THE METASTASIS OF OFFENSIVE MATERIAL IN OUR CULTURE IS SPREADING INTO THE CLASSROOM!

DISCLAIMER: This blog series deals with censorship in the classroom. Despite our academic freedom, the issue here is exercising your best professional judgment and discretion to set boundaries on what material could offend students and destroy your classroom environment. It is not my intention to preach, but to inform based on 30 years of teaching statistics and measurement with what most faculty would consider over-the-top methods involving humor, a variety of media, and drama. I learned the hard way at the expense of several students along my journey. I hope these blogs will spare you and your students those lessons.

METASTASIS OF OFFENSIVE MATERIAL
Offensive material is metastasizing throughout our culture. It permeates every nook and cranny and is spreading into our classrooms. Consider the following:

WRITERS, DIRECTORS, AND PERFORMERS: We already know there are whack-jobs everywhere. But here I’m thinking of specific whacky writers, directors, and performers who have lost their minds. Hannibal Lecter has dined on their brains? Why do so many (a) stand-up comedians on Comedy Central and in comedy clubs, (b) writers for commercial media, TV, and movies, and (c) singers or rappers seem addicted to content that pushes the boundaries of profanity, vulgarity, sexuality, and political incorrectness, or is just plain out there to offend?

For example, Quinton Tarantino has become infamous for the barrage of filthy, profane language, violence, and sexuality in all of his movies. If there is a substantive message to be conveyed in one of his films that would be valuable to your students, should that clip be shown?

DON’T CULTURAL NORMS SET THE STANDARD? Rather than reflecting prevailing norms and tastes, some of the content in the products of our culture seem to be lowering them. The producers have trained consumers like our impressionable students and us to accept progressively lower standards of language and behavior. For example, many movies are edgy, cryptic, potty-mouthed dramas that mutilate the old proverbial envelope. This sinking of standards enables their work to stand out in an increasingly crowded field. Profits outweigh whatever criticism results. Falling standards, consequently, become self-fulfilling. Each new breach of the existing “standard” establishes a new, lower standard that comes to be seen as the norm, at least until the next breach.

You need to define what is potentially offensive and set explicit guidelines to prevent it from invading your classroom. The next blog will tackle a definition and then move on to identifying specific types of material.

It doesn’t matter whether you agree with the list I present. The decision you have to make to where you are going to draw the line—set the standards for your classroom. Every instructor may draw the line at a different point. That LINE is the over-riding bottom line for these blogs, if you ride over lines.

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