Texans offended by Anne Frank, fire teacher

The state of Texas clutched its peals and fired a teacher for assigning “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation”. Presumably, their concern was not with offending Nazis (although these days we can’t be sure), but rather their concern was over the outrage of a 12 year old being curious about genitals. I know that as a 12 year old, I certainly never wondered about genitals, refusing even to look at my own. It wasn’t until my 60th birthday that I took my first look, but it was only by accident!

Meanwhile, Texans wholeheartedly embrace a book of violence, filth, cruelty, and erotica that goes by the name of The Bible, which features unabashed and graphic endorsement of genocide, murder, slavery, and rape. And unlike the Anne Frank book, “graphic” in this instance does not mean “illustrated like a comic book”. While some might find this a matter of stunning hypocrisy, it’s more likely to reflect the reality that Texans don’t bother with things like reading, much less critical thinking.

For those unacquainted with the gore and mayhem in scriptures, one good example is the charming story of Lot in Genesis 19. Lot is visited in his house in Sodom by two angels. The men of Sodom, who, after all, were Sodomites, were taken by the beauty of the angels and were overcome by their sexual urges. They demanded that Lot turn over his guests to them so they could be raped. Ever the godly man, Lot implored the mob to not rape the angels, and instead he offered up his two virgin daughters to be abused as the mob saw fit. Later in the story, Lot’s daughters get him drunk and rape him. It’s really excellent, family-friendly material.

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