School district gets heat for banning dictionary over 'oral sex' definition. What do you think?

The decision by a Riverside County school district to pull dictionaries from school shelves because it includes the term "oral sex" has been generating national debate.

The Menifee Union School District took the action last week after a parent complained about the Merriam-Webster's 10th edition

This is the definition: "Main Entry: oral sex Function: noun Date: 1973 : oral stimulation of the genital."

"It's just not age-appropriate," school spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the Press-Enterprise. "It's hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we'll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature."

The district is getting some heat (check out this critique on Witness L.A.).

What do you think? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[steve]

This is what school districts spend their time on? Great no wonder education is failing. Most kids know what oral sex is very early on these days. I don't think they have to look it up. I really hope this is a joke. Is the Taliban involved?

[Chris]

Look, it's a dictionary. It defines the term 'oral sex'. A dictionary is not supposed to be 'age appropriate', it is supposed to assist you by defining words. It will contain a good number of words and terms in common usage; some of those are bound to be 'inappropriate' in certain circumstances; I wouldn't want to be having a discussion about oral sex at the dinner table for example.

Just deal with it. It's a dictionary. If you can't handle the presence of a dictionary in the life of you or your children, reconsider your skills as a parent.

[Brian]

I've never heard anything so double plus unsmart. Big brother would be proud.

[Celia]

What, do they think that if the kids look it up or find it in a dictionary they'll start doing it in the classroom?

Geez, we should be celebrating the fact that a child actually *used* a dictionary in the first place!

This is just censorship, plain and simple.

[DRE DAWG]

To Kill: 1 a : to deprive of life : cause the death of b (1) : to slaughter (as a hog) for food (2) : to convert a food animal into (a kind of meat) by slaughtering
2 a : to put an end to b : defeat, veto c : to mark for omission; also : delete d : annihilate, destroy
3 a : to destroy the vital or essential quality of b : to cause to stop c : to check the flow of current through
4 : to make a markedly favorable impression on
5 : to get through uneventfully ; also : to get through (the time of a penalty) without being scored on
6 a : to cause extreme pain to b : to tire almost to the point of collapse
7 : to hit (a shot) so hard in various games that a return is impossible
8 : to consume (as a drink) totally

IS IT AGE APPROPRIATE TO TEACH LITTLE KIDS ABOUT KILLING ANOTHER HUMAN BEING??? TAKE THAT WORD OUT OF THE DICTIONARY TOO. WHEN DOES ALL THIS "SEX IS DIRTY" GOING TO STOP? THERE'S A MAJOR SEX SCENE DESCRIBED IN THE BIBLE...YOU GOING TO BAN THAT TOO???

[David Worrell]

It says 'Collegiate Dictionary' right on the front of it. If you think college kids don't know what oral sex is, perhaps you never actually went to college (or high school?). I'm not sure if that's an argument to put 'oral sex' in that dictionary or keep it out. How about getting more specific, as in 'cunnilingus' and 'fellatio'? Those terms might be a bit more informative.

[Buck]

Most of those concerned parents would be stunned to know that their sons and daughters are already performing oral sex (some kids call it technical virginity).

Grow up and talk with your own children and don't worry about the rest of us; we'll do fine.

[intell]

Clinton made it a common household word during the news at dinner when Monica and him were in the news together. Whats the big deal about it being in the dictionary. Somebody has to acutally look it up to be offened. They offened us on the nightly news with this for months.

[sss]

If a child is old enough to look up 'oral sex,' it's age appropriate.

[verbwank]

In the early 1970s the most convincing justification for pornography was that it merely depicted what billions of normal people do.It should be a consideration in this case.

[C Newlin]

The Dictionary is not "age appropriate". We've reached a new low. What does it say about the school system and about that one uptight parent that they are bent out of shape over "oral sex", but didn't apparently care that the Good Book also contains such things as the "N" word, genocide, hate etc? Truly offensive concepts.

What can you say? They *banned* the Dictionary for cryin' out loud!

[there in 1969]

Yes, Betti, probably half (or more) of your high school-age students engage in oral sex, but banning a dictionary, that will make a real difference. Do you actually sit there, night after night, looking for "graphic" words?

[Chuck]

I think the censoring that LAT does of these postings is as bad as the dictionary censoring.

[B james]

What should any educated adult think of such antics? The entire school board should be relieved of their duties and properly accredited educators should be put in charge of the schools. It's very clear that Ms. Cadmus and her minions are are not educators and are completely devoid of common sense.

[hermosawave]

Of course this is ridiculous. I'm sure they banned Fahrenheit 451, too :-)

The Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary is an adult dictionary. If they don't want their students looking up oral sex, perhaps they should change to the Merriam-Webster's Elementary Dictionary.

And I would would bet a majority of 5th graders already know what oral sex is.

[guest]

Too many damn liberals running the schools in this state!! Vote right--vote Republican--vote against incumbants!!

[Chris M]

This is a monumentally stupid decision that will do absolutely nothing to help children in any respect, least of all their education. That supposedly rational adults continue to lapse into hysteria over any sexual reference is beyond belief. What will anatomy and physiology books look like in twenty years I wonder? When is the book burning scheduled?

[masterpuff theater]

Perhaps the school board should be more like the Chinese government, and ban anything that doesn't conform to their political agenda. The dictionary doesn't make any calls regarding the appropriateness of information. It's just information. Trying to control the thinking of others is anathema to the American way of life. For those parents who want to censor the dictionary, please move back to the 16 century.

[Tom]

There's nothing else to say but how utterly ridiculous. And Betti says, "It's hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we'll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature."
Sounds a little bit like the behavior of the ten year olds she "protecting" from all that dirty stuff.
Sheesh!

[Bill]

Why don't they ban the whole English language, there are lots of bad words in you know. They should make a list of only 'good' words allowed.
I wonder what other censorship they are performing "for the benefit" of the kids.

[Robert]

Whats next the Encyclopedia

[Chang]

As if the students don't already know the definition, this being a post-Clinton era.

[AK]

I judge the thoroughness of a dictionary by whether it includes that word that starts with an F and ends with a K (& isn't "firetruck") and I love the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. That said, note the use of the word "collegiate;" it's not the Merriam-Webster's High School-Appropriate Dictionary.

[J. Swan]

This is ridiculous. Censoring a definition in a dictionary, and the whole dictionary. What year is this, 1950?
It's hard to believe people still react like this to something so trivial. No wonder we don't have decent healthcare in this country, and a hole in the ozone layer.
thank you for the opportunity to comment. J. Swan, Sunland, CA

[Scott]

While they're at it, be sure to ban Google. Any kid can find far worse things in just a minute or two.