Would-be Belieber Anne Frank has been getting attention for all the wrong reasons lately. One suburban Detroit mom could have it so she gets no attention at all because of her "female genitalia."
In Northville, a well-to-do suburb about 30 miles northwest of Detroit, a parent of a 7th grader takes issue with her daughter's classroom reading an newer, unedited edition of "The Diary of a Young Girl." Frankly, I'm surprised seventh-graders are reading any edition of "Diary"; it (and "Schindler's List," while we're on the subject) didn't reach my hands until high school.
Besides the whole evils of the Holocaust thing and the massive amounts of fear, prejudice and violence that may shock a suburban seventh-grader anyway, the parent raises issue with Frank's discovery of her own womanhood, which is too "pornographic" for her tastes.
Frank writes, among other observations, "Until I was eleven or twelve, I didn't realize there was a second set of labia on the inside. What's even funnier is that I thought urine came out of the clitoris." Haha, silly clitoris. Just never know what it's doing there! The Fox 2 video alone is worth watching just to see our concerned parent hesitate over saying "female genitalia."
I'm no one's parent, but I can say firsthand as a former middle-schooler that while Frank's observations may cause some giggles, it's not going to cause the oh-my-gosh-this-is-the-end-of-decency-as-we-know-it reaction we think it might. Hell, in sixth grade, we watched "A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich," the '70s tale of prepubescent dope addicts, in class without flinching.
It goes without saying for Metro Detroiters, but it's particularly important to learn about the Holocaust considering the area's huge Jewish population.
Northville school officials say there's a process for appealing materials taught in classrooms that involves committees, appeals and meetings. In other words, by the time the issue is successfully brought to the administration's attention for review, the class will have moved on.
(Photo via Anne Frank House)