A school bans the dictionary? Really?

Yes, really.  Based on the complaint of one parent about the inclusion of the term “oral sex” in the dictionary, a school in California has banned the Mirriam-Webster dictionary. 

The collegiate-level dictionary was being used in grade four and five classrooms. The school now promises to begin a thorough scouring of the dictionary for other offensive entries.

I wonder whose job it will be to read the dictionary and highlight those words that might be considered offensive to some thin-skinned, overly-sensitive do-gooder.

Now, if I understand correctly, any individual who finds a single term in any book offensive can have the school board pull the book from its shelves.  If the dictionary is vulnerable, you’d have a hard time convincing me that any other book could not also be banned easily.

Does this not open the doors to a huge problem?

Last time I checked, you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting someone that would be offended by something.  (I’m sorry?  Oh, the term “swing a cat” is offensive to you?)  In a school, you would think that critical thinking would be a skill that would be practiced, if not taught.

As one parent in the article says:

“Pretty soon the only dictionary in the school library will be the Bert and Ernie dictionary.”