Cherry Hill High School East needs to #SaveRagtime

You've heard the news by now. The Cherry Hill High School East production of the play 'Ragtime' is in jeopardy.

The play is a portrayal of racism, bigotry and intolerance and how communities and people can come together to overcome adversity. To drive the point home, the script uses offensive and racially charged language. That was enough to prompt the local Camden County NAACP to write a letter asking the district to stop the play.

NJ School Board to discuss censoring student production of 'Ragtime'

The response however made matters worse. The compromise was to strike the offensive language from the play. How outrageous! Why not simply respond to the NAACP and offer the simple adult explanation that the shock value of the words is what make the play impactful.

Shame on the local NAACP for not understanding the context. Shame on the school district for immediately backing down, sort of. Many calls this morning from listeners, from all races offering support to see the play in it's intended form. It's time for us to overcome the PC nonsense that holds us back.

Where is the local NAACP with so many young people of all races listening to offensive rap lyrics demeaning women, cops and full of racial slurs? How about we stop trying to sanitize the past and instead learn from our mistakes. Better yet, isn't it time to foster a culture where young people learn to cope with adversity?

Protecting someone from hearing an offensive word can do more harm than good. Teaching young people how to cope with and handle hearing things that are offensive will go a long way to shaping a stronger, more resilient next generation. As I'm fond of saying, it's the small stuff that matters.

So for now, #SaveRagtime.