May 12, 2010

"Public school pupils should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people."

So reads the text of the new Arizona law expressing a strong and controversial opinion about what is commonly known as "ethnic studies."
The law prohibits the teaching of any classes that promote “the overthrow of the United States government,” “resentment toward a race or class of people,” “are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group” or “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”
Is it odd or obvious that this is controversial?

47 comments:

traditionalguy said...

The Arizona guys have decided to fight this war before the Mexicanos declare a fait accomplis of reconquest of the Mexican lands lost to mthe USA 170 years ago. This will be a moment of testing for all Americans: Do they fight for their country or do they hide out?

EnigmatiCore said...

It's odd that we don't seem to realize that we have had these types of laws many ties before.

It is also odd that we haven't seemed to realize they do not work.

But the oddest, still, is that those who participate in the type of agitation this law targets do not realize they harm their own stated interests more than they will ever know.

Which is one of the reasons Fred Phelps is an evil genius. He did realize, and that's why he became what he became.

Phil 314 said...

Background article from AZ Republic. Focus is Tucson United School District. Tom Horne, Sec of Ed running for AG is behind this. His history is as a moderate Republican. Is he "playing to the base"?

YMMV

Unknown said...

why are 'ethnic solidarity' and 'treatment of pupils as individuals' posed as an either/or ?

if we changed ethnic to national, I dont think anyone would see those as an either/or.

Phil 314 said...

Oh, and though I don't support SB 1070 I would refer those who see AZ as racist and outside of the mainstream to review this

Unknown said...

....designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group ... ?

hmm... i cant imagine that any person would be barred from taking a particular course of study. i really hope they wont be claiming that a course is 'designed or pupils of a particular ethnic group' if it is mostly attended by pupils of a particular ethnic group.

somefeller said...

From the article: Neither the governor nor the bill’s supporters have identified examples where a Chicano studies class has advocated the “overthrow” of the federal government, and the bill’s opponents in the state have expressed outrage over what they see as a law that unfairly targets Hispanics.

I read elsewhere there were concerns about parts of the curriculum which taught that Hispanics had been discriminated against in the past and that some Anglos still didn't think very highly of them. I can't imagine how Hispanics in Arizona could get that impression.

rhhardin said...

Things went downhill when they stopped teaching Latin in high school.

Phil 314 said...

One correction (or modification). Per this article Tom Horne has been pushing this for several years.

I should point out that Russell Pearce was behind SB 1070. He's a very conservative Republican and has spent his entire political career pursing legislation against immigration. Tom Horne is a Democratic turned Republican who is viewed with skepticism by the Right wing of the AZ Republican Party.

AC245 said...

Arizona House Bill 2281, a.k.a. the "Rolling Back the Long March Through the Institutions" bill.

It's not surprising to see the leftists out in force and shrieking because their state-sponsored propaganda mills are being shut down.

Anonymous said...

Danielle -- It's not about college. Here is the order I try to do things:

1. Think.

2. Post.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

ethnic solidarity..

Never had pierogi and chili together..

Anonymous said...

This is America. We strive to be a post-racial society with no ethnic solidarity.

End of story.

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

That's something I believe; it isn't something I'd legislate...

The Drill SGT said...

I don't know what the particulars are of this program... I went to the Tucson School district site and saw no mention of it, however, I do feel that various ethnic studies programs are short on substance and long on esteem building and tend to build barriers to assimilation, which I believe should be a major secondary role of public education.

Anonymous said...

Ben -- People paying the school piper get to decide the school song. Private schools are free to do what they please.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I do feel that various ethnic studies programs are short on substance and long on esteem building..

I'm not sold on steam cooking either ;)

The Drill SGT said...

Lem said...
I'm not sold on steam cooking either ;)


a cooking class I saw said I should steam my salmon, not poach it.

you mean they lied and salmon died?

ricpic said...

But you can still hate other individuals, right? Phew, I'm safe.

ricpic said...

Never had pierogi and chili together...

It's called Hot Pockets.

LonewackoDotCom said...

It's great to see people catching up to issues I've been covering for years, although I have to ask where they were before.

What appears to have been a major factor in this bill was an insider spilling the beans on what the Tucson program consisted of, as well as the time in 2006 when Dolores Huerta led schoolkids in an anti-GOP (and, basically, an anti-white) chant.

I spent some time trying to get others to help question Hillary about her links to Huerta, but got no help. Nowadays, some of Althouse's thuggish teaparty buddies try to get people to avoid using my site as a reference. Take a look at the posts at the link above and the topics page (linked from every page) to see what you might only find out about years from now.

Anonymous said...

Nowadays, some of Althouse's thuggish teaparty buddies try to get people to avoid using my site as a reference.

Yeah, dude. That's the reason nobody cares about you. For sure. It's the thugs at Althouse keeping you down.

You should add a count to your impending lawsuit about this!

Unknown said...

For the past 40 years, the Left has been trying to divide the US into as many petty bickering camps as they can - Male - Female, Black - White, English - Spanish speaking.

Black - white has calmed down to a great degree, but the Hispanic issue has a real potential for trouble. Ann posted about the kids sent home for wearing American Flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo (which ought to be treated like St Patrick's Day). There was another incident reported about 4 girls getting in a fight when 2 of them burned a Mexican flag. That's the one that struck me; in both cases, it wasn't adults, but kids, supposedly the ones who've been indoctrinated by the union teachers and being about as un-diverse as you can get.

Sounds like there's a lot less wiggle room going forward than we think.

Methadras said...

Interesting how hatred requires special protection. Leftards at play. You know what lefties? My country is no longer part of your experiment.

GMay said...

