Originally published at: Don't Say Gay: Georgia school cancels Batman comic historian's speaking event | Boing Boing
…
6 Likes
It’s a win for conservatives, who would prefer that their own children bask in ignorance so as not to question their authority. That’s the real reason they call it “parents’ rights”.
16 Likes
In case people are unfamiliar with the history of that county… he discusses both the racial violence of 1912 and the Brotherhood march in 1987…
It’s more diverse now than it was in the 80s, when it was still considered a sundown county, but it’s still pretty red and pretty conservative part of the metro area (it’s now considered part of the metro)…
Yep… it’s a deeply authoritarian impulse for sure - the authoritarian family is meant to match the patriarchal authoritarian state.
18 Likes
look we brought you here to show our children how rich men can become crime fighting figures outside the law using violence as a means to an end.
we do not want them empathizing with a mere worker, and a gay one at that
(edit: autocorrect)
that’s some context right there! thanks for pointing that out and sharing that link
17 Likes
OH YEAH.
A good friend of mine is a school teacher in that county. She tells me endless stories of the white entitled parents and their “perfect” progeny. Unsurprisingly, one of her students’ elder siblings was arrested for participating on Jan 6.
Also not surprising, she’s had a hard time making friends in the area.
10 Likes
Yeah, it’s gotten better, especially as the cost of living rises around the closer in suburban counties (Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Cobb), and more people are looking for more affordable options. But it’s still not great there, despite it not being an active sundown county.
I wish her luck! She could always apply for jobs in Gwinnett or Fulton, or with APS… All of those are much more diverse and bluer. She might still have to deal with some entitled parents, but that’s just a hazard for all educators, I’m afraid! It has gotten worse it seems with this new “parent’s rights” movement.
9 Likes
The only thing that seems inappropriate is just generally the discussion of the history and legal fight over creator’s credits for a comic book in a speech for fifth graders. Maybe it was a small part of a larger talk that was relevant and interesting for the age group, but I’m imagining a bunch of kids getting excited (or at least mildly interested) after being promised a talk about Batman, and instead getting one about a particular aspect of IP law…
10 Likes
This is not subject matter that we were aware that he was including
Tell me you didn’t read the book without saying “I didn’t read the book.”
12 Likes
How dare you say people were mistreated and uncredited because they were gay! We’re not allowed to admit that gay people exist, or are people! Why are you being so divisive?
12 Likes
“This guy helped create Batman and didn’t get any credit for it until his descendants fought for it.”
I’d think fifth graders could relate to that.
6 Likes
So they are afraid that he might seduce the innocent?
3 Likes
Just for clarity’s sake, reading Nobleman’s statement and all the other biographical info I could find on Finger, it appears that Fred Finger, Bill’s son, was gay, not Bill. It was Fred’s daughter Athena who helped put over the line the campaign to get Bill the credit he deserved.
Let me spell out that I’m not saying that who was or was not gay is relevant to any sensible discussion. The nuance matters here because this isn’t a sensible discussion. The complainers don’t give a shit about the historical nuance, only that Nobleman dared use the horrible word “gay” before their students. Saying “this guy said Batman’s creator was gay” generates a lot more moral outrage than reciting the messy facts. Generating maximum moral outrage is what they’re all about.
12 Likes
4 Likes
Do fifth graders today know who Batman is? My SO’s 23 year old daughter has never heard of Harrison Ford or Brad Pitt (or compound interest).
4 Likes
Jimminy Christmas. Saying the word gay a couple times in a hour long speech is too much for kids these days? Give me a break.
At that age I was watching Three’s Company re-runs after school 
Also, did the principle not pay attention, or just write a very vague letter. " As Mr. Nobleman chronicled the tale, he included that Mr. Finger was “gay”. "
Bill Finger wasn’t gay, his son was. Rather clunky, unclear homophobic writing.
8 Likes
You see?
It’s all fault of these gay rays, obnubilating his mind.
5 Likes
I’m guessing that probably more fifth graders today are familiar with batman than back when we were kids, and comic book films were not high budget affairs… or that’s when they (comic films) started being more common, but not nearly as big as they are now.
4 Likes
The Lego Batman Industrial Complex alone has a huge market share blanketing that age group.
3 Likes
Comics used to be a niche subculture, but they are being mined for mainstream content now. You can find comics in almost any major book store chain, where as it used to be you needed to go to a comics shop (except for a few you’d find at a local newsstand).
I’m sure there are people who aren’t familiar with various comicbook heros, but that’s true for any bit of pop culture.
5 Likes
