On the Clean up DHS blog an anonymous freshman posted a comment concerning the content of the squall, the Birth of Venus recreation on the wall across from the CPA, and movies that her teachers show in class.
Here is a link to the comment.
http://cleanupdhs.blogspot.com/2010/03/comment_1712.html
To start, most of the articles in the squall are written in an informative way. The students writing have no intention of encouraging younger children to do inappropriate things. The writers do a great job of providing information and facts about the topic in their articles, and students can then form their own opinion on the subject.
“…isn't Venus on the wall next to the CPA pornography?” No. As a matter of fact it isn’t. The painting of the Birth of Venus is incorporated into a conglomeration of famous paintings, and is a very tasteful piece of artwork. It has even been altered from the original to cover her up more. If you think that the painting is inappropriate, then maybe you need to get your mind out of the gutter.
And finally, the inappropriate videos being shown in class... I cannot say too much on this matter, seeing as I don’t know what movies the girl is talking about. However if felt the way she did, I would probably take it up with my teachers instead of complaining about it on a blog. If she doesn’t like the videos being shown then maybe she should request an alternate assignment and not watch them?
I tried to post a response similar to this one on the other blog, and I guess that because I had an opinion that didn’t agree with the administrators of the blog, they rejected it. I don’t think what I have to say is that ridiculous, what does anyone else think?
A DHS Squaller
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It's the biased writing of CLEANUPDHS that gets to me. take for example the criticism of the LOVE issue. yes the blog's description of it was technically true, but the poster fails to point out the fact that it was done in reference to a famous Rolling Stones cover featuring John Lennon. a reader viewing the post on CLEANUPDHS would think it was done simply to accent the student's sexuality, which is not the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe blog is going out of it's way to portray the Squall negatively, without regard for how much of what they post is true and how much is blatant equivocation.
I am so happy that there is finally a blog which correctly exercises the First Amendment, unlike the CleanUpDHS Blog. It saddens me to know that the honest and informative Squall articles have been taken way out of context along with the outstanding mural painting we have of "Birth of Venus" on our school walls. Obscenity is typically defined as something which has no artistic or scientific merit, yet the Squall has always done a wonderful job of expressing all viewpoints and ideas, whether or not they are agreed upon with the public. If you would like to to read something that everyone can agree upon you might as well read nutrition labels. If anything is dangerous, it isn't the possibility of Squall writers reporting harsh but informative news, it is that ignorance and stupidity will take away what has been granted to us by the founders of the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteThe Squall entertaining,interesting, and fun articles teenagers want to read. The writers aren't afraid to talk about drinking or the way we dance. They write about real life things going on instead of ignoring them and pretending they don't happen. They don't in any way encourage the behavoirs written, but rather provide information. It is possible to do all of this because of the rights given to us. Some schools censor much of their student's articles, and they don't have as much freedom as we do. We are fortunate to have a student led paper and that shouldn't be taken away.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see someone is accepting opinions from both sides here rather than turning us away when we try to speak up. If the squall truly was inappropriate would it wouldn't have won any awards. Students on the staff are taught what is okay to publish and what isn't, and ethical reasoning in the intro to journalism class. We know to cover both sides of the story. I don't see anything wrong with try to write about what goes on in real life as long as the facts are true. People may disagree with some of the articles, but not everyone can agree on everything. People are only trying to find what can be controversial when really there are many other articles that aren't.
DHS really isn't a horrible place to go and The Squall isn't a dirty newspaper. It's unfortunate people want to try to bring us down and make it seem this way.
~DHS student
I'm surprised someone referred to the painting of Venus as pornography. It's a famous work of art displayed in a museum for anyone of any age to see. When walking through the hall I don't think many people find this to be offensive or even think much of it If you painted a dress on her it would ruin the art and the intentions of it. It doesn't portray women in a negative way at all. Why would you cover someone's great art? I'm a girl and I do not see anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteI have also never seen a movie in class where I thought it was "horrible" for us to watch. Teachers usually show movies to go along with the lesson plans. If you can't handle PG-13 movies then you could leave the room. I've also never watched a youtube video asking me to confirm I was over 18 because its inappropriate.
