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richie ryan
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Getting started |
Location: US, Minnesota
Registered: February 2002
Messages: 4
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Hey All,
In the previous thread, (by the way, hang in there Tim) Ron mentioned a book scheduled to be released in May. As I live in Minnesota, I've been close to all the controversy. I think it's an important issue, not only concerning freedom of speech, but the subject matter of the book as well. For that reason, and because Ron mentioned it, I've pasted the first many articles below, which appeared in the Star Tribune on Apr. 3, 2002.
Now I make no judgements, at least not until after I've read the book, but I would like to put two things in perspective. First, the author of the book mentions that she had sex with an adult when she was a minor. I have found out that she was 17 and the adult was 26. Secondly, it's an election year here in Minnesota - nuff said.
Book on children and sex finds harsh critics
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/2202820.html
Terry Collins
Star Tribune
A book about the sexuality of children and teens, published by the University of Minnesota Press, has attracted national criticism even before its planned release in May.
Press officials said they have received unprecedented opposition to Judith Levine's book, "Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex" -- 100 calls, e-mails and letters from across the country so far.
Levine's book argues that protecting children and teens from knowing more about sex does more harm than good -- and that not all sexual interaction between adults and those youths is bad.
Kathryn Grimes, a University Press spokeswoman, said Tuesday that while some controversy was anticipated, reaction wasn't expected to come before publication.
The book's promotional message said Levine "challenges widespread anxieties" such as pedophilia, stranger kidnapping, Internet pornography and "sacred cows" such as abstinence-based sex education and laws on statutory rape. The university literature said the book offers "fresh alternatives to fear and silence."
Levine said Tuesday that she supports the age-of-consent law in the Netherlands as a "good model" -- it permits sex between an adult and a person between 12 and 16 if the younger person consents. Prosecutions for coercive sex may be sought by the young person or the youth's parents.
"Can little children under the age of 12 have sexual experiences with adults that are positive? I would doubt it," Levine said. "The Dutch law does two things: The law does balance that young people are sexual and they behave sexually under their own will."
"At the same time, they are weaker than adults and therefore they can be vulnerable to adult exploitation. So the law protects them from that exploitation."
Grimes said most of the criticism of the book grew from a Newhouse News Service article last week that quoted Levine as saying that a sexual relationship between a priest and a youth "conceivably, absolutely" could be positive.
Levine said that her comments had been taken out of context and that she disapproves of any sexual relationship between a youth and an authority figure, whether a parent, teacher or priest. However, she said teenagers deserve more respect for the choices they make in consensual affairs.
The Newhouse article has been debated on local and national talk radio shows and Web sites, leading to the pre-release criticism.
"The response to the book is unprecedented for us; however, it has been based on a misrepresentation of the book," Grimes said. "We hope that people will take the time to read the book and it becomes the start of a debate instead of an attack based on inaccurate information."
The manuscript was reviewed by five academic experts, instead of the usual two, she said, to make sure its argument was based on research, not opinion.
Levine, 49, a journalist for 25 years, said Tuesday that her book is about adults learning to give children realistic, practical advice about sex "that talks about the ways of how children can grow to be happy, healthy sexual beings while being safe in the process."
She writes in her introduction that if educators want to be credible about sexual responsibility, "they have to be forthright about sexual joy." She also writes that if parents want their kids to be happy, it's their duty to help them learn to love well.
"For our part, adults owe children not only protection and a schooling in safety, but also the entitlement to pleasure," she said.
Levine, who has written articles in Ms. magazine and other national publications and founded a feminist group called No More Nice Girls, said Tuesday from New York that she began working on the book in the mid-1990s. She acknowledged that with the recent sex abuse scandals involving clergy members and young people, this is a tough time to argue that American children can have positive sexual experiences.
Levine said Tuesday that she had sex with an adult when she was a minor. In the Newhouse story, she said that "on balance it was a perfectly good experience."
In the introduction to her book she writes that "'Harmful to Minors' launches from two negatives: Sex is not ipso facto harmful to minors; and America's drive to protect kids from sex is protecting them from nothing. Instead, often it is harming them."
Several media commentators and activists have accused Levine of condoning child abuse.
Robert Knight, director of Concerned Women for America's Culture and Family Institute in Washington, D.C., is urging the University of Minnesota to fire the University Press officials who decided to publish the book.
The institute's mission is to "bring biblical principles into all levels of public policy," its Web site says.
"The action is so grievous and so irresponsible that I felt they relinquished their right to academic freedom," said Knight, who has described the book as "very evil."
The University Press is an independent auxiliary of the university, Grimes said. Its publication costs are paid mostly through sales revenue; funding from the university contributes less than 2 percent, or about $100,000, of its annual budget.
Levine said Tuesday that the book does not endorse pedophilia or any type of sexual abuse.
