(Topic ID: 309766)

Am I being a total Karen in this parenting situation? Poll included.

By Yoko2una

2 years ago


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    Topic poll

    “Am I being a total Karen in this parenting situation? Poll included.”

    • Yes. The parody is innocent enough. All the words were changed. Try to laugh one in a while in life. 107 votes
      55%
    • No. You're the one with your head screwed on right. You should absolutely voice your displeasure to the teacher. 88 votes
      45%

    (195 votes)

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    #1 2 years ago

    So last night my son is doing homework and I see the earbuds in, so I ask what he's working on. Apparently there's a Social Studies assignment where he has to watch "educational" YouTube videos from some Weird Al wannabe. There was a cover of a Maroon 5 song. Whatever. I think (know) they suck, but it's innocent enough.

    But the next one really set me off. It was a parody of "Crack That" by Soulja Boy. I totally remember that song from frat parties in college. The lyrics are typical rap crap - countless references to hoes, imaginative sexual positions to apply to said hoes, and of course ejaculation... because why not, right?

    Though the lyrics for the parody were changed to something regarding ancient civilizations, the video starts off with a credit to the original song and artist. Now these 7th graders know precisely how to search for the real song and find the lyrics if they liked the tune.

    I feel like I should email the teacher and express my dissatisfaction over the assignment.

    1) I think it's lazy to assign YT videos for topics that can be learned w/o YT. Some YT videos are fantastic because they explore things never done before (Mark Rober, Smarter Every Day...etc.), but this was not that. The "lessons" were shoehorned into an existing rhyme scheme with D+ editing to boot.

    2) I also think it's F'ing stupid that students are subjected to YT ads before they can view any content. IMHO, that should disqualify it as the preferred avenue to teach a topic purely from an ethical standpoint. My old textbooks didn't have banner ads at tops and bottoms of the pages (see pic below).

    3) But I'm mostly really unhappy with the fact that "Crack That" is being used in an assignment and I would've never had known if I didn't check in on him. I don't allow my son on social media or to consume content anywhere close to the original song/artist.

    So the poll now is open. I think I want to write the teacher, but in doing so am I being a total Karen? I get teachers have been stressed greatly over the last 2 years and there's probably complaints coming in all the time about their little Jimmy or Susie's issues, but this is the first time I've really felt the need to express dissatisfaction. Many of you are parents, other still may be able to relate. What's your $0.02?

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    #2 2 years ago

    if it bothers you, you should voice it. but calmly express your concerns to the teacher privately. don't turn it into an attack. the teacher should reciprocate and calmly explain their thinking in assigning it. then you can have a discussion about the pros and cons as adults. any other approach, and it'll turn into a situation where the teacher looks at the student as the kid who's father she dislikes.

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    #3 2 years ago
    Quoted from Yoko2una:

    I feel like I should email the teacher and express my dissatisfaction over the assignment.

    Just prepare to be visited by the FBI if you question your kid's programming.

    #4 2 years ago

    The internet is a very large place in which your student will eventually find themself without any supervision.

    Think about technology use as a bicycle with training wheels. Eventually those training wheels will need to come off, and you should be there to guide your student's bike until they can responsibly ride on their own. Social media and smart phones are typically introduced around 8th grade (right or wrong, those are the statistics), so get ready for that pressure to increase as you student's peers and parents start gifting their kids phones.

    I would suggest that your student's learning device is in a public space where you can keep track of their browsing and progress. I would also remove screens from the bedroom at night. If you would like to limit access to wi-fi, try a product such as meetcircle.com.

    It's understandable that you don't like "crack that" being used as a parody, but your student has already heard all of this stuff. Concentrate on how you and your family react to questionable content and use this as a way to grow trust and have a conversation around what your values are as a parent/family instead of shielding your kid from the world.

    Feel free to email the teacher, but know they are up to their asses in bullshit right now and sending displeasure to the teacher will/may reflect poorly on your student rather than create the introspection that you desire from the teacher.

