Letter to the Editor
Day of Silence
Published Sunday, April 13, 2008
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To the editor:
As a grandmother, I am totally amazed that my grandchildren are exposed to the “Day of Silence” on April 25 at West Valley and Lathrop high schools in Fairbanks. They have never been taught to discriminate against anyone but equally they do not accept the lifestyle being brought to them in a captive manner.
Promoting this agenda opens a Pandora’s box. Those that are silent are allowed to pass out cards as to why they are silent. I hope the authority(ies) that instituted this day will hear my voice.
Community Discussion
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No lifestyle is being taught--it simply exists. What is wrong with accepting that? Moreover, what is wrong with calling attention to abuse practiced against anyone?
What is this letter about?
then tell your loved one to be loud and pass out cards as to why they are being loud... from what i have read, this is not a required event.
a few things to consider,
-this is not a vow of silence to support the homo/bi community...
-it is a vow to stand against the bullying and abuse of...
-over time, your grandchildren are going to be "exposed" to a LOT worse than a school function...
-there is nothing "captive" about the homo/bi community...
-unless you are homo/bi...
-you are a grandmother? well this is 2008, you could be 30 years old for all we know so i say, you still got a lot of livin to do sister...
ask your daughter, (you know, the kids PARENTS), what she thinks, and if that is not possible to do then i say again, sounds like you got bigger things to worry about than a student ran school function...
Dear Pat Fink:
The reason events like this are held is so that students can be aware of the bullying and abuse that other students impose. By sitting there and saying you don't support ending that abuse, well, what kind of bully does that make you?
If a group of black students or Asian students or Native students organized a day of silence and were silent to demonstrate the abuse and bullying they are subjected to, would that be any different?
I hope and pray your grandchildren grow to be more tolerant than you are.
I don't understand the correlation between being silent and taking a stand. So everybody is going to be really quiet for a whole day and thats going to result in less intolerance for and abuse against the gay community?
do some research freeze
there is also the "day of truth" which is the christian extremist opposition to this
Pshh. Research smesearch.
Ms. Fink I think you are completely off base being so concerned that your grandchildren are being subject to the captive manner in which this lifestyle is being presented to them. An anti-violence demonstration is not going to irreparably damage the children - nor turn any of them gay.
I am not in favor of the schools or government engaging in the teaching of moralism or social values to children in the least bit. I don't believe that any government has much business getting into any parenting role, per se', and am offended in many ways when the government does so.
That said, this is a STUDENT-driven action, and one that 'speaks' for those who've had far too few stand/speak for them in meaningful ways in the past.
It's a statement by STUDENTS about discrimination of any sort NOT being o.k. In this case, it specifically addresses those who are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgendered; many of whom have been mistreated in various ways, specifically related to that orientation.
The fact that we live in a country where persons have been killed or tormented, or left to stew in the pain of living as social outcasts, until suicide is an option, not tooo dissimilarly to how some pagans were treated by puritans and others so many centuries ago, who ironically purported to have come 'here' to find religious freedom, is shameful. But then, cultures around the world have frequently, throughout history, had those groups of persons whom they legitimized abusing, either through religious doctrine, social norms, or political stratification.
I am proud of any of my children who engage in this action, or, more aptly, inaction, for taking it upon themselves to make a silent statement that they support the humanity represented by various sexual orientations, and stand against the abuse of all kinds toward those who experience these attributes.
Thanks for making the effort to teach us something, kids. Whether we realize any need to be more informed or empathetic, or not. You represent at least one instance of persons today who give me hope for the human race. And I'm otherwise a bit 'thin' on that particular commodity these days. At least where it relates to the future of human-kind.
Im so sick of the "its OK to be gay stuff"
Yeah, and then others are quite sick of bigots and ignorant, busy-body theocrats who take it on themselves to condemn or mistreat what's otherwise none of their business.
What to do? What to do??
Dirk - I agree with you. You summed it up rather well for me.
