The Case of School article drama over Homosexuality

As other schools we got a school newspaper and it has an oppinion column. This week's latest issue was the debate on Homosexuality.

Without saying further you can guess it got messsy because of the nature of the controversial topic.

To make matters worse, the person who was writing for the anti side got dirty. The person's starting statement was more or less "Coming from an Christain background." Not only did the person get the pro side mad with her comparison of homosexuality to child molesters, she also got the christian members mad by saying that christians believe her view.

What started out to be a small debate between two people, ended up with almost a fight. There were couple of incidents of throwing water bottles and gatorade bottles.

Fun week....

I understand that we are allowed to post our opinons on the opinion column, but are we allowed to do it when our opinion enrages, offends and insults some people's way of life and threaten campus security?

Secondly do articles of these sort belong in a high school newspaper? Afterall we are teenagers of ages no more than 17 or 18.

Surf

Originally posted by surfup
I understand that we are allowed to post our opinons on the opinion column, but are we allowed to do it when our opinion enrages, offends and insults some people's way of life and threaten campus security?

Certainly we are allowed to speak our opinion, even when that opinion is extreme. The trouble, in your case, is the paper's editor(s) allowing the ill-considered opinion piece through.

Secondly do articles of these sort belong in a high school newspaper? Afterall we are teenagers of ages no more than 17 or 18.

I would much rather have such arguments come out in public. Look at what happened in your case:

1) A student made an inflamatory, extreme position attempting to villify a portion of the population. They used their faith as an excuse for their prejudice, and implied that all other members of their faith believed so as well.

2) The student body said in many (some inappropriate) ways that the writer was full of excrement. Even those the writer said would support him, his fellow Christians, expressed this opinion.

Although the threatened (and acted-upon) violence was inappropriate, it's better to have such debates in the public eye, where everyone can see what a fringe element the writer's opinions are. If you forbade public debate on such subjects, the writer would have an easier time of suggesting that he represents the majority to anyone he tries to convince.

As for whether such debate is appropriate for high school students? I'm pretty sick and tired of the coddling that high school students are getting. We try to isolate them from the real world, we eliminate all controversy from their environment, and they never learn to question things or to think critically. Having taught high schoolers, and tutored college kids, this is something that's appalled me. I've had upper-level college students who're struggling with, for example, an textual analysis because the professor didn't tell them the proper conclusion to come to. They've never been exposed to situations where they must form their own opinion based on the evidence presented, and are flabbergasted when they're told it's possible to do just that.

Secondly do articles of these sort belong in a high school newspaper? Afterall we are teenagers of ages no more than 17 or 18.

Certainly. I think the teenage opinion is what's most important right now. I have noticed that teenagers' opinions are more mature than adult opinions. Unless they are trying to be stupid...but that's another story.

-Chris

Is nothing wrong for teens to exercises their views and voices their opinions, but when it comes to a "School sponsored" paper, the "grown ups" should be mediators and should have taking their time to make sure that not improper used of language or insulting stamens were allowed.

I don't blame the heat of the discussion on the students but the adults in charge for let it happend.


[edit on 17-12-2004 by marg6043]

Originally posted by Legend
Certainly. I think the teenage opinion is what's most important right now. I have noticed that teenagers' opinions are more mature than adult opinions. Unless they are trying to be stupid...but that's another story.

-Chris

I guess its a regional thing, but about 99.9% of the teen population in my area doesnt care about anything but getting laid, drunk and buying those new rims for thier stock honda they race on the weekends.

As for school discussions like this I don't see any point in them. We all know its going to end badly, as peole are incapable of maintaining decorum and civility when discussing things they are passionate about, but if you get maybe two or three people alone they can keep it sane. Besides, unless they can vote whats the point in going on about it, if you cant vote, drive, etc, how can you expect to exact any change on the system if your not happy with it?

Originally posted by Whiskey Jack
As for whether such debate is appropriate for high school students? I'm pretty sick and tired of the coddling that high school students are getting. Having taught high schoolers, and tutored college kids, this is something that's appalled me.

With all the stuff that is going on in our heads, do we need more trouble?

Is nothing wrong for teens to exercises their views and voices their opinions, but when it comes to a "School sponsored" paper, the "grown ups" should be mediators and should have taking their time to make sure that not improper used of language or insulting stamens were allowed.