    #5 2 years ago
    Quoted from Yoko2una:

    I also think it's F'ing stupid that students are subjected to YT ads before they can view any content

    Do you have an adblocker installed?

    I'd suggest installing both ublock origin and privacy badger.

    If you're using the youtube app on a mobile device, I don't know of a way to block ads there. Although, on android, you could install an alternative browser, install adblockers, and browse youtube within the browser, rather than the dedicated app.

    #6 2 years ago

    I agree that informing the teacher of your feelings and convictions is a good idea. However, the delivery needs to be constructive and not abusive or aggressive. Calmly make your point and let it be. But I think it's more important for you to talk to your son and explain why this is inappropriate. Just because they may have already been exposed to this or worse on the internet, does not negate your responsibility as a parent to teach your son right from wrong, moral from immoral. Training of such things should start at home and continue on to adulthood.

    #7 2 years ago
    Quoted from bigehrl:

    the teacher should reciproc**

    I see what you did there... .......Joey

    17
    #8 2 years ago

    Sooner or later, you are going to have to take the training wheels off your kids. I can guarantee you they have heard far worse come out of other kids mouths at school.

    #9 2 years ago

    AND....all his friends have phones/internet and parents not as good as you....he could prolly teach you a few things..........Joey

    #10 2 years ago
    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    Do you have an adblocker installed?
    I'd suggest installing both ublock origin and privacy badger.
    If you're using the youtube app on a mobile device, I don't know of a way to block ads there. Although, on android, you could install an alternative browser, install adblockers, and browse youtube within the browser, rather than the dedicated app.

    It's a school-issued Chromebook he uses, so I'm unable to change the software in any way per the handbook.

    Quoted from isJ:

    Social media and smart phones are typically introduced around 8th grade (right or wrong, those are the statistics), so get ready for that pressure to increase as you student's peers and parents start gifting their kids phones.

    I would suggest that your student's learning device is in a public space where you can keep track of their browsing and progress. I would also remove screens from the bedroom at night.

    We actually got him an iPhone this winter because of his school being evacuated in mid-December from the Tik Tok school threats. The kids were rushed to a church parking lot miles away for parents to pick them up. The school's alert system failed, and I just happened to be driving by, otherwise I wouldn't have known. The phone gives now gives us a direct line of communication, but it stays in the office at night. No screens of any kind are allowed in his bedroom.

    The office is also where we have separate workstations, and whiteboard on the wall to work on things together... but I still need to do things like make dinner, walk the dog, and do laundry so although I have a good finger on the pulse of what he does, I can't stand over his shoulder every minute. The earbuds are what tipped me off last night after folding laundry that I should ask what he's doing that required audio.

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    #11 2 years ago

    Wanted to start off my reply by saying I’m only 22, but, this is the type of stuff my parents did to me when I was in middle school and all it brought was resent and a better ability to hide what I was doing, I think sometimes we forget that times are changing, I mean WAP was a radio hit, and that’s waaaay worse than “crank that”, I also looked up the lyrics to it, and they seem relatively tame compared to anything on the top 100 at the moment.

    #12 2 years ago
    Quoted from Pinhead_:

    Wanted to start off my reply by saying I’m only 22, but, this is the type of stuff my parents did to me when I was in middle school and all it brought was resent and a better ability to hide what I was doing, I think sometimes we forget that times are changing, I mean WAP was a radio hit, and that’s waaaay worse than “crank that”, I also looked up the lyrics to it, and they seem relatively tame compared to anything on the top 100 at the moment.

    so your saying he's a KAREN?

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    #13 2 years ago

    rdjeyeroll.gifrdjeyeroll.gif

    7th grade = ~13 years old. God forbid kids learn to live in the real world and are exposed to real world choices by their teens.

    #14 2 years ago

    If they have a phone they have seen / heard worse...

    #15 2 years ago

    Call the teacher let them talk, ask open ended question then get their perspective. Get as much information as you can wait 24 hours if you have concerns and contact them again.

