http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/28/new-york-city-schools-ban-loaded-words-from-tests/?hpt=hp_c3

Apperently in the effort to "Not Offend" people and minority groups the NY school system is banning several common topics and words in fear it may offend certain groups

The list includes....

Dinosaurs: I guess it might invoke evolution thoughts and offend fundamentalists.
Birthdays: Since Jehovah's witnesses may be offended.
Halloween: For insinuating paganism.

3/29/2012 5:33:52 PM

maddow: to discourage bush-eating

3/29/2012 5:35:01 PM

This reminds me of "trigger warnings", which is the equivalent of of "this might be not be suitable for children" except it's aimed at adults.

3/29/2012 5:58:45 PM

We're doomed as a species if we don't get over this idea that religion should be shielded from redicule. We can't even mention facts like dinosaurs, not even in an non-evolutionary context, without offending a crazy person? Fuck me.

3/29/2012 7:15:44 PM

remind me how this is the doing of liberals again?

3/29/2012 7:42:48 PM

I don't agree with this either, but the point is less to shelter kids and more to make the test as culturally/emotionally neutral as possible. I remember seeing some thing about how the SAT question that had the biggest gap in correct answers between black and white kids was an analogy question where the answer involved the word "regatta," because who besides some Richie Rich stereotype is even going to know wtf a regatta is?

3/29/2012 7:56:36 PM

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

3/29/2012 8:00:20 PM

^^But what the fuck do these words (e.g. Divorce. Dinosaurs, Birthdays. Religion. Halloween. Christmas. Television) have to do with race/poverty (and who the fuck cares about emotionally neutral)?

Do you think poor black kids don't have birthdays or something?

[Edited on March 29, 2012 at 8:41 PM. Reason : ]

3/29/2012 8:40:29 PM

I mean, the OP says birthdays are there for the Jehovah's Witnesses. Again, I don't really think there's any good justification for this personally. I could even see leaving off "divorce" and stuff like that, because it might cause a 9 year old whose parents are getting a divorce to flip out. But excluding like "pepperoni" and "television" is kind of ridiculous.

Just to play devil's advocate, though, the point of a standardized test isn't really to help kids come to grips with whatever weird trigger words they have. That's for the other 200 school days - the standardized test is just to see if you can write a paragraph and do your basic math.

3/29/2012 9:11:44 PM

^^^ Actually, all of the dinoSARS aww female

[Edited on March 29, 2012 at 9:13 PM. Reason : ]

3/29/2012 9:13:04 PM

So it is more frightening to be killed by genetically engineered dinosaurs if you know their awesome name or if you don't?

3/29/2012 9:45:39 PM

Quote :

"GONE TO FAR"

3/31/2012 7:18:47 PM