Exactly. The article contained many wrong quotes from the Bible and was too vulgar even by high schoolers standard. What made it worse was that person didn't have stay within topic, which was gay marriage, instead the person went ahead and compared homosexuals with all kind of prison inmates.

Surf

I understand that we are allowed to post our opinons on the opinion column, but are we allowed to do it when our opinion enrages, offends and insults some people's way of life and threaten campus security?

Well, I do believe it is called slander when someone says something publicly which is blatently not true (comparing gays to child molesters).

Secondly do articles of these sort belong in a high school newspaper? Afterall we are teenagers of ages no more than 17 or 18.

Absoulty not. In any newspaper, flat insults encouraged by ignorance should not be tolerated. Even more so in a school newpaper. Can you imagine if the principal of the school was the target of the opinion debate instead of gays? The issue would be shot down in an instant, even before any insults could be said, just for the potential.

---pineapple

in my opinion as a teenager in todays society, the problem is not the nature of the debate, but the negative spin that is put on the word "homosexuality". ALbeit, it is scientifically unnatural for an animal to be homosexual (or else hoe would we reproduce!), but the intelligence of human beings has managed to once again blunder in its view of such topics. Society has put a spin on homosexuality that has people make the inmediate connection between "gay" and "bad". Why, the original meaning of the word "gay" (to be happy) is all but lost on todays teenage society. recent exposures in the media, such as the michael jackson case, or the case with the pedophiliac priest, have people make forced assumptions about homosexuality being some sort of evil. ANd i agree that the Church is not helping much either. (i say this in an entirely atheistic stance) Why, my religion teacher from last year said that the church would not recognize homoesexuals, although it is not in the bible in those exact words to hir(i wish to express neutrality/present as little information as possible as to who the teacher really is) knowledge. I believe the issue of homosexuality should be brought forth ALOT more than it is, for the purpose of showing the people that it is not a great black evil, simply a part of life, a warped gene, that is there and that we all must deal with. The immaturity of teenagers approaching this topic is, in my opinion, a direct result of the negsative interference of uninformed people trying to make themselves heard on a particular view. These people, such as parents and friends, who are very influential on a childs life, contunie to bring the mindset of the American teenage population into the gutter by exemplifying to them unacceptance of deviation to the norm. Therefore, the issue of homosexuality should be broached alot more within schools, especially secondary schools where the issue begins to really take hold in a child's life. Furthermore, properly moderated debates can be essential to learning and mental gorwth.

Originally posted by alternateheaven

I guess its a regional thing, but about 99.9% of the teen population in my area doesnt care about anything but getting laid, drunk and buying those new rims for thier stock honda they race on the weekends.

As for school discussions like this I don't see any point in them. We all know its going to end badly, as peole are incapable of maintaining decorum and civility when discussing things they are passionate about, but if you get maybe two or three people alone they can keep it sane. Besides, unless they can vote whats the point in going on about it, if you cant vote, drive, etc, how can you expect to exact any change on the system if your not happy with it?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm... thats a bit of a generalisationstating that most teenagers don't care about anything but 'but getting laid, drunk and buying those new rims for thier stock honda they race on the weekends.' The teenage image is given a negative spin just as the word "homosexuality" as walhheimat correctly says. If you give teenagers a such negative image it is only your fault when they live up to it.

If teenagers were given more information about the topics so oftenly discussed by the world today they would be able to make an informed decision; they would be able to make a point, back it up and stand by it. Stuff like this should be openly discussed in schools, not just in the newpaper but in classroom and over lunchtables as well. THe majority of teens do have a negative view on Homosexuality (yes, i know that is a generaloisation which is slighly hypocritical of me, but I am a teen with friends of all sexualities so i am aware of how ignorant some teens can be) and this could be changed with a bit more information.

~*~*~LoveForTheArts~*~*~

Did she mention that the quote that christians and republicans quote so much comes from the same chapter that orders kids to be stoned to death for acting up? No? Hypocrit.

Originally posted by waldheimat
ALbeit, it is scientifically unnatural for an animal to be homosexual (or else hoe would we reproduce!),

I agree with just about everything that waldheimat posted but I do have to continue to clear up a falsehood in regards to animal homosexuality.

Many animals do participate in homosexual behavior. Most mammals such as all primates, dogs, cats, etc. frequently display homosexual behavior. Therefore homosexuality is within the bounds of the natural world.

There have also been cases of same sex life partners among animals though I will have to search harder to refind accounts of this as they are not as well known as simply displaying homosexual behavioural patterns.