    #16 2 years ago

    Maybe you should do this assignment with your child if you have concerns.Make it a learning experience.I do see your concerns as valid.The kids learn about bitches and hoes on the playground and dont need that in a classroom.

    #17 2 years ago
    Quoted from Yoko2una:

    It's a school-issued Chromebook he uses, so I'm unable to change the software in any way per the handbook.

    We actually got him an iPhone this winter because of his school being evacuated in mid-December from the Tik Tok school threats. The kids were rushed to a church parking lot miles away for parents to pick them up. The school's alert system failed, and I just happened to be driving by, otherwise I wouldn't have known. The phone gives now gives us a direct line of communication, but it stays in the office at night. No screens of any kind are allowed in his bedroom.
    The office is also where we have separate workstations, and whiteboard on the wall to work on things together... but I still need to do things like make dinner, walk the dog, and do laundry so although I have a good finger on the pulse of what he does, I can't stand over his shoulder every minute. The earbuds are what tipped me off last night after folding laundry that I should ask what he's doing that required audio.

    What fun to be a kid these days... let him have his bitches and ho's song. you Karen.

    #18 2 years ago

    Let it slide. Teacher in no way is assigning "crank that". Your kid is in middle school? You should hear the things these kids talk about and have ALREADY seen on the internet. For some reason, 7th/8th graders feel oral and anal are not really sex.

    #19 2 years ago

    If you are concerned, (and it seems like you are), you should definitely mention it. But you need to do it as a conversation, not a confrontation.

    Keep the pitchforks at home, and simply discuss the issues (calmly). And be ready and willing to listen to the teacher's side of the issues too.

    #20 2 years ago

    Kids don't learn about bitches and hoes on the playground. Kids live in a world where bitches and hoes culture exists. Treating something you disagree with, find offensive, or simply don't like, as if it just doesn't exist and that your abstinence form of treating it will shield your child from anything is insanely naive. How about acknowledging the facts of the real world and allowing a child to learn organically about them as you instill a value system upon your child? Acknowledging that Crack That is a song that exists, and letting your child understand why you find it offensive and why it is misogynistic and vulgar and inappropriate might actually teach him something. Playing like it doesn't exist just teaches him to hide it from you b/c he thinks you don't know it exists.

    #21 2 years ago
    Quoted from Pinhead_:

    I think sometimes we forget that times are changing.

    I think many are aware of this just depends on if you think every change is for the better. In reality you can't do much about it because most are programmed to think it is for the better and to not question it.

    #22 2 years ago

    I never filtered things for my kids. I made it clear that if they had questions or concerns about something they saw on the internet, I'm here to talk.
    They are all college aged now, and frankly much healthier than a lot of their friends, who were locked down and then went nuts when they finally were on their own.
    Just talk to your kids. A lot. And be prepared for the occasional conversation that is uncomfortable or challenges your beliefs. It's ok. The kids will be fine.

    #23 2 years ago

    The smartphone / social media genie completely upended parenting and expectations even before "remote learning" made them nearly required.

    And haven't you ever seen a 2nd-grader with a Deadpool backpack?

    The connected world has been difficult to navigate with kids. While I work in IT and generally dislike and distrust nearly all forms of social media.... peer pressure, lazy parents, and pseudo-endorsements from the schools themselves pretty much made it so that every "other" kid had an unsupervised phone by 6th grade (back when my oldest, now 17, was there... so this was like 5 years ago). I'll never forget the time we went to a 4th grade academic team tournament hosted by a nearby elementary school, and the library was plastered with artsy posterboards of various teachers' Instagram and FB profiles and such. Like, HOLY SHIT WTF are you promoting this for?? It wasn't good enough for the adults to get their dopamine jollies via technology, they had to demonstrate this to impressionable elementary kids too??! Bad enough our own school kept encouraging smartphone tools and stupid portals that changed every other year...

    ...but that horrific library display made me realize the war was lost.

