I'm smoking from the ears and nostrils over this!!

B

Bruce in West Oz

New member
Background:

I'm the Chief Editor for an educational publisher.

I edited a storybook designed to assist students with comprehension.

It's real "Boy's Own" type of story, involving go-karts and gold cups and crooks ... one of whom holds up the good guy at gunpoint to steal his gold cup.

I edited and passed it through. Today, it landed back on my desk.

There was a yellow "sticky" attached from the Acquisitions Editor (female, if that's important), which read:

"Please rewrite. Company policy is "No guns! No way! Not ever!"

I saw absolute red!

I scrawled over it, "Then it's time company policy was changed!" and dropped it back on her desk.

No doubt she'll read it tomorrow.

I'm fully prepared to put my job on the line over this one. But some advice on how to handle the inevitable "editorial meeting" would be appreciated.

B
 
Thanks for standing tall, when it comes to putting yourself at risk a lot of people bail out. Hopefully you'll get your way, it's a damn shame that something so innocent becomes such a issue in these stinking Politically Correct days. The SOB's are so damn ignorant that it is almost impossible to get through to them at all. Just shows the abominable power of this modern propaganda machine. I'm sure everyone here is pulling for you !

I doubt I could help with the meeting , however I'm sure some of the more well versed here will come up with something. I tend to be a little to cude.

[This message has been edited by scud (edited April 13, 2000).]
 
You have to remember that the ULTIMATE goal of both Oz and the U.S. is the ELIMINATION of the "gun culture" from their respective societies.

You can't do that effectively if you "allow" stories and essays with guns in them.

"Out of sight, out of mind". (The minds of the children.)

We are ONE GENERATION away from the death of the gun culture. One. This is IT. Fight to the end, or give up, because there'll be no one to pass the torch to.
 
1. Guns exist. Have existed. Will always exist.

2. Bad people exist. Have existed. Will always exist.

3. 1 & 2, like the poor, will always be with us, always a fact of life. It's called "reality".

4. If Good triumphed over Evil in the story, then there is a proper moral and the story is appropriate...

FWIW, Art
 
I do not agree with her position, but in this case the gun is being used by a bad person for an evil purpose. Change the crooks weapon to a large chef's knife or baseball bat then have the good guy thwart the robbery by drawing a firearm. THEN she will have something to get upset over and you can stand on good principles. The way the story is now I am afraid that it just reinforces the misconception that guns have only an evil purpose. We, of course, could take it to mean that if the victim had a firearm he could defend himself because the laws only effect the law abiding and criminals will get guns anyway, but that is not the thought process of the general population. If you want to put your job on the line over principle, I would hold out for a stronger statement if I were you. I would make sure that she understands your position with a return note that says, 'I couldn't agree more. I hate the depiction of the criminal misuse of firearms. It does nothing but further demonize responsible gun owners.'
 
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