Basically, this year's Newberry Medal winner, “The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron, is getting more than iot's share of bruhaha because it contains the word "scrotum."
I find myself torn between two impulses. On the one hand, I would like to know what the citizens of Hatrack think of it. Is this yet another sign of the American Cultural Apocalypse? We can't have the word "scrotum" in a book for kids because... because... Americans excell at violence and pretending we don't have sexual organs? Should it have said "dingle"? Because heaven forbid that children learn correct words for things-- it might be embarassing!
Seriously, I know a guy who gleefully took his four-year-old to a movie where a young man had his ram and legs cut off, then burst into flame, yet he wouldn't want him to read a book with "scrotum" in it.
The competing impulse is to wander around singing,"Scrotum, scrotum, scrotum! It's a doggie's scrotum!" (To the tune of "Rawhide")
I'm curious as to why a Newberry book that says "damn" would be stocked but not one that says "scrotum." Aren't they about equally objectionable to some? (Actually, isn't scrotum, being a medical term, less objectionable?)
(Of course, having said that, I looked it up and all three of my local library systems have multiple copies of it.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
“This book included what I call a Howard Stern-type shock treatment just to see how far they could push the envelope, but they didn’t have the children in mind,” Dana Nilsson, a teacher and librarian in Durango, Colo., wrote on LM_Net, a mailing list that reaches more than 16,000 school librarians. “How very sad.”
quote:... leaving me wondering what [men's] genitalia have to do with a dog's bollocks, and whether the lady in question has actually read the book she's trying to stamp out.
Exactly. And the way to handle the question if asked is to say, in a neutral tone, "It's a body part." If pressed, "it's a body part in a private area, and you can ask your parents if you want more details." I frankly doubt that -- given a neutral reaction -- most kids who don't already know (and aren't trying to get a rise out of you) would pursue "scrotum" any further than they would a "glabella."
[Re: Neil Gaimon's article]
Check out his link to a list of other scrota in children's literature.
posted
I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day.
I wouldn't consider the use of "scrotum" inappropriate at all (especially since she used the -right word-, for heaven's sake).
Posts: 1676 | Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
I fixed the link in my first post. (Thanks, CT! )
I suspected kq and many other reasonably conservative Hatrack parents would find this as silly as I did. Of course, I was more embarrassed when I heard my oldest refer to a private part as a "wienie" instead of "penis." Sometimes I think I'm the only mom around here who actually corrects stuff like that.
ladyday, I am sorry 'bout the song (not! ) but I had to share.
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posted
A teammate of mine once got a penalty for using the word 'scrotum' in a call. I really need to show this to her.
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quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: This line cracked me up:
quote: “I don’t want to start an issue about censorship,” she said. “But you won’t find men’s genitalia in quality literature.”
It sounds like we're using them as bookmarks in our leatherbound copies of "Sense and Sensibility."
Hahahaha. It reminds me of a hilarious quote from Red Dwarf.
quote:(Lister and Cat are playing Scrabble. Cat lays down all seven letters across a triple-word score) Lister: What? "JOZYXQE"? That's not a word! Cat: Sure it is! It's a Cat word. Lister: OK, what's it mean? Cat: It's the sound you make when you have your sexual organs trapped in something... Lister: Is it in the dictionary? Cat: Well it could be, if you were reading in the nude and you close the book too fast..
quote:Of course, I was more embarrassed when I heard my oldest refer to a private part as a "wienie" instead of "penis." Sometimes I think I'm the only mom around here who actually corrects stuff like that.
Of course, when parents are having the "we call it by its real name" talk, they ALSO need to have the "private parts are private conversation" talk. I can not tell you the number of times I have heard where I live (and all the California moms teach their kids "correct" terminology) "Mommy, I hurt my penis!" or similar yelled out across the playground... Not that it embarrasses me, but it caused a lot of snickering amongst the older kids.
posted
I think it's just plain silly. OTOH, this is the best way I can think of to get children to read a Newberry winner.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Never thought I'd see the word 'bollocks' in a thread title at Hatrack.
As for the book, kids should know what things are really called, so they don't get caught out in the playground.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
kmboots, Storm, this is another case of "I'm really glad I'm reading this when no one else is in the room" - my outburst of laughter would take a lot of explaining...
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posted
We were on the phone together (she was going home), and I could hardly hear her. Thus the shouting.
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posted
Every time I drive near a school, I'm going to roll down my window and shout "scrotum", just so the kids get used to the word, and can read the dang book.
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