Grants Get Ayn Rand’s Ideas Covered in Kentucky Classrooms

[Caliga]

I actually read Mein Kampf in high school as well, and have no problem recommending others do so.  It plainly illustrates Hitler's insanity and is a good way IMO to prevent Nazism from being attractive to future generatons. 

I'm sure you will both say the exact same thing about The Fountainhead. 

[Ed Anger]

I actually read Mein Kampf in high school as well, and have no problem recommending others do so.  It plainly illustrates Hitler's insanity and is a good way IMO to prevent Nazism from being attractive to future generatons. 

Mein Kampf, along with the Satanic bible was standard reading fare for the freaks and losers at my high school. You know, the kids in the denim jackets that sat in the back and smelled funny.

[grumbler]

I actually read Mein Kampf in high school as well, and have no problem recommending others do so.  It plainly illustrates Hitler's insanity and is a good way IMO to prevent Nazism from being attractive to future generatons. 

I cannot imagine a teacher assigning Mein Kampf as one of the two dozen or so books the student will typically be assigned in a high school career.  You got gypped out of reading something equally portentous but which also would teach you something about writing.  A small sample of Mein Kampf is plenty to reach one how NOT to write.

[Malthus]

I tried reading Mein Kampf once, in translation of course. I even have a really cool pre-ww2 copy of it - maybe its even worth some cash, I dunno - but I found it terribly tedious.

Maybe it was better in the original German. I was hoping for some entertaining *All Jews Must Die!!!* ranting, and what I got was - emo whining. 

[DontSayBanana]

I cannot imagine a teacher assigning Mein Kampf as one of the two dozen or so books the student will typically be assigned in a high school career.  You got gypped out of reading something equally portentous but which also would teach you something about writing.  A small sample of Mein Kampf is plenty to reach one how NOT to write.

It wasn't assigned reading for me, but it was strongly recommended by my US History 2 teacher for precisely those reasons.  It helped to understand just how far off the deep end Hitler actually was, and it also worked as a great example of what to avoid in writing.  Even ghost-edited, the writing is still incredibly crappy.

I ended up reading it along with Im Westen Nichts Neues (All Quiet on the Western Front- not being a Deutschophile, but a copy in the original German was given to me for free )

[derspiess]

So why are we talking about high school?

[Ed Anger]

So why are we talking about high school?

because we are bored.

[Caliga]

I cannot imagine a teacher assigning Mein Kampf as one of the two dozen or so books the student will typically be assigned in a high school career.  You got gypped out of reading something equally portentous but which also would teach you something about writing.  A small sample of Mein Kampf is plenty to reach one how NOT to write.

I had to read alot more than two dozen books.  The inclusion of Mein Kampf causes (or caused... dunno if it still happens) periodic controversy since my district is at least 50% Jewish.

[Razgovory]

So why are we talking about high school?

Big Homecoming dance is coming up.

[grumbler]

I had to read alot more than two dozen books.   

  Understand, but most people don't spend 3 years as a sophomore, and so spent fewer years in High School than you did.

The inclusion of Mein Kampf causes (or caused... dunno if it still happens) periodic controversy since my district is at least 50% Jewish.

Dunno why this is relevant.  The book is crap writing and mostly useless for historical analysis even when read by non-Jews.  Your loss was the opportunity loss of not reading something both more relevant and more enlightening.

[The Brain]

Is it me or is it really important to grumbler that people don't read Mein Kampf? Hmm.

[Valmy]

Tolkien was a genuine linguist, so researching his made-up language might be a valuable thing. a whole course seems more than a trifle excessive though.

Obviously the point was a linguistic exercise but it also had the advantage of making the department money by attracting lots of Tolkein nerds who normally would never touch a linguistics class.

[Malthus]

Tolkien was a genuine linguist, so researching his made-up language might be a valuable thing. a whole course seems more than a trifle excessive though.

Obviously the point was a linguistic exercise but it also had the advantage of making the department money by attracting lots of Tolkein nerds who normally would never touch a linguistics class.

What would really be worrying is if the end of term project was to translate Mein Kampf into Elvish. 

[Caliga]

  Understand, but most people don't spend 3 years as a sophomore, and so spent fewer years in High School than you did.

Point in fact I only spent three years in high school altogether. 

[Neil]

Is it me or is it really important to grumbler that people don't read Mein Kampf? Hmm.

Methinks he doth protest too much.