A local museum’s
ad reminded me of a family vacation we took years ago. I told our kids that, during
the trip, we visited a museum that focused on wildlife and conservation. On an outdoor
exhibit walk around the building, we saw animals living in the grasses, bushes,
and in the river. Signs along the elevated walkway displayed pictures of the
animals’ “output.”
One of our
kids wondered why our local museum advertised an exhibit on “output.” I explained
that you can identify an animal by it, and added that the museum thought the topic
would attract kids who giggled at that sort of thing. I thought the
conversation was over until one of our kids asked, “Are we kids or barbarians?”
Barbarians—like the ones from the Roman Empire? Someone paid attention in history class. Maybe
this helps explain the museum’s topic choice:
https://youtu.be/bk0oWCiUob4
The scoop on
poop: Is it entertainment or education? Who knew output deserved so much scientific
attention? It can be helpful to discuss the scoop on poop, or any other topic. How
we say things and why we’re mentioning them will show whether we’re speaking like
decent people or barbarians.
Political
correctness shouldn’t force us to bury controversial topics, but it should encourage
us to speak on them without using pie-in-the-face words. What national conversation
do you want to defend without it turning into a big stink?