I'm sorry but the freshman girl is a bit ignorant and I'm not sure where she is getting these ideas from.
It's just frustrating that whatever I write on their website, no matter how respectful and understanding it is, gets denied because it doesn't follow their method. I think they keep comments that they have a legit counter to, and post those and their counter argument. Then it looks like they won the argument, when in reality they haven't countered the hundred other points that students are making.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree with that last comment, they wont allow comments through that are well thought out and clearly logical...to which they have no defense. I attempted to diplomatically respond to the words on the Birth of Venus by citing that to be considered obscene, it had to lack any artistic or creative value, which I'm sure both myself, both Humanities teachers, and Botticelli (the original painter) would say that the painting has tons of artistic value and is certainly not pornographic. That mural has already been altered once for concerned parents, adding longer hair and such, it really shouldn't be altered again. These parents obviously can't see that.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised if "anonymous freshman girl" is actually "anonymous freshman girl's parent." I myself have a younger sister who I very kindly asked if she had a problem with anything in the school, she said "negatory."
Really, even if we were to censor the Squall, place a nice dress over Venus, you'd still have to cover every last student's mouth with red tape so they couldn't violate your precious daughter's ears with drugs, sex, and violence.
I'm not surprised that some folks are unclear about the place of GOOD journalism in our society since there are so few examples of it today. Journalists have a duty to point out the ugliness, corruption and other faults in our society. Facing up to those issues is uncomfortable but it serves as a catalyst for the rest of us to DO SOMETHING about the things we don't like. That is called DEMOCRACY.
ReplyDeleteThere also seems to be some confusion among the terms EDITING, CENSORSHIP and GUIDANCE. In my observation, faculty provides guidance to the student editors about what is journalistically appropriate. The student editors are responsible for putting out a product within the guidelines of accepted journalistic practice. DHS does not censor the content of the paper but students who fail to complete their assignments according to the guidelines set forth by the faculty--as in any class--will GET A BAD GRADE. This is a high school course with a learning objective after all.
As a long-time reader of the Squall and now a parent of a Squall staffer, I sometimes read things that make me wince. Often this serves as an opening to discuss an issue with my teen that neither of us might bring up (or know about) otherwise. In retrospect, now that my child is headed out into the world to make decisions on his own, I'm happy we've had these discussions because I know he is able to evaluate issues and make wise choices.
I hope "The Squall" will continue to educate our young citizens in the principles of journalism so they can continue to defend our freedoms when we get old.
I find it awful that people think the Squall is so inappropriate. Come on. The type of dancing, for one, goes on no matter if the Squall reports on it or not. And, as a freshman, they will probably see it sometime. Would you rather them see it and assume that's how to act, or read about it in an INFORMATIVE way? I have never read an article telling children to grind to their hearts content, it's what cool kids do. No, the Squall doesn't promote these things. They are very careful to give you the facts. Because these things happen. And it may be up to the parents to keep them away from it, but as far as reading goes, you can't censor a student newspaper because you don't agree with what kids are out there doing anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe "Clean Up DHS" folks are also taking those "inappropriate pictures" from the Squall out of context.
ReplyDeleteYes, they had pictures of alcohol, but the articles inside gave statistics about under-age drinking, presumably to raise awareness about the issue so parents or whoever could find solutions.
Yes, they had a picture of a guy and girl in bed, but its a knock-off of a famous Rolling Stone Cover featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono, like someone already mentioned. They also one-upped Lennon in terms of decency by having Joel Snider (the boy pictured) wear pants instead of being naked. A shirtless boy! Oh my! The "Clean UP DHS" crowd also ignores the fact that the articles inside were basically harmless and just gave relationship advice, if I remember correctly.
The Squall also had pictures of the "obscene dance move". But I don't get why that's a big deal either. Your kids are going to encounter that type of dancing eventually. You can't keep them sheltered forever.
Anyway, I hope the Squall makes it out of this mess alright. Keep on writing.
