2010: A California school district pulled the Merriam-Webster Dictionary because a parent complained that it contains the term "oral sex."
Really?
Of COURSE the dictionary's gonna contain the term "oral sex." The idea behind a dictionary is to provide a definition for EVERY word or phrase in the English language. Banning dictionaries because they contain an idea you find offensive or innappropriate is an Orwellian level of stupidity.
There are always going to be ideas out there that we disagree with for moral, intellectual, or political reasons. It's right and natural for us to be upset - and, sometimes, even offended - by these ideas. However, we can't PRETEND that they don't exist and hope they go away, even for the sake of our children.
Heck, I'm going to say ESPECIALLY for the sake of our children. If you want to share your values with children, it's important for you to be able to explain those things that go AGAINST those values and talk about them in a way that's meaningful, respectful of the subject matter, and accurate. And, yeah, that means that you'll probably have to use the words "oral sex," "marijuana," and, on occasion, "Ke$ha."
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