    Now, since I had been "that kid" in school whose parents closed him off from everything, which frankly made my life a living hell, I'd already decided to take a more nuanced view of the world and not shelter my kids. THEY KNOW (or THINK they know) MORE THAN YOU WANT TO ADMIT. I went to chaperone a 6th grade band trip and while waiting in the auditorium at 6 am, bunch of kids had their smartphones out playing Pocket Morty's and quoting the show, which my own kids hadn't yet seen.

    So I watched it with them to supervise and lend context. And eventually yes, they got phones in middle school, though they were some of the last.

    You can't live in a bubble and you can't keep your kids in one. Once they walk out your door and into school IT'S OVER for better and worse. You can only bring context to the world outside those doors. My kids ask tough questions and have known "the meaning of words" since they were little, and I'm fortunate we still have open and frank discussions. We even occasionally swear. But they have never once embarrassed me and in fact, teachers and other parents alike often marvel and ask what me and my wife have done so right?

    I'm no expert, so I'm not really sure. The only thing I always tell them is "we adults let the Genie out of the bottle, so we adults have to keep him in check". After all, I thought it would be sooooooo much fun to show my girls silly Cookie Monster videos on YouTube - back in the good ol' days before YT became a cesspool - so of course they wanted to look that up themselves. And finally on a particularly hectic day I said "sure, fine, daddy's proud that you're learning to use a computer". Until one infamous day YT went into that auto-play next-vid bullshit and for some reason added an.... adult bastardization of Cookie Monster.... and I realized I'd fucked up. But in hindsight that's the LEAST of the issues out there today.

    I guess what I am saying (venting) in too many words here OP, is I feel your pain and wish you good luck! But it's probably past time to start helping your child put the rest of the world in context, before the world forces him to figure it out himself. And yes, FWIW I don't agree with what his instructor did... BUT that is probably not the last, or only, questionable instruction he'll receive... and far from the worst thing he's seen or heard already.

    #24 2 years ago
    Quoted from gambit3113:

    Kids don't learn about bitches and hoes on the playground. Kids live in a world where bitches and hoes culture exists. Treating something you disagree with, find offensive, or simply don't like, as if it just doesn't exist and that your abstinence form of treating it will shield your child from anything is insanely naive. How about acknowledging the facts of the real world and allowing a child to learn organically about them as you instill a value system upon your child? Acknowledging that Crack That is a song that exists, and letting your child understand why you find it offensive and why it is misogynistic and vulgar and inappropriate might actually teach him something. Playing like it doesn't exist just teaches him to hide it from you b/c he thinks you don't know it exists.

    I agree with everything you said but the part about not learning on the playground.Thats where we discussed these things when I was a baby dinosaur.

    #25 2 years ago

    I think that regardless of your opinion....you're going to have to get over it. This isn't a super clear cut case of negligence or anything.

    If you're really concerned about it, talk to your kid, not the teacher.

    Quoted from goingincirclez:

    ...that horrific library display made me realize the war was lost.

    Exactly this. You are not going to win against the Idiocracy.

    #26 2 years ago

    and to think they wouldnt let me use Black Sabbath for my english project.War Pigs was my choice.declined.

    #27 2 years ago

    Teach your kids right and wrong. They'll be exposed to bad things regardless of the school. It''s up to you to steer the ship long term.

    10
    #28 2 years ago
    Quoted from Pinhead_:

    Wanted to start off my reply by saying I’m only 22, but, this is the type of stuff my parents did to me when I was in middle school and all it brought was resent and a better ability to hide what I was doing, I think sometimes we forget that times are changing, I mean WAP was a radio hit, and that’s waaaay worse than “crank that”, I also looked up the lyrics to it, and they seem relatively tame compared to anything on the top 100 at the moment.

    Nice! Now that I’m 25 and younger kids are getting on Pinside I don’t feel embarrassed about my age as much. (Some people *cough* Otaku *cough* made all young guys seem like knobheads)

    On to the point:
    I was IN SCHOOL when “Crank That” (not crack) was a huge hit. The song was catchy but pretty trash and nobody even knows who Soulja Boy is anymore. One-hit Wonder, hard to believe!

