Brokeback Elementary
Posted by at 14th May, 2007
When I read this I was blown away…
A lawsuit has been launched against a school teacher who showed Brokeback Mountain to a class of young students. Twelve-year-old Jessica Turner and her grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking $500,000 against the Chicago Board of Education after the movie was shown at Ashburn Community Elementary School. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Friday claims Turner “suffered psychological distress” after viewing the R-rated film, which was viewed by the class without permission from the student’s parents or legal guardians. IMDB
Umm. Wow. Where to begin? On second thought, I don’t think I can say anything to top this one..
Any comments?
12 Responses to “Brokeback Elementary”
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My goodness! I would be really upset if my children had been shown an R rated film (it’s rated 15 in UK) without my permission at that age! And they wouldn’t have got permission!! That’s appalling! For me it has nothing to do with the subject matter of the film – just that it is far to adult for 12 year olds!
I so agree! I’ve only got youngins and we try to keep the pretty savvy when it comes to the world, but to have kids thrust into a movie like that? I’ve seen it and I’m not simply talking about the homosexual content. The movie is a harsh one to swallow, I can’t imagine it through the eyes of a 12 year old. I just hate it that the schools try to push the boundaries of our kids in such an unbalanced way.
Homeschool!
This is stupid. It is ok to show that junk but now smoking cigs will get an “R” rating. Hollywood.
Just imagine what the ACLU would do if the school officials had shown Mel Gibson’s the Passion of the Christ with or without parental permission!!!
Someone should be fired for that Brokeback stunt. And if the school is smart, they’ll settle that lawsuit asap.
I did a little checking on this story. I couldn’t imagine a classroom teacher showing children even a PG movie. Turns out it was a substitute teacher, which makes more sense. Speaking as a former school teacher, subs often do wacky things when the regular teacher is gone. Though I think “Brokeback Mountain” is an excellent film, I agree that it is not suitable viewing for children. But neither is “Passion of the Christ” and I imagine a lot of 12 year olds (and younger) were subjected to watching that movie by parents, youth leaders, etc.
Stuart,
You know me very well. This one really bothers me. What redeeming value is there in a movie about homosexuality? I’m not trying to be judgmental–I just don’t see why a Christian would want to see this movie and find it entertaining. Just wondering.
So, you’re asking why I saw it?
Well, it wasn’t for entertainment. I watched it very purposefully (and fast forwarded parts). I had come into contact with some kids that said it impacted them very much (“inspired them”). And felt that if I was wanting to have a good conversation with them about it and not come off as being judgmental… I needed to see it. It also showed them that I was willing to step into their world (or try and understand things that mean something to them). Did I have to watch it? Nope. I wanted to bridge that gap so I could get to know their story better.
Did watching Brokeback give me the opportunity to preach the gospel at them? No, not yet. But it sure gave us a great conversation and we’ve had good ones since.
Oh and thanks Brian for clearing this thing up. The substitute teacher makes more sense – but the school board is still in a heap of trouble.
Stuart,
I wasn’t talking about you. I’m talking about Christians who went or rented for entertainment. I understand why you might see it just like my dad saw the original Exorcist when he was in youth minisrty years ago.
“Why would Christians go see this movie?” For that matter, why would Christians go see any movie? “Brokeback Mountain” is not “about homosexuality.” It is about people — people struggling with a great deal of personal pain with no one to turn to for help or understanding. One of the great sins of the Church in our time is that we have, in great part, chosen to treat the “issue” of homosexuality because it’s so much easier than dealing with individual persons who happen to be gay. We can sit around talking academically about the issue all day — it’s another thing entirely to actually deal with a gay person as a fellow human being. THis is what the film does — it forces us to look at the humanity of persons struggling to survive in a culture that tells them to hate themselves. Just food for thought.
Thanks Brian,
I’m just trying to see other views.
Kevin, that’s one thing I like about Stuart’s blog. Lots of different views expressed here. Thanks for sharing yours.
Brian