Common Good: The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn

Common Good: The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn: "CG board member Diane Ravitch's new book, The Language Police, describes a world gone mad in search of fairness and avoiding bad feelings. Her riveting expose describes the bizarre and often scary world of educational censorship. The 'sensible principle of removing racist and sexist language' has turned into an 'effort to delete whatever might annoy or offend the most agitated imaginations.' Merle Rubin of the Los Angeles Times asks:

What do dinosaurs, mountains, deserts, brave boys, shy girls, men fixing roofs, women baking cookies, elderly people in wheelchairs, athletic African Americans, God, heathens, witches, owls, birthday cake and religious fanatics all have in common? Trick question?

No, all verboten.

Bias and sensitivity guidelines routinely used by educational publishers, test development companies, the states, and scholarly and professional associations 'combine left-wing political correctness and right-wing fundamentalism, a strange stew of discordant influences,' explains Ravitch."