The end of the fucking world, according to History as I knew it.

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
And of course, it begins in Texas:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1253

The nation’s public school curriculum may be in for a Texas-sized overhaul, if the Lone Star state’s influential recommendations for changes to social studies, economics and history textbooks are fully ratified later this spring. Last Friday, in a 10-to-5 vote split right down party lines, the Texas State Board of Education approved some controversial right-leaning alterations to what most students in the state—and by extension, in much of the rest of the country—will be studying as received historical and social-scientific wisdom. After a public comment period, the board will vote on final recommendations in May.

Don McElroy, who leads the board’s powerful seven-member social conservative bloc, explained that the measure is a way of "adding balance" in the classroom, since "academia is skewed too far to the left." And the board's critics have labeled the move an attempt by political "extremists" to "promote their ideology."

The revised standards have far-reaching implications because Texas is a huge market leader in the school-textbook industry. The enormous print run for Texas textbooks leaves most districts in other states adopting the same course materials, so that the Texas School Board effectively spells out requirements for 80 percent of the nation’s textbook market. That means, for instance, that schools in left-leaning states like Oregon and Vermont could soon be teaching from textbooks that are short on references to Ted Kennedy but long on references to conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.

Here are some of the other signal shifts that the Texas Board endorsed last Friday:

- A greater emphasis on “the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s.” This means not only increased favorable mentions of Schlafly, the founder of the antifeminist Eagle Forum, but also more discussion of the Moral Majority, the Heritage Foundation, the National Rifle Association and Newt Gingrich's Contract With America.

- A reduced scope for Latino history and culture. A proposal to expand such material in recognition of Texas’ rapidly growing Hispanic population was defeated in last week’s meetings—provoking one board member, Mary Helen Berlanga, to storm out in protest. "They can just pretend this is a white America and Hispanics don’t exist," she said of her conservative colleagues on the board. "They are rewriting history, not only of Texas but of the United States and the world."

- Changes in specific terminology. Terms that the board’s conservative majority felt were ideologically loaded are being retired. Hence, “imperialism” as a characterization of America’s modern rise to world power is giving way to “expansionism,” and “capitalism” is being dropped in economic material, in favor of the more positive expression “free market.” (The new recommendations stress the need for favorable depictions of America’s economic superiority across the board.)


- A more positive portrayal of Cold War anticommunism. Disgraced anticommunist crusader Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator censured by the Senate for his aggressive targeting of individual citizens and their civil liberties on the basis of their purported ties to the Communist Party, comes in for partial rehabilitation. The board recommends that textbooks refer to documents published since McCarthy’s death and the fall of the Soviet bloc that appear to show expansive Soviet designs to undermine the U.S. government.

- Language that qualifies the legacy of 1960s liberalism. Great Society programs such as Title IX—which provides for equal gender access to educational resources—and affirmative action, intended to remedy historic workplace discrimination against African-Americans, are said to have created adverse “unintended consequences” in the curriculum’s preferred language.


- Thomas Jefferson no longer included among writers influencing the nation’s intellectual origins. Jefferson, a deist who helped pioneer the legal theory of the separation of church and state, is not a model founder in the board’s judgment. Among the intellectual forerunners to be highlighted in Jefferson’s place: medieval Catholic philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas, Puritan theologian John Calvin and conservative British law scholar William Blackstone. Heavy emphasis is also to be placed on the founding fathers having been guided by strict Christian beliefs.

- Excision of recent third-party presidential candidates Ralph Nader (from the left) and Ross Perot (from the centrist Reform Party). Meanwhile, the recommendations include an entry listing Confederate General Stonewall Jackson as a role model for effective leadership, and a statement from Confederate President Jefferson Davis accompanying a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

- A recommendation to include country and western music among the nation’s important cultural movements. The popular black genre of hip-hop is being dropped from the same list.

None of these proposals has met with final ratification from the board—that vote will come in May, after a prolonged period of public comment on the recommendations. Still, the conservatives clearly feel like the bulk of their work is done; after the 120-page draft was finalized last Friday, Republican board member Terri Leo declared that it was "world class" and "exceptional."

So, goodbye to Thomas "Declaration of Independence" Jefferson from American thought; don't feel bad though, Tom, if this is any indication, it wasn't going to last much longer anyway.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
WAR IS PEACE.

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

REPUBLICANS DOUBLEPLUSGOOD.
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
グリフィス said:
Related thread: http://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?topic=11702.0

Unfortunately I don't see how any of these tips would save me from the thought police.
 