    Anyway, in middle school we were doing f’d up shit. We were looking at awful videos, infamous “cup/jar” videos the school had JUST installed the computer lab and ad blockers and web filters were brand new, getting around them was SO EASY. Hell you could open up a private tab and get around it.

    The point being, my dad and grandmother openly discussed a lot of stuff with me, and taught me how stupid most this shit is. They helped me become an individual and not some brainless follower.

    Your job is to raise your child and guide them to become a functioning, successful adult who can be independent. Mommy and daddy won’t be able to shelter and helicopter over your kid forever. My dad was killed when I was 18, and I think about his lessons every day. He gave me the knowledge and tools to understand right from wrong. He didn’t just tell me and force me to obey the rules of what is “bad” and “good” He was also a biker outlaw and taught me some very bad lessons that I was smart enough to know not to follow, haha!

    Start parenting them thinking that you could die any day. If you weren’t there tomorrow would your child be able to use your life lessons and grow up as an individual, or would they simply be stuck waiting for the next person to tell them what to do?

    #29 2 years ago

    A teacher got your kid to engage with an assignment using a modern medium. They probably learned more from the 3 minute catchy video then they would have in a 40 minute class.

    If the worst thing you think your kid can find on the internet is the lyrics to some old rap songs...you may want to sit down for this next part...

    In summary, yes, 100% Karen. Of all the problems I would worry about with my kid, this is pretty far down the list.

    Edit, just caught this:

    Quoted from Yoko2una:

    I don't allow my son on social media or to consume content anywhere close to the original song/artist.

    Yikes...yeah, lemme know how that goes ha.

    #30 2 years ago

    First 100% full Karen. If at 13 years old you still feel your child is not capable of digesting information and forming an opinion, you are in deep trouble. I can't imagine at that age going around telling other people I am sorry but you have to filter what you are doing because it could be an influence on my child. Sadly myself as his parent have no ability to teach or communicate with them so even something as minor as a couple minutes of video could cause damage that we can not handle. At thirteen a boy is just knocking on the door of manhood, a girl can be well on her way to womanhood. How do people think its acceptable to treat a child that age like they are in kindergarten. It sounds stupid even using the word child.

    #31 2 years ago

    No worries folks. I know this dude IRL, and he is known to go full Karen from time to time. Examples include Led Zepplin pinball, Star Wars toppers, and tilt settings on location pinball. I even bought him a Karen wig, but he refuses to wear it. :p

    -The Manager

    #32 2 years ago

    Idk, I have three kids, my oldest is 16. I try to monitor what they get into, but less to restrict and more to address it with them and help prepare them to deal with it. I know they encounter worse day to day with friends and The internet then we realize. But as long as my kids know and act like woman aren’t bitches or hoes or that drugs aren’t cool or violence is not answer, etc
    then it’s just words for entertainment.

    Maybe bring it to the teachers attention (if you really feel it’s that important to you) that the source based material for that assignment came from a pretty “rowdy” song you remembered from college. But teachers have it pretty hard lately, and they are probably just trying to find things that will help engage the students in new ways.

    Not even mentioning it may put your kid in a weird spot or embarrass them and that may cause more harm for a relationship than it would good.

    Just my $00.02, but by admissions I’m figuring this parent stuff out as I go.

    #33 2 years ago
    Quoted from grantopia:

    Yikes...yeah, lemme know how that goes ha.

    There is a 100% correlation between the kids I know spinning out of control now and hardcore parental lockdown when they were teens. Same for my generation. My cousins who were raised in that strict paradigm? They are the ones with teen pregnancies, jail time and drug/alcohol addictions, including one death by OD. YMMV, but I keep watching this cycle spin out again and again. So, good luck, indeed.

    #34 2 years ago
    Quoted from PersonX99:

    No worries folks. I know this dude IRL, and he is known to go full Karen from time to time. Examples include Led Zepplin pinball, Star Wars toppers, and tilt settings on location pinball. I even bought him a Karen wig, but he refuses to wear it. :p
    -The Manager

    I joked this morning to have a 3rd option in the poll just for you to call me an Alice

    Edit: Oh, and the SW Topper is still junk.

