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By Stone Martindale May 14, 2007, 0:57 GMT
'Brokeback' school screening spurs 12 year old into legal action
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Older Talkback
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Brokeback Mountain is a good film. So are Apocalypse Now, The Pianist, Deliverance, Psycho, Schindler's List, and The Deer Hunter. None of them are appropriate for a 12-year-old to watch.
But a lawsuit? Come on.
there are post of teacher credentials, you have to realize that substitute teaching is like working for macdonalds, you dont have to be a rocket scientist to or even a caveman to do it.
If I'm not mistaken I believe Ms. Buford made it clear: 'What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class' This 12 year old troublemaker has broken the first rule of Ms. Bufords class.
Should we really reward children who break the rules?
I am a fairly liberal mother and would normally not act so sensitive...but i agree that this teacher lacked good judgement to show an R rated movie - especially THIS one - to a group of 12 year olds. I probably wouldn't SUE over it...people are 'sue-happy' in the country now, but i would definately expect the substitue teach to be held to consequences.
yes the school were wrong but the family are clearly exploiting the situation bcause they are greedy hypocrites - apparently not rare in America (just look at the comments condoning their action). That is what is most shameful about this.
Don't get the GOP bashing on this subject.
This is a greed issue, maybe.
Yes the parents have the right to be angry and perhaps a lawsuit will force the offensive Ms. Buford to lose her job. But other than that, this move smells like a greedy lotto grab.
Any film that has implicit or explicit sex (Hetro/Homo/Self) should not be shown to any child without the parents permission.
What about a civil suit against the teacher and perhaps the Principal? Make they personally responsible. Why go after a school district that's overburdened and underfunded? Oh, wait, they have insurance. Gotcha!
Good to see they can set a value for their childs innocence at 400K. Yeah, that seems about right.
Wow.
Creepy all the way around.
P.S. Would be interesting to see if the parents have HBO or what PPV movies they've purchased in the last year. You can be sure if this thing goes forward that will comes out. Gonna be kinda tough to declare distress if Mom & Dad buy a lot 'o porn.
I remember being 12 years old and going to school. I am here to say thank god I was never subjected to a gay love story starring cowboys. At twelve years old gay, straight or any sex is for most uncomfortable and should not be addressed particularly under the disclaimer, 'What happens in Ms. Bufords class stays in Ms. Bufords class.' Kids have their whole long, responsiblity packed adult life ahead of them to form their opinions about sex. The fact every kid knows the peer pressures and implied consequences of daily life at school makes it totally understandable how that student felt trapped and compelled to remain seated in class and watch along like everyone else. I have nothing against homo's or hetro's or whatever - people are people but we all have a responsiblity to look after the children and protect there mental and physical health and teachers should not put kids in these situations. It is unreasonable to expect to encounter on the average day at grade school a screening of a sex/romance themed show other than Romeo and Juliet which is of couse minus the anal intrusion. I am sorry for that child and applaud her families bravery for speaking up and in turn helping to prevent this kind of thing from continuing. I think they should gather up those who knowingly allowed this to happen and hang em' high!
Wait a minute, why is the school getting sued? Correct me if I'm wrong but I see the substitute teacher as the main culprit along side the ignorance or lack of action by the principle. Shouldn't they both be the ones in the lawsuit alone?
I just would like to know where that sum of money from the lawsuit is going to come from. Will it come from money that fund school materials? My gosh! If that is the way it will turn out, do those grandparents and little girl have no shame?
The teacher should have showed better discretion. The film was was not appropriate for the age group in question. The teacher should be disciplined.
Adressing Gay themes and issues in general is quite appropriate and in fact necessary,in the case of 12 year olds who are about to be dealing with those issues in real life the following year.
Showing them graphic sex scenes, however, is pointless and inapropriate.
The making an official complaint is entirely fair; firing the teacher is also reasonable.
A lawsuit, however, is merely an opportunistic money grab, based on a backward and parrochial sensibility. I hope they lose.
Traumatized by a sex scene? Please - it's only sex, and it's only a movie.
lol
The only way to get a school to recognize anything like this is to file a lawsuit. Its how things are done when the school screws up. I totally agree that they should have sued for the simple fact its not the teachers place to expose them to homosexual sex let alone regular strait sex, without parents permission. As far as the movie goes, rock on hope they enjoyed it, I used to love movie day. It should have been sent home as a permission slip based thing. Where this went wrong was the principal was notified by the teacher that she wanted to show the flick, the principal should have immediately denied it, and had her send it home as a permission slip. The principal is at fault the school district should be sued and the principal should be reprimanded.
Wow some of you sure do react when a monetary figure appears. Almost like you're worried the sub will be traumatized by the experience.. And it says grandparents not parents. Skip right over that part did you?
Dear Jessica,
I saw Eddie Murphy live in concert at the Chicago Auditorium when I was 14. I remember being EXTREMELY bothered by one part where he made fun of the Honeymooners, and did an act where he was pretending they were gay and having sex. Homosexual behavior is the worst mental illness there is. The sub either has it or is just psychopathic. They made a SERIOUS mistake when they hired her. You reject homosexuality with everything you have. It's the worst problem in the world. We'll try to make sure that homosexuality is dealt with properly. Sorry you and your class had to be guinea pigs, but it wasn't intentional.
Sorry also Eddie, this is no offense to you, that would be ridiculous.
Family has every right to sue the school, sure. Get the teacher or the principal fired, but asking for MONEY!? that's just pure GREED! Where did they pull this $400,000 number from, what's how much their child is worth? Their parents do not deserve to become rich from their daughters traumatic experience. If she's really that traumatised, have her see a counselor, don't the school have one? most do. If anything, they should be suing just to get the school to pay for her counselor if she is that distressed over this, not to get some cash in hand. What a joke. Sure the school is in the wrong with this, showing such a movie to under-age students, but why the hell does everyone have to get $ signs in their eyes whenever they get a chance. Some Americans are just so damn greedy. I've not seen this movie so I cannot comment on how graphic it is, but that's besides the point, the school was in the wrong for showing an R-rated movie to minors. But heck, bring it up in the next PTA meeting, this suing for money BS is pathetic.
Homosexuality is entirely routine, and society should have progressed by now long past caring aboutit - it's simply never going to go away, and there is no point in merely trying to isolate or ostracize the 12 year olds in that class who will be forced to confront their sexuality in the coming years of their young lives, or in training their peers to do so. Kids have enough to worry about, these days.
Better to help them deal with it through frank and non-judgemental discussion and NOT 'traumatize' them by demonizing it, and making them feel like freaks. 'Freedom' starts at home. Addressing the subject itself through discussion is healthy.
Explicit sex scenes (straight or gay) are not appropriate for the 12 year old classroom (at that age, they get plenty of exposure to pornography by sneaking peaks at the magazines in Dad's lunchbox, or at the toys & manuals in Mom's drawer, or from their friend's computer).
A lawsuit over 'damages' is just a silly, selfish waste of court time and taxes. Wake up and smell the 21st century. You can't stop evolution.
Routine? Homosexuality is an evolution? Sounds more like a deterioration. Can't evolve jack squat if you can't reproduce.
Anyone showing this cuss riddled filth to my kids wouldn't have to worry about a lawsuit. No...I would do something far worse to them.
This movie is trash and who ever tried to compare it Romeo and Juliette is an idiot.
The top of this reply page says: 'please do not write in all CAPS or use expletives (including f*** etc)...'
Its not ok to cuss here but its ok for a movie with a script full of nothing but cusses to be played in front of 12 year olds? I think the people defending the showing of this movie to children are big supporters of NAMBLA and the ACLU. IOW Pedophiles.
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