- '09
I think someone needs to make sure this girl knows that in art, the female nude is revered as one of the most beautiful things created. And that in the painting, the woman isn't a stick-thin scrawny thing, she is normal sized and absolutely beautiful. It is not meant to be taken sexually or degrade anyone in any way. Jeez...kids these days. lol
ReplyDeleteGlad to see this blog. As long as I've been familiar with it, the Squall has been a model of excellence in student journalism. Do they always do everything the way I'd do it? Heck no--and that's a good thing. As one who also advises student journalists and a student publication, I love the way The Squall informs, entertains and even challenges me and my perceptions of what a publication can be. (There's a reason they win those Pacemakers).
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of student media is to inform and educate its readership while also providing a real-world educational experience for its students/staff--one that helps them in the present while providing a foundation for future study in an essential and rapidly changing field. While by nature, student publications will not always be perfect, Ihe know of few publications that consistently meet these goals as well as The Squall.
Keep up the great work!
C.E. Sikkenga
Grand Haven, MI.
I also this gives high-schoolers a bit of credit, look at all the things cleanupdhs said about all the things we could technically write in a public forum and we aren't. The worst that I can think of is terms that high school students use daily but parents aren't used to. I agree that some of the articles (like Club Crome) were a bit more explicit than needed but it's the author's responsibility to decide what they should put in and not put in as long as they stand by their work.
ReplyDeleteIn school we are taught a lot about censorship, amendments, rights, and journalism. In learning about censorship one of my favorite quotes was "Censorship is for those too lazy to change the channel." (Unfortunately I got rid of all those papers and I don't remember who gave the quote so I can't really give credit). My class at the time did agree that you don't have to deal with things you don't like. You accept that some people agree with you, some don't, then you change the channel and let the people who enjoy it watch instead of ruining it for everyone. I think if you don't want your children reading it, don't let them read it. Don't like what's going on at Dexter (because no matter what results as far as the paper is concerned, that will never change)? Send them to a different school, or homeschool them if you like. In a way what your children read is your responsibility and theirs, not people writing for specific audiences. But The Squall is an award-winning school paper and we are very, very proud of it and we love the freedom we have with it. Some might say it's abused but believe or not Mr. Moran and Mr. Satt are excellent at what they do as far as the paper is concerned. Not all school even have a newspaper and we are glad to have one. Furthermore, we're proud of our school, which seems to be another issue. No matter where you go there will be teens like us, schools like us, it can't be avoided. Students are actually better off at Dexter than other schools. Other schools have cars stolen out of parking lots, graffiti, and behaviors that aren't seen as much at DHS than at other places. My point with this is: We're a good school, you'll seldom see better. We may not be perfect but everyone here is incredibly lucky to have such a school. I have a lot of pride in my school and what we do.
When we learn about journalism we learn about stating facts, getting quotes right. You can't blame the author or editor for the quote someone gives, we have a responsibility to report. Picking and choosing what to say so as not to offend someone is almost like being dishonest, as far as reporting is concerned.
My mother reads The Squall each month and has never had any objections to it, and this doesn't say that she doesn't care about what I do (believe me, she does) but she knows how far she can protect me and what's worth the trouble. She knows things happen, it's high school, so she reads it for the funny articles that our reporters spent thankless hours creating for that reason.
I also wonder if you are looking into what your child already knows about, middle school isn't that innocent anymore either. Ask them if they can name three types of drugs, if they hear bad language at school, if they ever see inappropriate behavior at school. My opinion is that if you are really worried, the newspaper should be the least of them. Talk to your kids because they may have seen or heard more than you know.
I am a Dexter parent and I always look forward to reading the Squall. It is another opportunity for me to understand the high schoolers, their interests, their activities, their concerns and also their sense of humor. I don't always agree with what I read and sometimes I might also be suprised,concerned or even a little shocked, but as a parent I would rather have more info than less. There are some very talented and intelligent students at DHS just like any other American high school and they should be allowed to express themselves. This is not a new fight....these kinds of battles come up over and over again as each generation faces its own issues and cultural changes.
