Ignition for Education

Ron DeSantis and others on the right have spent the current presidential term whipping up fear of “left wing” or “woke” indoctrination in schools. They have never provided evidence that this is happening. Not one time. They’ve just used the idea it to court conservative-minded voters and to pass bigoted legislation.

Teachers are not teaching kids that they are gay or that they are transgendered. No evidence says that we are. Yet the Florida Republicans have outlawed discussion of sexual orientation and mandated that queer kids be reported to their parents (who, in some cases, will abuse them for being queer).

Teachers are not telling kids that white people are bad. Or teaching Critical Race Theory, which is college-level material in any case. But Florida’s Republicans have banned AP African American Studies. And now they’ve mandated that that we teach kids (a) that slavery was in some ways good for black people and (b) that black people are at fault for racial violence.

They are not trying to prevent indoctrination. They are trying to ensure that indoctrination will happen, that children will grow up to become racist, homophobic bigots like them. That is the Florida Republican Party’s agenda for education, and all their rhetoric about ideological neutrality is a smokescreen for that.

Because, in words from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific,

You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught from year to year,
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear—
You’ve got to be carefully taught!

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a different shade—
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate—
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
You’ve got to be carefully taught!

And this, of course, is their real reason for favoring “school choice.” There may be valid arguments in favor of voucher schemes to help with private school fees, but those arguments are not why the Florida Republican Party is in favor. They simply want to promote Christo-fascist schooling in which kids will be taught to hate like they do.

From now on, this blog will very likely endorse political candidates at election time. They will very likely all be Democrats.