High school kills performance of 'Mockingbird'

[exboyfil]

PALM COAST -- A play involving a Southern lawyer defending a black man wrongly accused of raping a white girl won't see the bright lights at Flagler Auditorium this month.

The reason Flagler Palm Coast High School students won't be performing "To Kill A Mockingbird" boils down to one ugly word.

"I think it's the 'n-word,' " said Ed Koczergo, the school's theater director. "It's in there 23 times and it scares people."

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/flagler/2010/11/05/high-school-kills-performance-of-mockingbird.html

[HillbillyBob]

1. Crazy. pointing up racisms ugliness the center of the story.

Its been at least 30 yrs since I saw the movie and had read the book in grade school.

[thunder rising]

2. Let's not look back and relive the old style racism. Instead let's deny it so to enable it anew.

[Pab Sungenis]

3. The word itself isn't harmful.

It's the context in which it's used. If it's used to point out the stupidity of the bigotry of those who say it (as it is in TKAM) then it's actually a powerful tool against racism.

[Reader Rabbit]

4. That's the whole point: The "N" word *should* scare people!

Here's a perfect teachable moment! C'mon, Palm Coast, take advantage of it! Use this as an opportunity to make people think!

[txlibdem]

5. Stella!... Stellaaaa!!!!

Oh, wait. Wrong one...

[texshelters]

6. Yes, it's socially relevant, but...

race relations are perfect now and this play is just upsetting to white folks.

Peace,
Tex Shelters
http://texshelters.wordpress.com/

[tortoise1956]

7. Great book, fantastic movie

And I think it's important to let young students have a taste of what things were like in the not-so-distant past. What's the old saying:"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it"?

[Name removed]

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