ReplyDeleteGood work DHS students! Keep it up!
my comment on the freshman's post....hasn't shown up yet...and I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't, So I'm posting it here:
ReplyDeleteThe Birth of Venus is a classic work of art, and while partially nude, it’s far from pornographic. In a time where the emphasis young women see every day in pop culture is placed on stick-thin models who starve themselves to try to achieve mainstream society’s grotesque image of the ideal woman, I personally think that having a natural, healthy portrait of what real women look like isn’t a bad idea. The recreation is already censored in a tasteful way and the student artists did an amazing job tying several masterpieces together to form an interesting new image. We seniors don’t “paint a dress on her” because we can appreciate the fact that we are blessed to not have a school with plain white walls everywhere, and we know how to identify a classic work of art as the harmless decoration (to an otherwise completely boring hallway) that it is.
My main concern is that if the Goddess is concealed, what happens next; when will the over-protective push to continuously coddle young adults stop? What will happen to the classes that contain arguably more controversial artwork, such as the humanities class? Surely you don’t insist that we make David put on a pair of jeans, and try to conceal every single inch of supposedly offensive painted flesh in an attempt to protect the nation’s youth from what clearly must be our biggest problem (you know….not drugs or violence….but centuries old art work…right…)
I can only hope that the attempts at censorship won’t lead us to a similar situation as the text book revisions down in Texas, where instead of eliminating the offensive belly button or shoulder, the overzealous push for restriction has literally left the authors chopping out any part of history they decide might be too racy.
As for the children reading the Squall on the bus, I’ve personally never seen this happen and I ride the bus almost every day (feel free to laugh at my lack of alternative transportation) Fourth graders are more interested in playing Pokémon than reading a school newspaper. I’m not saying it didn’t happen on the freshman’s bus, I’ve just never seen this first hand, or heard about it from anyone else. And like Ria said, the high school students simply don’t interact with the fourth graders.
The Squall has won countless awards, and its articles have always been amusing, fun to read, and informative. A few complaints shouldn’t prevent the seniors (or any of the students following our class who are also going to have to deal with this mess) from enjoying writing their last articles with the freedom to entertain and inform us as they always have.
-E.(concerned artist and current DHS student)
It's quite annoying to think that parents cannot look outside the box and look what the Squall is doing for the students. It shows an alternative way for kids to show their true colors and their opinions in a safe environment, and it tells students what is happening in THEIR school. Why can't parents address students about their personal problems and events that happened that effected their lives, with their own paper? If you have such a problem with the students articles, well, obviously you have a problem with the students.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that not only the newspaper is getting grief for their articles, the artists are too.
I would be quite impressed if anyone could try to recreate such a beautiful painting as the Birth of Venus.
It's sad to know that parents would want to take away the part of their expression of life so that the parents would feel safer knowing that their children aren't hearing anything 'bad' or 'corrupting' within the school. What happens when they go out in the real world? Beyond the safe walls of the Dexter High School? Will the parents make another blog about that?
I hope that the views of certain parents and other concerned people change, because when the Squall is censored, what else will you try and censor?
Who defines: clean???
ReplyDeleteSure some stuff in the Squall may be construed as "inappropriate" but every person's measure of appropriate is different and incredible subjective.
Look at all the literature throughout history that was deemed inflammatory: "Brave New World", "1984", "Catcher in the Rye". You have GOT to be kidding me. "Clean up Dexter?" Who is behind this? When is the next book burning?
Give me a break. I am a Dexter parent. A PARENT. Not a kid. While I do not defend everything is The Squall as "appropriate" I defend the constitutional right for it to be printed.
If you think you kids are going to take drugs because of a Squall article, then look in the mirror because you obviously aren't doing a very good job at parenting. Blaming the school newspaper is a cop-out! It reflects what is going on -- it doesn't drive it.
It seems to me some are taking their own guilt out on the nearest possible scapegoat. This has been repeated throughout history. It isn't constructive, instructive or rational. Every single time speech has been curtailed by others, the results have been disastrous.
Isn't it ironic that those that seek to impose their brand of censorship upon others hide behind the very constitution that specifically demands the right of free speech and freedom of the press?
What are you not getting cleanupdhs.blogspot.com?