According to AC Homeschoolers Call for ABC Boycott After Joy Behar Calls "A Lot" of Homeschoolers "Demented"
Homeschoolers across the United States are talking about another comment made by mainstream media that portrayed them in a bad light. This time the buzz is caused by a remark made by Joy Behar, a popular personality on ABC's The View, when on Thursday's show she remarked that "a lot" of homeschoolers are "demented". This has many homeschoolers on the defense and even going as far as to call for a boycott of ABC programming.
I will not be joining the boycott. While I did find Joy Behar's comment that "homeschoolers are demented" distasteful, I also noted that Elisabeth Hasselbeck defended homeschoolers. Something the outraged homeschoolers who plan to boycott ABC seemed to have overlooked.
There is also the matter of free speech. While I find it sad that Joy Behar believes a lot" of homeschoolers are "demented", she is entitled to her opinion and entitled to express it. And while Ms. Behar's comment may have hurt homeschoolers feelings, it didn't do any real harm to homeschoolers. Let's save our outrage and boycotts for things that really matter.
This was a great response by one homeschool Mom to Joy Behar's comment Joy Behar, I Have a Question For You: When Will the Left Finally Get it On Home Education?
"Let's save our outrage and boycotts for things that really matter."
ReplyDeleteYeah, like Subway. LOL!!!!
I completely agree with you. Small minded people have small minded opinions. Her comments will have no impact.
Not to mention that she spoke accurately -- a lot of homeschoolers ARE demented.
ReplyDeleteMaybe less proportionately, if compared to tv celebrities, but still . . .
;-)
LOL
ReplyDeleteIn a way I can understand the outrage. If she had said homosexuals are demented, she probably wouldn't have a job. Homeschoolers and Christians are one of the few groups it's still OK to stereotype, ridicule and insult.
Kinda makes you feel sorry for comedians. ;>)
But in all the upset the fact that Elisabeth Hasselbeck did come to homeschoolers defense is being ignored. While it is upsetting that some people think homeschoolers are demented the fact that more people are recognizing those homeschoolers who aren't demented is promising.
i imagine if joy had referred to *children* as being demented, no one would have batted an eye. ;^)
ReplyDeleteThe proportion of "demented" people in homeschoolers isn't any greater than the general population. We're just easy to pick on because we go against the norm. I sort of feel sorry for comedians too. You can't make fun of anyone anymore. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working with the school board and superintendent's cabinet, we had an assistant supt for exceptional student education (ESE) which meant dealing intensively with a child's parents and teachers (and often specialty lawyers) trying to hammer out every small part of that child's individualized program --
ReplyDeleteShe used to roll her eyes when I'd ask her how things were going, and say, "Crazy children have crazy parents!"
She wasn't disrespecting all public schooling or all ESE kids, or even parents. She was acknowledging a reality in her job, that the worst "people problems" usually involve problem people. . .and that's who you wind up noticing and focusing on, becuase they ARE the problem!
Which explains why all the "demented" homeschoolers get the attention and the nice sane homeschoolers get ignored.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
ReplyDelete(See how well nice and normal homeschoolers think?)
:)
Seriously, wouldn't thinking homeschool parents who are NOT demented, understand such a comment without all the blanket defensiveness and kneejerk outrage?
ReplyDeleteWe spend so much time and effort parsing our individuality and our private choices, liberties, independently researching and deciding what we think on issues from books and movies for the kids to vaccinations and junk foods to presidential candidates.
Why would we suddenly react as if one shoe fit us all and we were all determined to wear it at the same time? Imo it just proves the point, that a lot of homeschoolers are indeed demented. Then it becomes a chicken-and-egg puzzle -- do they hs because they're crazy or are they crazy because they hs?
I watched just a small part of that segment, and at one point Joy, former public school teacher, asks if it's not better for the kids to go to a private school to get a better education, or something along those lines. I laughed. She's just a talking head anyway, and homeschooling was defended, which shows us something. Not to mention, if you boycott every company that has a "personality" that offends you in some way, what's left to buy or watch? LOL
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... is that why we homeschool?
ReplyDeleteI'm obviously so "out of the loop" because I'd not heard about this. I really was surprised at the outrage over Subway. My take was, "If we are going to get organized about complaining and try to instigate change can't we do it about something more important than a Subway writing contest?" Of course maybe it's only when homeschoolers as a group are attacked that we can agree enough to band up for change. Sometimes the only thing we have in common is that we don't have kids in school... scratch that, we all want to go our own way don't we, I guess that's what we have in common.