"It's great to see people catching up to issues I've been covering for years, although I have to ask where they were before."

It's really about time you get over yourself. When you do, maybe you'll get your totally awesome message out.

Phil 314 said...

I can't speak for the Tucson School district but I wouldn't be surprised if the core issue isn't this

Phil 314 said...

I can't speak for the Tucson School district but I wouldn't be surprised if the core issue is this

Trooper York said...

I guess that the people who drafted this law had a dream that we will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Or is that too old fashioned for you progressive types.

Opus One Media said...

I assume that Arizona will stumble blindly on most of the western civ courses.....

The Drill SGT said...

c3 said...
I can't speak for the Tucson School district but I wouldn't be surprised if the core issue is this


Perhaps you mean this part?

Rather, Chicanismo seeks to educate our barrios and campos about our history y cultura to further create a movement of self-determination for the Liberation of Aztlán, something that Hispanic and Latino has yet to represent or recognize


Yeah, Aztlan can be a problem when part of a public school program. At least to Anglo's

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

@Seven Machos --

Don't get me wrong, I'm not broken up over it. Just don't like legislatures setting curriculum.

But maybe the teachers and boards are particularly bad in AZ.

The Crack Emcee said...

There's nothing in there about not sucking up to people, because of their race or sex or whatever, so it's really more of the same. Obama became president because he was black - not because anyone hated him for it.

You're all living in a daydream, or a nightmare of your own making.

Either way, it's wrong - and still racist.

Synova said...

"....designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group ... ?

hmm... i cant imagine that any person would be barred from taking a particular course of study.
"

You're kidding right?

Wasn't there just a dust up about a program for black children that absolutely excluded white students from activities and a field trip?

Not in Arizona, but so?

The thing is that while it is good for black students to have black role models (the purpose of the exclusionary activities) it would be even better all around if the white students were seen as having black role models.

Doing the right thing (not separating and discriminating by race) is always going to have the best outcome.

LonewackoDotCom said...

GMay: It's not an issue of me getting over myself, I'm just stating a fact.

"Seven Machos": Here's a search you might find interesting. Not the guy's name, just the position. Why don't you try to be macho for once and tell us your real name?

Anonymous said...

Wacko -- You operate a website in some obscure corner of cyberspace that no one cares about. The fact that you come to the comments at Althouse pimping it and threatening lawsuits is utterly hilarious. You are a one-issue kook.

Anonymous said...

P.S. Who in the fuck is Scott Forsell? Did you sue him?

Bruce Hayden said...

Keep in mind that this discussion is about spending government money. If government money were not at stake here, there would be nothing anyone could do about it.

Do the people of Arizona want their tax money be spent on things that appear to be aimed at undermining the state itself, and causing discord with the rest of the citizens there? Is violent overthrow of the government there a legitimate use of public money?

That is what those backing the legislation are essentially asking.

Anonymous said...

The odd thing is that the 'left' decries treating people as groups and then proceeds to do just that.
Michigan law school quotas. Congressional black caucus. La Raza.

Roger J. said...

Given this historical evidence that ethnicity appears to be destructive to a national identity, I cant see that any program which encourages ethnicity over national identity is a good thing--examples: the balkans, rwanda, afghanistan, sri lanka, russia, and etc.

GV said...

Is it odd or obvious that this is controversial?

Both.

It's the big drift. It starts as a study of Arizona history. It then adds a different viewpoint, more empathetic to Mexican perspective. It grows into something akin to "ethnic studies". Fast forward and eventually the curriculum looks wildly singular in its viewpoint.

It doesn't exactly become the vision that MLK dreamed about.

Last nights local Dallas news had some young school girl screaming at anglo kids about her right to wave her country's flag (Mexico) on Cinco de Mayo. She was born in the U.S. There is something strangely odd when US citizens self identify with another country. We have failed somewhere.

Kirby Olson said...

Seeing a person as having an individual face, and an individual person is the basis of Christian belief, and is so different from the completely bewildering notions of race, gender and class, and the resentments it's meant to foster (fester).

How many Uncle Festers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

TMink said...

"Ethnic solidarity" is racism.

Pure.

Simple.

Racism.

Trey

TMink said...

"Just don't like legislatures setting curriculum."

Me neither. But I would not want it to be trusted to the teacher's unions either. At least I can vote out the legislature.

Trey

KCFleming said...

The balkanization of public school curricula is the direct result of the liberals long march through institutions.

The teacher's union has completely bought into this bullshit agenda.

The only way to fix it is to get the feds out of schools entirely, and fire all the teachers, and start over.

This AZ law is the first salvo in the fighting back.

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

@TMink --

I guess we've hit that point, haven't we?

Can't we just teach American history? Isn't that interesting enough?

(Mind you, I'm still annoyed that the jury of the damned in "The Devil and Daniel Webster" included Loyalists. But whatever.)

TMink said...

Ben, I minored in African American studies in college. I needed to because I knew nothing about that aspect of American history. The courses and knowledge were great.

The chairman focused the material on the triumph of the human spirit, not on victim psychology.

But today my daughter learns a more inclusive history, and the need for the hyphenated histories is small.

Trey

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

Trey,

I took courses in that stuff too, and read all sorts of books on it. (For the journalistic civil rights movement histories, I enjoyed Halberstam's books most.)

(As an aside -- for a project in 1999 on redlining neighbourhoods in my freshman seminar on race, poverty, and the American city, I was supposed to show how it was impossible for someone on a fixed low income to get a mortgage. Instead, I got my hypothetical character a mortgage. In retrospect, that _really_ should've been a warning sign...)

Absolutely, this all should have a place in a proper American history course.