Gah.

Ugh...

I've sat here thinking about how to sum up my frustration for about a half of an hour now, and all I can seem to come up with is "Kill Whitey."
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
Aazealh said:
Are they going to dynamite Jefferson's face off of Mount Rushmore for good measure?

We can't be too safe.

Also hopefully the new plans for the Statue of Liberty being moved to Texas work out. I'm glad they are finally getting it right by replacing the Keystone with a NKJ Bible and her crown with a crown of thorns.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
You know, with many Americans feeling more and more ambivalent about Obama, now is the time for the Republican party to get their act together, lay on the charm and appeal to those on the fence and the right-leaning Democrats. But this shit is just polarizing. Who would swing for this? Rewriting history to suit the whim of a party is an act of tyrants.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Are they going to dynamite Jefferson's face off of Mount Rushmore for good measure?

Honestly, I've been waiting for all the patriotic frauds to eliminate Jefferson, since for all their reverence and evocation of the founding fathers, he simply doesn't mesh with their pseudo-doctrine. Who knows though, maybe they'll just change his bio like the others, even some so-called "Christian" conservatives are trying to turn Jesus into some kind of capitalist hard ass.

Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
Also hopefully the new plans for the Statue of Liberty being moved to Texas work out.

They wouldn't want it because it's French. Really, I wouldn't care if this was just Texas, it's practically its own country anyway, literally was, and culturally pretty much still is. It's just a shame it has this kind of power over the rest of the country.

Walter said:
You know, with many Americans feeling more and more ambivalent about Obama, now is the time for the Republican party to get their act together, lay on the charm and appeal to those on the fence and the right-leaning Democrats. But this shit is just polarizing. Who would swing for this? Rewriting history to suit the whim of a party is an act of tyrants.

Say hello to your tyrant:

don-mcleroy1.jpg


No, it's not Dick Cheney with a fake mustache, it's Dr. Don McLeroy, but don't let the Dr. fool you, he's a fucking dentist. I'll let him speak for himself, "...we are a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel. Then I see how they treat Ronald Reagan—he needs to get credit for saving the world from communism and for the good economy over the last twenty years because he lowered taxes." Uh huh, those would be my priorities as well, btw there are no historians, scientists, or economists on the board deciding the standards for those subjects. Also, he's a creationist that doesn't believe in... Science, or really any facts that contradict his arbitrary beliefs. Anyway, this whack-job has apparently been dominating the Texas board for years, but fortunately this is his swan song since he lost bid to be reelected, by 1 vote, he needed a 2/3 majority. Anyway, I can only hope this causes a major backlash around the country that minimizes the damage of these cretinous political zealots.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
グリフィス said:
Honestly, I've been waiting for all the patriotic frauds to eliminate Jefferson, since for all their reverence and evocation of the founding fathers, he simply doesn't mesh with their pseudo-doctrine. Who knows though, maybe they'll just change his bio like the others, even some so-called "Christian" conservatives are trying to turn Jesus into some kind of capitalist hard ass.

I'm surprised they didn't just propose to replace Jefferson by Jesus Christ himself. The first American!

グリフィス said:
They wouldn't want it because it's French.

I was tempted to post this. :void:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Aazealh said:
I'm surprised they didn't just propose to replace Jefferson by Jesus Christ himself. The first American!
I'm pretty sure Reagan was a founding father. He'd be a solid replacement for that upstart Jefferson.
 
I'm not American so I'll try to stay out of American politics, but the the last point on that agenda is so fucking obscene that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Country/western is the only music genre I cannot get into no matter how much I try. It's evil. :femto:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
D-Scape said:
I'm not American so I'll try to stay out of American politics, but the the last point on that agenda is so fucking obscene that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Country/western is the only music genre I cannot get into no matter how much I try. It's evil. :femto:

Haha, yeah, that touches on the other great debate here, the blatant whitewashing of history (which is an impressive feat since it was already predominantly written by white people) and culture, where Hip hop is ignored despite being a world wide phenomenon, same for Latinos even though they're going to be the dominant population in that area (and mine) soon enough. It makes me wonder how these votes even work, is there actual debate, and if so, are the moderates in the room simply too stupid themselves to make compelling, if not irrefutable, arguments? It sounds like they're just weak.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Yea this shit is sad. Unbelievable really.

グリフィス said:
"...we are a Christian nation founded on Christian principles. The way I evaluate history textbooks is first I see how they cover Christianity and Israel. Then I see how they treat Ronald Reagan—he needs to get credit for saving the world from communism and for the good economy over the last twenty years because he lowered taxes.".

