“The principal of Florida’s Tallahassee Classical School is out of a job after parents complained that their sixth-grade children were shown Michelangelo’s 16th century ‘David’ sculpture, with one parent calling it ‘pornographic,'” Huffington Post reported on “Thursday, March 23, 2023 (read story here).
“David” is a world-renowned Renaissance masterpiece sculpted by Michelango, one of the world’s most famous artists. The 17-foot high statue was displayed outdoors in Florence’s public square for 369 years before being moved indoors (read details here).
Yeah, it depicts the Biblical figure’s genitals. So does a vast array of Renaissance art (see, e.g., painting below), and if one parent can get a school principal fired because s/he thinks “David” is pornographic, then an entire European art era will be off-limits to all students.
Do you want your kids to grow up uncultured because some art-hater dictates what they’re allowed to learn? Some people think letting a vocal minority of poorly-informed parents manage schools is a good idea. I think it’s comparable to letting the lunatics run the asylum, in terms of the result you get.
But there’s also a larger issue here. Lo0k, Florida isn’t where you go for culture. Even Mickey Mouse is under fire there. Or to teach, or raise kids. Florida has a teacher shortage crisis, see story here. They’ve driven out all the decent teachers, and only cowering lackeys are left.
Florida is where old white people go to retire for warm winters, cheaper real estate, and no income tax. You’d love Florida if you like rightwing politics, are for putting black people back in their place (i.e., serving and cleaning up after white people), want LGBQT people shoveled back in the closet, and don’t mind HOAs, alligators, and hurricanes.
And who needs Michelangelo, when you’ve got Ron DeSantis?
Update (4/2/23): Caving in to one parent’s notion of “pornography” has cost Tallahassee Classical School its licensed use of a Michigan college’s classical education curriculum, see story here.
Photo below: The Vatican’s Sistine Chapel art depicts a homosexual God reaching out to touch a naked guy in a ceiling full of naked people.