A student-led "protest" (?) is of an entirely different variety than a school-led and endorsed one. It appears that this day of silence was student-led and I believe that standing up for others is important. I do get very frustrated with the school system on occasion, when what I want my children to learn and what they are being taught sometimes end up being very different things, but that's where I believe that parenting comes in. I would hope that parents don't teach oppression, but all I can do is teach my own children and *try* to live by example.
Discrimination and abuse are never okay and being shown that respect, even when there may be disagreement, is a noble thing to strive towards. In the absence of harm to self and others, there is no good reason for a lack of respect.
I am wondering WHY the Parents and
Community of Alaska public schools have NO VOICE in what our kids are
being subjected to when we send them off to school. I received an email a month ago
informing me that on Friday,
April 25, several thousand schools across the nation would be observing
a "Day of Silence (DOS)." I had never heard of this. I
did some research, and found out that yes several of our local schools
were participating. More shocking is that this information was not anywhere on the FNSB website. Not because I am anti-gay or
homophobic (I have a lot of gay friends and a gay sister) but because we
are allowing the classroom to be disrupted and politicized by
granting students and teachers permission to remain silent throughout an entire day.
I do not think this is the proper forum to educate. I am a Christian,
and my daughter goes to public school, before that Montessori... the
political climate in these schools against Christianity is appalling yet
school officials seem to deem it appropriate to take an entire day to
support the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual lifestyle. The National Day of Silence
brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in
schools. This year’s event will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a
California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate
because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. (Maybe we should be addressing Guns in schools.) The FNSB and other
districts have given parents permission to keep there kids home that day
without penality of absence if they choose not to attend.
Who decides which political issue will be permitted to disrupt the
educational
process? What's next? A day of tolerance for all peoples
would be more appropriate...Christians, Muslims, Catholics, Homosexuals,
homeless people, addicts, men, women, Natives, Jews,
Differentlly abled, the elderly, the poor, the overweight, the adopted,
etc.... I am concerned that this information has not been readily
available to the general public and I am fearful of what else we don't
know.
3:29 PM 4/11/2008
i guess i am not reading the letter clearly. i gather from the comments that the schools are asking everyone to be silent in order to deal with bullies? i guess i am stuck in the era when you would just pick up a stick and beat the h@*# out of a bully i never was comfortable with the "i'm ok, you're ok" frame of mind.
I'm sorry folks, but with all the crap that is on tv and on the internet, children don't have much of chance to form their own opinion of right or wrong. Gay lifestyle, girls gone wild, brokeback mountain. What has happened to "US"? Alaska has been called "God's Country". I'm sure many Alaskans are very proud of that, I know I would be, but where is the pride that made Alaska so great? So-called Modern Times are not that far from Sodom and Gamorra.
This is the kind of social engineering that many of us see as misplaced in public schools. How about teaching the kids the tools that they will need for higher education or employment, instead of social values that may or may not be acceptible to their parents, or the rest of society. Is there no room for improvement on test scores? Lest they become little robots, that's where social interaction, sports, and clubs come in.
Maybe a student came up with the idea originally, but I suspect that it was educators that spread the idea nationwide. The schools, educators, and unions seem intent on turning out another generation of liberals. If citizens say "enough", we are called intolerant, behind the times, hate filled. Bullfeathers. Teach these children to read well, get them to graduate, turn them loose, and let them come to their own conclusions.
I have no hate towards gays. I wonder how that could be. I never had sensitivity training in public school. But for those that complain about how gays are treated in the US, have you read how they are treated elsewhere in the world? Oh that's right, they have no gay people in countries like Iran.
I love it when people take any article that has "school" in it and turn it into a diatribe against public schools (*cough-glacierles-cough*) This was a student-led protest. Teachers come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. There are democrats, republicans, independants, greenies, AIP, etc. that are teachers. There is not some vast leftist conspiracy by the teachers and the unions to turn your children into homosexuals. If teachers had that much influence over the children they teach, I think they would use that influence to make them better readers, writers, and mathematicians. It all comes down to PARENTING. Elementary teachers are teaching your children maybe 5 hours out of the day. Junior high and high school teachers see each child for an hour a day. So who has the opportunity to influence children more??? The parent or the teacher??? Oh, I'm sorry, parents don't have time to be parents. Just shuffle them off to school, give them a cell phone, ipod, and xbox and they will be just fine, right?