"I deplore rape, sexual abuse of children and any way that a person is forced to have sex against their will," Levine said. "I am a feminist, and I am glad that our legal system has laws against rape."
"For anybody to say I promote child abuse is absurd."
Levine said that while it's good that safeguards such as statutory rape laws are in place, more has to be done through honest and open communication.
"You can't watch your kids every minute," she said. "You need to arm them with the tools of how to be a good person and how to protect themselves, including giving them comprehensive sexual information."
"My main point: Ask them. Don't assume."
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-- Terry Collins is at tcollins@startribune.com .
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I'm going to buy this boon as soon as it's available.
Altho I'm still a bit uncomfortably with under 14's being able to consent, it's headed in the right direction.
And what a lucid and balanced review of the book! Thanks again.
"Always forgive your enemies...nothing annoys them quite so much." Oscar Wilde
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That was the very article I read (it being an "Associated Press" article, my local newspaper simply picked up on it and printed it). Good job, Richie, of finding it online and providing both a link to it and a copy-and-paste of it here!
I usually read the newspaper before going to bed, and this was no exception; and it was while doing my first e-mail check after rising the next day that I saw Tim's newsletter (and subsequently his posting here) about "counting chickens". I found the irony between that article and this posting was quite telling.
This whole concept of "age of majority" is so arbitrary and capricious (especially as administered in the United States) that is has become so totally ludicrous (and thereby fails to address the very topic it pertains to). For example: in the United States, you have to be 21 years old in order to be considered responsible enough to buy and consume an alcoholic beverage; and yet, at age 18, you are already considered responsible enough to own any (and as many) firearms you may want and to go fight in some war the "powers-that-be" tell you to go fight for them. So how young is "too young" when it comes to any kind of sexual relationship? Again, any attempt to legislate an "age of majority" would be equally as arbitrary and capricious (if not more so). Who's to say that any given youngster, even right from the onset of puberty (which in itself is about as arbitrary and capricious a thing as you can get), is not legitimately capable of falling in love and having a meaningful and responsible relationship, gay or str8 (just as there are many adults who will never be able to). Right here on this very message board, we have learned of a relationship between two people with an age difference of a few years that started when both were "minors"; but now that one has passed that arbitrary "age of majority", that relationship has suddenly become "wrong" in the eyes of some. And what of a teen who is out to himself but faces rejection at home, and who finds genuine support and caring (and yes, even love) from somebody over the "age of majority": is that really harmful to the kid?
Whew! I must have needed to get that off my chest (my apologies; perhaps I should have saved that for a new thread). Anyway, this isn't the first time the "holier-than-thou" types have protested a book they actually haven't read (or a movie they haven't actually seen), and it probably won't be the last; but looking on the bright side, it seems that each time they do so, they lose that much more credibility and thereby make themselves their own worst enemy. One day (soon, I hope!), they shall have given themselves enough rope to finally hang themselves once and for all.
I wish nothing but the greatest success for this book. And Tim, somewhere out there, there must be a publisher who would be chomping at the bit to publish "Chris and Nigel" if he learned of its existence!
We do not remember days...we remember moments.
Cesare Pavese
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No Message Body
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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richie ryan
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Getting started |
Location: US, Minnesota
Registered: February 2002
Messages: 4
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Hey again everyone,
If anyone wants to read this book, it looks like you might want to get your order in early. Like I said before, it's an election year in Minnesota and the University Press, who is publishing the book, is under a great deal of pressure. I think the initial printing is for only 3,500 copies, and if it's planned release for May is not thwarted by politics, there may well not be a second printing - at least not through this publisher. Just a gut feeling on my part. Below is a link to the latest article published in the Star Tribune yesterday.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1557/2209184.html
Always take care,
Richie
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How does one find out the addresses, etc. needed to order the book, the ISBN number, etc.
I just thought I could get it from Amazon or something...
"Always forgive your enemies...nothing annoys them quite so much." Oscar Wilde
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richie ryan
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Getting started |
Location: US, Minnesota
Registered: February 2002
Messages: 4
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Sorry, David, if I misled you by telling you to order early in my last post. To be honest, I'm not sure that you can order it from Amazon - or from anywhere else for that matter right now. Because of the small number of copies in the first printing, I think there will be a very limited distribution. Also because of that, and the publicity, I may have to fight someone in line at the book store to get my copy.
All I know now is the name of the book, the author, and the publisher, which can be found in my first post. Rest assured, though, I'm tracking this publication closely, so if it can be ordered later, I'll let you know. Sorry, but that's the best I can do.
Always take care,
Richie
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was down, but haven't had a chance to read more than the jacket yet. Guess they moved up publication by a month, maybe to catch the critics by surprise?
BTW....WELCOME BACK!
Hugs, Charlie
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That was a good post. I fully agree! 