    #35 2 years ago

    I'm not going to defend the assignment. Just going to ask for a reality check that if this is the worst thing your 7th grader is subjected to online that would be a miracle. Guaranteed they are searching and sharing much worse content with each other. Waste of time and effort for you to worry about this.

    #36 2 years ago

    7th Graders are not going to find Crank That worth any of their time. It's like you in the 7th grade being forced to watch a Meatloaf "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" parody that teaches math concepts on VHS for homework.

    BTW, I 100% danced to Paradise by the Dashboard Light in seventh grade. Are you objecting to the content or the culture, Karen?

    #37 2 years ago
    Quoted from plasticbugs:

    Are you objecting to the content or the culture, Karen?

    Can I object to both?

    But in all seriousness, lots of interesting points in here. I still think a tactful email to the teacher, while understanding that it has not the most enviable profession over the last 24 months, is what I'm probably going to do this evening. I did see a trend of "your kid is exposed to worst" replies, which although I'm sure may be true, I don't know if that translates to a green light for educators to use that as the low threshold for what tools can be used in lessons. In health ed, you don't show softcore porn to the kids, because they took one kid's phone in the woods at recess and went nuts searching through the "Hub". You don't lower the bar based on students' adolescent behaviors, you aim higher, no?

    #38 2 years ago

    All this assignment proves is that the teacher watches 90 Day Fiance'

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    #39 2 years ago
    Quoted from Yoko2una:

    So last night my son is doing homework and I see the earbuds in, so I ask what he's working on. Apparently there's a Social Studies assignment where he has to watch "educational" YouTube videos from some Weird Al wannabe. There was a cover of a Maroon 5 song. Whatever. I think (know) they suck, but it's innocent enough.
    But the next one really set me off. It was a parody of "Crack That" by Soulja Boy. I totally remember that song from frat parties in college. The lyrics are typical rap crap - countless references to hoes, imaginative sexual positions to apply to said hoes, and of course ejaculation... because why not, right?
    Though the lyrics for the parody were changed to something regarding ancient civilizations, the video starts off with a credit to the original song and artist. Now these 7th graders know precisely how to search for the real song and find the lyrics if they liked the tune.
    I feel like I should email the teacher and express my dissatisfaction over the assignment.
    1) I think it's lazy to assign YT videos for topics that can be learned w/o YT. Some YT videos are fantastic because they explore things never done before (Mark Rober, Smarter Every Day...etc.), but this was not that. The "lessons" were shoehorned into an existing rhyme scheme with D+ editing to boot.
    2) I also think it's F'ing stupid that students are subjected to YT ads before they can view any content. IMHO, that should disqualify it as the preferred avenue to teach a topic purely from an ethical standpoint. My old textbooks didn't have banner ads at tops and bottoms of the pages (see pic below).
    3) But I'm mostly really unhappy with the fact that "Crack That" is being used in an assignment and I would've never had known if I didn't check in on him. I don't allow my son on social media or to consume content anywhere close to the original song/artist.
    So the poll now is open. I think I want to write the teacher, but in doing so am I being a total Karen? I get teachers have been stressed greatly over the last 2 years and there's probably complaints coming in all the time about their little Jimmy or Susie's issues, but this is the first time I've really felt the need to express dissatisfaction. Many of you are parents, other still may be able to relate. What's your $0.02?
    [quoted image]

    There are definitely issues... 7th grade is tricky... kids *UNDER* 12 are prohibited from having a YT account. It is against the law, in a big way, to show targeted ads to kids under 12. However, many schools get around this by requiring a COPPA release form.

    I won't mention the use of an adblocker.... I voiced my dispeasure about adblockers in the past... and was nearly down-voted into oblivion. However, you can purchase YouTube Premium and you can avoid all ads on YT (ForceFlow - even on mobile!)