The National Day Of Silence was started a decade ago by an adult homosexual advocacy group, the Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), with the goal of promoting
homosexuality to all students in a given school. It has grown enormously, unfortunately,
as the support for the 'gay' agenda has been embraced by thousands of schools and
impressionable students nationwide.
The Day of Silence postures every person who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual or
cross-dresser as a victim of ongoing, unrelenting harassment and discrimination (being
'silenced'). While some incidents like this do occur, this event is an overwhelming
exaggeration in an effort to manipulate our kids' natural sympathies. The result ironically
is that youth develop favorable views about a controversial, high risk behavior. At the
same time, any disagreement, even when responsibly expressed, is viewed as "hateful".
This year, GLSEN adds a special twist to “Day of Silence”: shameless exploitation of the
recent tragic school shooting death of California 8th grade student Lawrence King. Los
Angeles media report that although the boy had been entrusted to the care of Casa
Pacifica, a residential center for “abused, neglected, and severely emotionally disturbed
children,” he had been permitted for the last two weeks to attend school in feminine
makeup, nail polish, and high-heeled boots. The adult guardians, school administrators,
and teachers responsible for guiding and protecting this precious troubled child failed him
miserably; GLSEN fails him again now by employing his violent death to manipulate and
deceive millions of children.
Public schools, funded by tax dollars, should teach reading, writing, math, history, science, ect. They should not be forcing the state's morals on our children.
Freedom and individual liberty allow me to be as intolerant as I choose, and even teach my children to be intolerant of behaviors that no matter how accepted they become in society, are not normal.
Pretty soon they will have our children goose steping down Cushman.
Sorry, but I have more to share:
Unfortunately, thousands of schools are now involved. Some schools are passive in
their participation, and simply allow a few students (usually members of a homosexual
school club) to hang signs around their necks and remain silent all day. Other schools are
at the other end of the spectrum, with many students, teachers and faculty remaining
silent, and with the school allowing several days of outside speakers, school assemblies,
announcements, even school TV shows.
One more thing:
In reality, the Day of Silence is a one-sided campaign to manipulate acceptance of
homosexuality by every student. Nationwide, parents are fed up with the political
hijacking of their kids' classrooms with no opposing views allowed. What makes it even
more problematic is that the results of 'tolerating' this lifestyle without objection can be
tragic for many young people. The risks of homosexual behavior are well-understood by
public health officials, but are being ignored by some politically correct school
administrations.
I think all this "progress" will herald the end of us.
OneVoice: Way to go!! I knew there was some Pride still around!!
This is the first I have heard of this. Do the teachers not speak all day also?
This was all about it's okay to be gay and not at all about it's not okay to bully. Plain and simple. And all of us who believe that it's not okay to be gay are biggots. Shame on the school district for allowing this garbage.
This was not forced on anyone. This was a student-led protest. Students were free to participate or not participate. It was not sponsored by the school. Why does everyone insist on saying that the school is forcing their moral standards on children??? And whose moral standards are we talking about?? My morals and your morals may be different. Again, if children were that impressionable, than they would be learning more. I bet teachers wish that children listened and reacted to their teaching as much as everyone thinks they do.
As I think more and more about this I wonder WHY didn't the DNM do a story on The DOS to inform the community? I submitted an editorial days ago on the subject (which hasn't come to print). It surely affects our lives more than 'recycling bicyles' or 'art found in the trash'.
Student: Gee...it sure does look like it would be fun to be gay, but I'm not sure.
Teacher: Don't worry. Being gay is just fine and is perfectly acceptable in today's society. Go for it!
Student: Really? Gee...thanks!! If my teacher says its OK, than it must be OK!!!
Teacher: That's right. Teachers command that much respect in our school system these days. So go ahead....be gay!!
Student: OK. Its official....I'm GAY!!!!
Is that how everyone thinks it works????