Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > All Things Brokeback: Books, Interviews and More

KY teacher sshows BBM clips to students

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nakymaton:
I disagree that teenagers shouldn't be shown things that are disturbing. As an example -- when I was a sophomore in high school (16 years old), my European history class watched a documentary on the Holocaust (called, I think, "Night and Fog"). It was profoundly disturbing -- more than 20 years later, I can still remember an image of hair lying in piles. For some reason, that particular image tore at me and left me crying, even later. But the documentary also made me think, and made me talk to my friends, and made me start to try to understand how human beings could ever behave like that. And I think that was an important thought process to begin -- I think it was more important to begin asking those sorts of questions about the world than it was to be taught various sets of facts or various political points of view. After all, in two more years we would all be old enough to vote. Sixteen is time to begin to think about the world that we would encounter as adults.

Brokeback Mountain is disturbing in exactly the right way for teenagers, I think. It doesn't preach -- it raises questions and leaves them room to think for themselves, and I think that's exactly what teenagers need.

Also -- the Kentucky class mentioned in the article was a "senior cinematography class," which means the students were mostly 17 or 18 years old -- old enough to watch R-rated movies in a theater without the consent of their parents. And two and a half minutes of cinematography without any sexual content -- you know, that probably consisted of mountains, sheep, and music.

pinku:
Wouldn't you call Schindler's' list disturbing? I am sure many of you will it call disturbing and  poignant. And even though one has read about the holocaust and that it remains to many a horror unparalleled, I still say that there is something in BBM which touches your inner core. After watching BBM you feel like your soul has been through something searing. I mean wild horses won't drag me to read another of AP's strories if the general theme is so depressing! I heard there is a story about a fat girl who talks to tractors! Coming to the subject I still  feel the movie shouldn't be shown in schools not at all for its gay ( how I hate the word) content but for reasons I'd stated earlier! It might even give hooligans an excuse to torment pupils with homosexuals leanings! I had a horrid schooling 1) for being fat in India 2) for being dark in Moscow.

tiawahcowboy:
A high school English teacher in Kentucky is catching heat for showing her students 2 1/2 minutes of the movie Brokeback Mountain. The teacher, who was not named, reportedly showed a short clip of the award-winning film in a senior cinematography class at Boyd County High School.

"Senior" in the latter sentence means they were 12th Grade High School Students and they were 17-18 years old.

Since the movie is rated "R" in the USA, 12th grade students can go to a theater by themselves without a parent or guardian to view Brokeback Mountain.

And, what 2 1/2 minutes did they actually see?

In some locations in the USA, Junior High is 7-9 grades and Senior High (Sophomores, Juniors Seniors) is 10-12 grades. In our local city library, 7th graders can check out books like Brokeback Mountain and since library patrons can do self-checkout these days, no one working in the library even knows what books they take do read.

pinku:
That's OK then, a 17 year old kid is big enough! 

ProwlAmongUs:
While it may not be appropriate for the entire film to be shown in public school, 2 1/2 minutes of non-sexual content shouldn't be a big deal. It's a cinematography class after all. And, let's face it, by the time they're seniors (and in most cases MUCH younger) it's too late to pretend kids don't KNOW everything some of the public feels they shouldn't.  It could be compared to my attitude about myself: I'm much older than I try not to look.

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