    My daughter is in 7th grade, and it is crazy to see the things she is unintentionnally exposed to. She plays travel softball, and a majority of the team songs (and walk up songs) are so wrong that it is funny. A girl walks up to the plate to "Who Let The Dogs Out" - but 90% of the peopel are oblivious that the song is about ugly girls showing up to a party. Another one is, "Turn Down for What?" - no one realizes that the song is about why should the person bother trying to get sober. Yet we hear both songs at least 20x during a typical tournament.

    #40 2 years ago
    Quoted from Yoko2una:

    I did see a trend of "your kid is exposed to worst" replies, which although I'm sure may be true, I don't know if that translates to a green light for educators to use that as the low threshold for what tools can be used in lessons. In health ed, you don't show softcore porn to the kids, because they took one kid's phone in the woods at recess and went nuts searching through the "Hub".

    If the teacher was using the original video, you would have a stronger point. This situation is like being upset at "Amish Paradise" because your kid might find the video for "Gangsta's Paradise"(or, heaven forbid, "Pastime Paradise," if I'm to date myself with a deeper reference).

    #41 2 years ago
    Quoted from NC_Pin:

    There are definitely issues... 7th grade is tricky... kids *UNDER* 12 are prohibited from having a YT account. It is against the law, in a big way, to show targeted ads to kids under 12. However, many schools get around this by requiring a COPPA release form.
    I won't mention the use of an adblocker.... I voiced my dispeasure about adblockers in the past... and was nearly down-voted into oblivion. However, you can purchase YouTube Premium and you can avoid all ads on YT (ForceFlow - even on mobile!)
    My daughter is in 7th grade, and it is crazy to see the things she is unintentionnally exposed to. She plays travel softball, and a majority of the team songs (and walk up songs) are so wrong that it is funny. A girl walks up to the plate to "Who Let The Dogs Out" - but 90% of the peopel are oblivious that the song is about ugly girls showing up to a party. Another one is, "Turn Down for What?" - no one realizes that the song is about why should the person bother trying to get sober. Yet we hear both songs at least 20x during a typical tournament.

    Exactly this. These songs have meaning if you're listening to the lyrics. NO ONE IS LISTENING TO THE LYRICS (including your kids). Crank That 1. is an OLDIE. and 2. it's a song about a fad dance and it is NOT COOL.

    It's as cool as bell bottom pants or JNCO jeans or whatever else your generation thinks is lame. Crank That is DAD MUSIC -- Who Let the Dogs Out is DAD MUSIC. The teacher is lame. They should be assigning parody music of Kodak Black or Lil Nas X, not moldy oldies like Crank That.

    -6
    #42 2 years ago

    Home school if it is feasible.

    #43 2 years ago
    Quoted from ThatOneDude:

    If the teacher was using the original video, you would have a stronger point. This situation is like being upset at "Amish Paradise" because your kid might find the video for "Gangsta's Paradise"(or, heaven forbid, "Pastime Paradise," if I'm to date myself with a deeper reference).

    Lol, Gansta's Paradise was referenced between my sister and I. A friend today also mentioned that Like a Surgeon was based on a risque song of the time. So yeah, it's one thing if the source material is questionable, but then another question on top on whether it's appropriate for education. Obviously if the teacher had them watch the actual Soulja Boy video I could just kick back and let the angry mom's do their thing before I finished my morning coffee. It's more the fact that the parody video credits the original song in the beginning.

    #44 2 years ago
    Quoted from plasticbugs:

    Exactly this. These songs have meaning if you're listening to the lyrics. NO ONE IS LISTENING TO THE LYRICS (including your kids). Crank That 1. is an OLDIE. and 2. it's a song about a fad dance and it is NOT COOL.
    It's as cool as bell bottom pants or JNCO jeans or whatever else your generation thinks is lame. Crank That is DAD MUSIC -- Who Let the Dogs Out is DAD MUSIC. The teacher is lame. They should be assigning parody music of Kodak Black or Lil Nas X, not moldy oldies like Crank That.