Does separation of Church and State mean nothing to this guy? I guess i should expect nothing less from a typical conservative creationist with a hard on for Reagan.
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
Oburi said:
Yea this shit is sad. Unbelievable really.

Does separation of Church and State mean nothing to this guy?

I imagine it means quite a lot to him- It's a liberal conspiracy to tear down the moral fabric of America. All he wants to do is abolish it and save the world, what's so bad about that?
 
I heard about this, and immediately thought it was a joke.

This... it's not a joke? This shit is /real/? What... what the hell.
 
グリフィス said:
is there actual debate

No. No there isn't. Debate requires two or more different viewpoints. And there are only two types of people here in Texas. The "intelligent, freedom loving Americans" (hardcore, Christian conservatives) and the "freedom hating, communist, terrorist loving unAmericans" (anyone who's not a hardcore, Christian conservative). The former controls everything. The latter might as well not even exist.

As far as moving the statue of liberty here, I don't know what you guys are talking about. Anyone mind providing a link for me? I can't seem to find anything on it.

Unfortunately nothing is going to change until Rick Perry, at the very least, is gone. There was actually a fraction in the Texas Republican party between "better dead than any shade of red" Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison (who's seen as being more moderate than Perry). But he recently won the Republican nomination for the 2010 Texas gubernatorial election (i.e. he has already won again since there's no way in hell the dem candidate is going to win). So four more years, at the very least, of this crap. Time to abandon ship for me, I suppose.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Imperator Perpetuo said:
As far as moving the statue of liberty here, I don't know what you guys are talking about. Anyone mind providing a link for me? I can't seem to find anything on it.

Was just a joke.

Imperator Perpetuo said:
Time to abandon ship for me, I suppose.

You're leaving the state? Finally moving to Atlanta?
 
Aazealh said:
Was just a joke.

I figured it was, but, to me, it sounded like you guys were serious so I assumed I had just missed the news since I live under a rock most of the time. Boy is my face red. :serpico:

Aazealh said:
You're leaving the state? Finally moving to Atlanta?

Atlanta, Georgia? I've had my fill of Georgia for one lifetime. It's worse there than it is here! At least in Columbus. I probably shouldn't generalize the entire state like that just because of one bad experience.

I don't know where I'd move... Any chance you have a free room needing an occupant? :ganishka:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Imperator Perpetuo said:
Atlanta, Georgia? I've had my fill of Georgia for one lifetime.

Yeah, I just remembered you'd said you might move there a few years ago.

Imperator Perpetuo said:
I don't know where I'd move... Any chance you have a free room needing an occupant? :ganishka:

Well I have a vacant shed in my yard... :troll:
 
X

Xem

Guest
Imperator Perpetuo said:
Atlanta, Georgia? I've had my fill of Georgia for one lifetime. It's worse there than it is here!

Quoted for truth. I'm getting out of here first available opportunity... which sadly won't be a while. When I took my American Government class, during the 2008 Election, my teacher received death threats for being a volunteer for the Democratic Party. Also, my brother had his car broken into in the middle of the night. What was stolen? A homemade sign that sat inside his back windshield that said "Liberty over Security". And this is in a "very safe and family-oriented" suburb just outside Atlanta.

Oh well, home is where the disease is I suppose.

Anyway, I'm already a pretty big dissenter on how school books indoctrinate children from a young age. It's horrendous. I really doubt this type of extremist action will make it very far, though I could easily be wrong.

It's really too bad that most people (myself included nowadays) don't notice this type of shit going down until it's usually too late.
 
Imperator Perpetuo said:
Atlanta, Georgia? I've had my fill of Georgia for one lifetime. It's worse there than it is here! At least in Columbus.
Quoted for it's shock value. When were you ever in Columbus? WHO are YOU?

I probably shouldn't generalize the entire state like that just because of one bad experience.
And I'm curious to hear what this "bad experience" was. Columbus ain't great, nothing to write home about, sure, but I don't think it's as terrible as you think it is. I should know, I live here.
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
The Perineum Falcon said:
Quoted for it's shock value. When were you ever in Columbus? WHO are YOU?
And I'm curious to hear what this "bad experience" was. Columbus ain't great, nothing to write home about, sure, but I don't think it's as terrible as you think it is. I should know, I live here.

Well Fort Benning is near by. BTW, we could have totally hung out. :schnoz:
 
Top Bottom