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Post by aln1982 on Jun 10, 2006 16:23:45 GMT -5
I've noticed the jewish traditions also. It never bothered me, but it did make me wonder the same things as you. Glad I'm not the only one to notice this. I wasn't bothered by the Jewish traditions but would have liked equal mention for Christianity. It's a totally taboo subject in all books (and other media) nowadays it seems and I don't like that. I won't go on any more about it, though, here.
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Post by morbiddadestiny on Jun 10, 2006 19:04:04 GMT -5
i loved this book, but then again i like all the books dealing with stacey and the popular crowd of SMS. the "popularity" issue definitely had to come up sometime in the series, and stacey was the perfect character to use.
seriously, though, the way these basketball games were described was ridiculous. huge, cheering crowds? special treatment for the basketball team "stars"? it's MIDDLE SCHOOL. at our middle school sports games there were maybe a few cheering soccer moms in the bleachers.
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Jun 10, 2006 21:49:04 GMT -5
Yeah, and competitive cheerleading tryouts? At our middle school, we actually had a cheerleading team, and all you had to say was "yeah, sure, why not" and you were on it.
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Post by morbiddadestiny on Jun 10, 2006 22:05:58 GMT -5
exactly. also, where was the coach? it's like the squad completely ran itself.
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Post by lovelylemontree on Jun 11, 2006 0:29:19 GMT -5
I recently read Abby's Lucky Thirteen and was wondering the same thing. The book goes into some detail about Bat Mitzvahs and explains what the Torah is. It just seemed a bit odd in a BSC book when the series has always skirted the issue of religion. The Stevensons didn't even seem particularly religious, so that whole plotline struck me as gratuitous. I think that to Ann M. and the ghostwriters, the Stevenson's Judaism is more a cultural thing than a religious one.
And yeah, Christmas is always about Santa. Like in The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier, the BSC has Santa-Hanukkah-Kwanzaa Town. I hate when the books lump holidays together like that. I also hate how the Ramseys suddenly celebrate Kwanzaa because, you know, they're black.
I thought that was strange, too. In my experience, it's the private cheerleading and club sports organizations that are competitive like that. Not school teams, which in middle school, are often still just for fun.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,084
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Post by macca on Jun 11, 2006 1:27:16 GMT -5
Yeah, you're probably right. It's probably just a stereotype. The entertainment industry seems to play on the whole high school cheerleader thing and it really gives the impression that being a cheerleader is every teenage girl's dream.
Christianity seems to be the one religion that everyone likes to get their knickers/panties into a wad over, so Ann probably wanted to avoid any controversy associated with focusing on Christian traditions (which seems quite ludicruous, IMO).
However, focusing on traditions of other cultures is entirely acceptable and PC, even encouraged. That doesn't make sense to me and I'm not a religious person in any sense.
Ha, it was FAR worse in the Sweet Valley books. The girls virtually slit each others throats over cheerleading. Although that was in high school, not middle school. Maybe it's different?
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Amalia
Sitting For The Braddocks
Her Original Point of View
Posts: 3,664
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Post by Amalia on Jun 11, 2006 1:40:05 GMT -5
^ I think that Ann probably thought that not many people know that much about Bat Mitzvahs, so she thought that it would be something interesting and informative to kids, and, at the same time, educate them. And what makes it a little more interesting is that it is an exciting, special, once-in-a-life-time ritual that happens to kids when they can enjoy it while most rituals of other religions happen to adults or babies. As for Christianity, everybody might already know enough about that, that a story dealing with it might be boring? No offense (I dunno).
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
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Post by macca on Jun 11, 2006 5:45:02 GMT -5
^ Yeah, actually just after I posted my message that occurred to me. Maybe including the Jewish/Kwanzaa etc traditions was simply a means to educate the kids. Still, it was odd to me that not one of the BSC members were a dedicated Christian.
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Post by greer on Jun 11, 2006 15:37:59 GMT -5
^I don't really know any dedicated Christians, apart from my next-door neighbors, who haven't spoken to us in 20 years.
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Post by aln1982 on Jun 11, 2006 16:29:13 GMT -5
In my opinion, almost as few people know about the actual Christian traditions that go along with the holidays like Christmas and Easter as know about the Jewish and Kwanzaa ones. "We go to church on Christmas Day because that is what we do" - that type of thing. This subject just involves my pet peeve of "teaching" about most topics of "cultural diversity" but shying away from the controversial issue of Christianity. It bothers me that Abby can be Jewish and celebrating her Bat Mitzvah (agreed that this is an important event) but books will never give the same mention to (for example) one of the girls being confirmed in the Lutheran (or whatever Protestant denomination) and going through First Communion as these are also important events. Or it is never mentioned that (for example) Mrs. Newton (Mrs. Perkins, whoever) needed a sitter while she went to Church ladies group. I know there is a brief mention of Lucy Newton's christening but in all, I think that books don't give Christianity equal attention as these "culturally diverse" ideas. This isn't just in the BSC but in American society in general. I am really going to be quiet on this now Sorry for going on about a subject that is way too controversial (and important to me) to belong here. Back to this book, I will have to reread as I can't remember anything about it. Is it worth a reread in your opinions?
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Post by sugarmonkey on Jun 11, 2006 19:43:22 GMT -5
I think it's worth a reread if only for the fact that a BSC member broke away from the group.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
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Post by macca on Jun 11, 2006 20:01:32 GMT -5
^I don't really know any dedicated Christians, apart from my next-door neighbors, who haven't spoken to us in 20 years. I don't really know any either, but that's pretty much the norm in Australia. I thought religion was a much bigger issue in the US - that's the impression given by our media - but of course, I've never been there so I could be way off.
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Post by greer on Jun 12, 2006 0:57:43 GMT -5
I find Mallory's chapters in the Christmas/Hannukah mystery to be pretty flagrantly about Christianity; they ARE doing a Christmas pageant. Plus, you can be Jewish and not believe in God but you can't call yourself a Christian and not believe in God. The important part is following the law. Thus, I see the Jewish parts of the BSC books more about culture than religion. They're not saying "Abby doesn't believe that Jesus Christ is her Lord and Savior;" they're saying that Abby comes from a Jewish family and is now seen as an adult in Judaic culture and etc. Plus, I don't think anything terribly interesting happens in Christianity at age 13, but I don't think you could feasibly have a 12/13 y/o Jewish character and not be all, BAT MITZVAH! I don't think Abby's family made a bigger deal of their religion than Mallory's family made of the Christianity: they weren't Orthodox and they didn't keep kosher or anything.
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starrynight
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Post by starrynight on Jun 12, 2006 10:53:03 GMT -5
I don't really know any either, but that's pretty much the norm in Australia. I thought religion was a much bigger issue in the US - that's the impression given by our media - but of course, I've never been there so I could be way off. I think it is, to some extent. It really depends on where in the country you live. Washington and Oregon are the two least churched states in the nation, so if you live here, it's less common. I'm a dedicated Christian, though. I never really thought about the lack of Christian mentions as I read the series growing up, but I'm more aware of it now. I think it was left out for political correctness reasons. Being Jewish is sort of unique and exotic or something, so it's okay to mention those traditions and stuff, but not regular old Christianity.
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macca
Sitting For The Newtons
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Post by macca on Jun 13, 2006 2:28:01 GMT -5
I find that attitude really annoying, not just in the BSC but in general.
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