‘Sometimes publishers make revisions to forestall problems, knowing that states like California and Texas won’t tolerate certain words. For example, a story titled “A Perfect Day for Ice Cream” by Patricia Zettner was selected by two textbook publishers for inclusion in junior high school literature anthologies after it had appeared in Seventeen
magazine. To comply with California’s ban on junk foods, the publishers removed references to chili burgers, pizza, and ice cream and changed the title to “A Perfect Day.” The story’s allusions to “kamikaze ball” and Gloria Steinem were edited out to avoid likely complaints in California about ethnic stereotyping and likely objections in Texas to feminist references.’
Een van de vele schrikbarende voorbeelden van het ‘opschonen’ van teksten om ze geschikt te maken voor leerlingen en studenten op scholen en onderwijsinstellingen in de VS, uit:
The Language Police
How Pressure Groups Restrict whate Students Learn
Diane Ravitch
Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc. New York, 2003
ISBN 1-4000-3064-1
