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This, from today's Los Angeles Times, may be of interest to many here:
<a
href="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-book3jun03235618,1,1524698.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california"
eudora="autourl">http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-book3jun03235618,1,1524698.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california</a>
(may require sign-up for access)<br><br>
In part:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><h1><b>In Complaint to Riverside Schools,
Toilet-Humor Book Doesn't Amuse</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h2><b>A grandmother wants the Riverside district to remove a volume with
characters such as Deputy Doo-Doo.</b></h2><br><br>
By Kristina Sauerwein<br>
Times Staff Writer<br><br>
June 3, 2003<br><br>
The stink started with a picture drawn by Pam Santi's 7-year-old grandson.<br><br>
"It was disgusting," said the Riverside resident. "He was drawing a
piece of poop."<br><br>
More specifically, Taylond, a second-grader, was sketching Deputy Doo-Doo, the
villainous character in "The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby" by Dav
Pilkey.<br><br>
The book is part of the author's bestselling "Captain Underpants" series,
which presents such subjects as talking toilets, troublemaking cafeteria ladies
from outer space and a mad scientist named Professor Pippy P. Poopypants.<br>
</blockquote><br>
This is an often-visited type of controversy here: do librarans have the right, the
obligation, or both to exercise a sense of common decency in their selection
policies?<br>
And perhaps more basically, do the ends (in this case, that kids read)
justify the means (in this case, placement of puerile, offensive, vulgar
publications on the shelves).<br><br>
It seems to me that there is a similarity, at some level, to the issue raised
earlier today about an offensive play (the one about
"hillbillies"). What is the role of judgment and a sense of decency
in making these choices?<br><br>
Ken<br>
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<br>
<div>----------------------------------------------------</div>
<div>Kenneth W. Umbach, Ph.D.</div>
<div>Research-Writing-Editing-Consulting</div>
<div>Ken@umbachconsulting.com</div>
<div><a href="http://www.umbachconsulting.com/"
EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.umbachconsulting.com</a></div>
<div>6966 Sunrise Blvd., #263</div>
<div>Citrus Heights, CA 95610</div>
<div>916-733-2159 -- voice</div>
<div>----------------------------------------------------</div>
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