    Original take. Points!

    points (resized).jpgpoints (resized).jpg
    #45 2 years ago
    Quoted from Yoko2una:

    Can I object to both?
    But in all seriousness, lots of interesting points in here. I still think a tactful email to the teacher, while understanding that it has not the most enviable profession over the last 24 months, is what I'm probably going to do this evening. I did see a trend of "your kid is exposed to worst" replies, which although I'm sure may be true, I don't know if that translates to a green light for educators to use that as the low threshold for what tools can be used in lessons. In health ed, you don't show softcore porn to the kids, because they took one kid's phone in the woods at recess and went nuts searching through the "Hub". You don't lower the bar based on students' adolescent behaviors, you aim higher, no?

    Why do you think a funny video is "the low threshold"? Ask your kid what they learned from the video, then ask them what the last thing they learned from the last text book reading assignment they had.

    Also, the straw man arguments you're inventing in your head aren't helping the non-karen argument. No one is saying show kids porn in school. Were saying you shouldn't be all riled up if your kids sees pictures of genitals in health class because that's a reasonable alternative to showing porn. Kids are naturally curious about things and treating stuff like some unmentionable taboo topic isn't going to extinguish that curiosity.

    That said, it sounds like your mind was made up before you asked the question anyway .

    #46 2 years ago

    Never heard of the song so I listened to it. I have no idea what the lyrics are. I hear a lot of oohhhhhs and Superman, a soldier/Soulja boy every once in a while. I’m not telling my kids to go find that song, but I know they hear worse hanging with the boys.

    As far as the teacher using it, I’d have to watch the actual lesson. It seems lazy to use it you tube for a school taught lesson, but maybe it resonates with the kids. If you have a problem with it, the first response to your question is how you should go about handling it.

    #47 2 years ago
    Quoted from bigehrl:

    if it bothers you, you should voice it. but calmly express your concerns to the teacher privately. don't turn it into an attack. the teacher should reciprocate and calmly explain their thinking in assigning it. then you can have a discussion about the pros and cons as adults. any other approach, and it'll turn into a situation where the teacher looks at the student as the kid who's father she dislikes.

    I nearly spit out my drink when I read this. Let's just say someone close to me teaches at a private elementary school and parents rarely ever express their concerns in a calmly manner.

    #48 2 years ago

    I don't really see any issues with it other than I think the Teacher is being lazy. Fact is your kid eventually will be exposed to this content & far worse. You cannot shield him forever & by doing so you may even indirectly push him away from you. Goodluck I'm so grateful that my kids ended up in tissues

    #49 2 years ago
    Quoted from Jamesays:

    I agree with everything you said but the part about not learning on the playground.Thats where we discussed these things when I was a baby dinosaur.

    Splitting hairs, but I mean it more as a fact that the culture he's trying to shield his kid from is ubiquitous and pervasive. He's 100% going to hear it and see it somewhere. Yes, the playground at school is where kids will spread knowledge they picked up. But this particular cultural phenomenon is going to undoubtedly hit his airspace somewhere soon.

    #50 2 years ago

    Yes, a Karen vote, 100%. I barely made it past the first paragraph without rolling my eyes. Let's call a spade a spade, the OP has a transgression against "rap" music and that got him/her all riled up...because one of the parodies used that beat. A very innocent beat at that. Keyword, no lyrics, just the beat with parody voice over. If the beat would have been Elvis, OP likely would have moved on. OP is trying to convince us that it's all about the laziness of the teacher using YouTube, blah. Its not, its your bias against rap music. Therefore, you lose credibility for me to take this serious.

    It takes 5 seconds to find that video too, and it's got 5 million views with tons of comments about social studies teachers using this. Again, you hate rap music so much you can't even handle the beats being used, and you stereotype an entire genre to boot.

    Clearly the teacher is trying to give the kids a "fun" project to do, so maybe they might pay attention vs. traditonal text book assignment. I can likely guarantee this isn't the core teaching method for this teacher. Cut him/her a break.

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