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to the presence of profanity. Please remove any objectionable content from your
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I read several articles on the suspension of a teacher for
his use of a poem by Allen Ginsberg. I
chose one which seemed favorable to the teacher and attempted to make a
comment. My comment was disallowed on
the basis that it contained “profanity”.
The entire comment is found below.
Do you find any profanity in it?
“This is an
interesting development in our society. I am a huge fan of Allen Ginsberg. I had to take a second look at the news when
I saw the poem in question.
Yes this is an erotic
poem. It is a poem about sexual
desire. It is a poem about homosexual
sex. Allen was Gay, Allen was
celebrating his love and his desire in this poem.
His poetry beginning
with Howl for Carl Solomon has always challenged conventional values and from
the beginning has been upheld in the courts against local provincial moral /
political watchdogs.
I have been a fan of
Ginsberg's poetry since the 1960's and have watched his career develop. I think it is appropriate that his poetry is
still causing a disturbance. Apparently
there is still something to disturb.
The suspension of
this teacher comes to us in the social context of a renewed opposition to
people who are homosexuals. Gay marriage is seen as a portent of the end of
civilization whereas increased militarization and increased warfare are seen as
preserving our way of life. Allen
Ginsberg was also anti-war and pro peace and love.
I would suggest that
the make love not war slogan is much more beneficial to world peace than the
make war for peace propaganda affecting the minds of the impressionable
populace today.
This teacher should
get his job back and an apology.”
The above comment was rejected by the Journal
Inquirer.com on the grounds that there was profanity in it. Do you see any profanity? What is the objectionable content in my comment?
Historically Connecticut has had a hard time with sexual
attitudes even heterosexual attitudes. Up until the mid-1960’s Connecticut would
not allow women married to men to use birth control. I took out the part below not because I thought it was
objectionable, but because I figured there were some prudes that might find it
objectionable and call it profanity. “Yes
this is an erotic poem. It is a poem
about sexual desire. It is a poem about
homosexual sex. Allen was Gay, Allen was
celebrating his love and his desire in this poem.” It’s all I could think of
that might be regarded as profane by the prudes in Connecticut!
The comment
was still rejected. Where is the
profanity? So much for a free press and
free expression and the ability to discuss social issues wouldn't you say?
Maybe the rationale for labeling my remarks as profanity is
found here. “The
federal Comstock Law of 1873 made it illegal to sell or distribute materials
that promoted contraception or abortion, to send literature or materials
pertaining to these subjects through the United States Postal Service, or to
obtain them from overseas. Legislators passed the law hoping to mitigate the
influence of obscene materials on the morality of the general population as
well as to stem the growing practice of couples engaging in pre-marital sex.”
Connecticut was the last state in the union to
deny women the liberty to decide whether or not to get pregnant. (Is pregnancy really something the state has
a right to decide on for a sexually active woman?) Historically and currently speaking
the political operatives in Connecticut just didn’t and don’t seem to like sex
of any kind unless it places a burden on women. I see this reflected in the outrageous
suspension of this teacher for using a sexually explicit poem in his classroom.
Poetry at its socially relevant best exposes the inclination
of society. Songs like “Over There” and “Ohio” are
examples. Both works of art provoked the
national spirit to take action. One was
created to send kids to die in a war designed to benefit the arms manufactures
of the world. The Nye committee
investigated that. One was written to
stop an illegal war inVietnam,the Pentagon Papers exposed that.
Poetry opens our eyes allowing us to see. By censoring art and ideas society has taken a
stick and poked out its own eyes but still wants to be the leader. Do you want
to be a citizen following a blind leader?
If you do, just keep silent and don’t complain about where you end up.
"Please Master" can be read here. You may not like it, you may be disgusted. I love the freedom Allen felt in being Gay and being able to write such a revealing poem.
The Taliban of American society hates that freedom. Are you one of them?
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