Jim's comments (member since Nov 12, 2007)

Jim's comments from the Banned Books group.

William wrote: "I learned long ago not to care what people thought and that just because someone thinks something, it doesn't make that thought true

I guess neither of us thinks much of what each other thinks...."

I'm not much for anyone thinking they have the "TRUTH"
and that includes You

this will be my last response because I can see You're more on the meglomania end of the spectrum

William wrote: "If You think paying taxes to the state makes You a slave, I don't think You have any idea about what real slavery is
“Why would you say modern government just prior to the coming of the Imperials..."

I learned long ago not to care what people thought and that just because someone thinks something, it doesn't make that thought true

I guess neither of us thinks much of what each other thinks

William wrote: "Jim wrote: "William wrote: "Jim wrote: "I listened to LOLITA awhile ago and loved the book but it was difficult to do because I have a 14 yr old daughter

whether HH was weak or not, he was still..."

If You think paying taxes to the state makes You a slave, I don't think You have any idea about what real slavery is

William wrote: "Jim wrote: "I listened to LOLITA awhile ago and loved the book but it was difficult to do because I have a 14 yr old daughter

whether HH was weak or not, he was still an adult pedofile -

it..."

I don't think You have much understanding of how society has changed even though human motivation is still very similar

we don't cut off a person's hand for stealing nor imprison people for being debtors today

you're point about arbitrariness also seems limited to things like being arbitray about driving on one side of the road and not about matters involving some moral or societal value/choice

I listened to LOLITA awhile ago and loved the book but it was difficult to do because I have a 14 yr old daughter

whether HH was weak or not, he was still an adult pedofile -

it doesn't matter what Lolita did, HH was not justified in taking advantage of Lolita or whether Lolita was taking advantage of HH

also the time frame of the book did not allow marriage of 12 yr old females in the US/Europe

what society condoned/encouraged at earlier times seems irrelevant to me - it seems that you have to look at the mores at the time of the book's action



what else has any one read of the author's?

I think I'd tell them it's just like when their parents try to ban some of the music the kids want to listen to.
The parents might hear 1 song that is racially/sexually provocative and think all songs of that genre are the same when the 1 song the parents heard might be the exception rather than the norm.
So the parents then want to ban/challenge all songs the kids are listening to.


good luck - I have a 12 going on 13 yr old girl.

I can't imagine being in a room where it's 1 adult versus however many number of kids like my Daughter and trying to teach her/them anything.

I read 2 books every so often that may give you some insight to your students.
One is The Female Brain by a woman psychiatrist
which is general and informative about the interaction between hormones and the brain.
It covers that interaction from the womb until death and what she discusses keeps coming up in a lot of things I read now.

It's not a difficult read as she doesn't put that much medical/scientific jargon in it.

When she does she explains it so no matter how science-terminology-challenged you are, it makes sense.
It is very interesting from a variety of view points besides the chemical aspect.
It includes perspectives from anthropological,
evolutional, sociological and other disiplines.

The other book is called Unhooked by a Washington Post reporter.

It's really a good read as this reporter chronicles in the field what young girls from 8th/9th grade on through young adulthood are going through in the era of the hookup.

It covers girls who go to exclusive private high schools and exclusive colleges like Duke, Georgetown etc.

It discusses the hookup relationship from both sex's perspectives but is mainly discussed from the female perspective.

I think it will help me guide my Daughter through those teenage years which are a lot harder today to deal with than when I was a teenager in the 60s.

I don't get it - either you believe in something or you don't.
What difference does it make whether I believe in a rock/couch/God/Nature as long as I treat people/nature right. It's not like I own the world/a lake or about any thing else.
I can't prove any god/supernatural entity exists nor has any one proven one does not exist.
My kids are enough proof that there's a wonderful world that I'll be a part of the world through them and their memory of me in the future.
That's plenty for me.