letter to her daughter's teacher describing her views on the word "gun," her unease with any child learning to spell the word, a few alternatives, and the wish to speak to the teacher about its inclusion on the list. "The word gun is synonymous with death. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out why a seven-year-old would need to learn this word," said Mrs. Sousa...
Hmmm. I'm thinking, it's a three-letter word that starts with "G," so it got put on the list for that reason alone. What's more, Ms. Sousa's comment that "any other child" should not learn the word is telling. She's willing to acknowledge that guns exist, I suppose, but she seems to determined to prove that we can somehow eradicate guns - and all violence - if we are just willing to pretend to children that the word doesn't exist. It wasn't enough for her to teach her own child that guns alone somehow are responsible for violence against humans; she wants to make sure that no other kid, including the kid of someone who hunts, is taught the spelling of this word. Because you know, that alone will help teach children to be kind to others. This isn't education; it's forced stupidity.
Thanks to Opinion Journal for the original catch. Joanne Jacobs comments on this as well.