© Getty Images/iStockphoto/Guilherme Checchia/iStockphoto
The penis of contention: Why Michelangelo is to blame for the firing of a school principal.
Many associations come to mind when you think of Michelangelo’s famous statue of David: heroism, classic beauty, a must-see when visiting Florence… For most people, pornography is probably not one of them. That’s exactly what happened in Tallahassee, Florida these days – and promptly became a school principal’s undoing.
What happened? A sixth grade class studied the Renaissance in art class. For better understanding, the 11 and 12 year olds were shown pictures of Michelangelo’s David, one of the most famous examples of the era. The result: outraged parents who complained to the school authorities. Her children were confronted with pornography at school. After all, the childish eyes were also confronted with Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”.
Controversial
Hope Carrasaquilla, the director, was then asked by the agency to resign or otherwise be fired. According to local media, she was not informed of the reason for the ultimatum. your mistake? According to a school official, she should have informed the parents in advance that the children would see the statue of David. The fact that that didn’t happen was a “monstrous mistake”. After all, parents have a right to know “when their children are being introduced to a controversial topic or picture”.
Ultrakonservatives Florida
The serious background of the strange-looking story: Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis is pursuing an ultra-conservative school agenda. Among other things, he wants to extend the controversial ban on teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity, which already applies to elementary schools, to all age groups.
In addition, supposedly “pornographic” or “violence-glorifying” books are banned from school libraries – including Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” or “Very Blue Eyes” by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrisson.
Prude Queen
Perhaps the distraught parents and school officials would have liked the South Kensington Museum’s approach. When Queen Victoria gave him a plaster copy of David as a gift in 1857, she was shocked by his nudity when she viewed it. In order to spare her the sight of David’s nakedness in the future, the museum had a fig leaf made that was used on every visit by the queen.
Top-informed anytime and anywhere
Secure unrestricted access to all digital content from KURIER: Plus content, e-papers, online magazines and more. Test the KURIER digital subscription now.
