Political Soapboxing
Thanksgiving. We all know the story. As the History Channel states, "In 1621 the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is now known as the first Thanksgiving. While cooking methods and table etiquette have changed as the holiday has evolved, the meal is still consumed today with the same spirit of celebration and overindulgence."
What does thanksgiving have to do with political soapboxing? Well, according to the Seattle Public Schools, such a view of Thanksgiving is a myth. Their website states, "Thanksgiving: A Native American Perspective:
This session examines the myths surrounding the "First Thanksgiving" and will offer historically accurate readings and discussion materials. The perspective of Native peoples will be addressed as will the legacy of contact between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of North America. Participants will deconstruct what we have been taught about this holiday and come to a new understanding of the history behind the myth."
Obviously, we have been getting it wrong all these years. The website fails to mention a Seattle Public School memo, as reported by KVI, detailing that Thanksgiving is really a time of mourning and remorse for the Native Americans who were robbed of their land by the Europeans.
Don't get me wrong, the Native Americans were not treated fairly. The United States broke a lot of its supposedly valid treaties. Even so, Thanksgiving was truly a time of rejoicing. Remember Squanto? The Native American who saved the colony when he taught the Pilgrims how to harvest and live off the land? There is cause to celebrate on Thanksgiving. The public school system still seeks to rewrite the "myth" of recorded history.
This political soapboxing (Aha! The topic of the post!) in the school system is getting out of hand. It isn't even reserved for the holidays. Whitney Blake wrote an excellent article about the University of Virginia and racism. A professor held the right to express racist statements on the grounds of tenure and his own status as an African American. Nor is the situation isolated to The University of Virginia; even at a small Northwest college, Olympic College, many professors express political views in classes unrelated to the subject matter. As an article in the OC's Olympian notes, "When I polled 50 OC students, I discovered that one in five students said their professors talk politics in class unrelated to the subject matter." One final example is the use of "dispositions theory" at Washington University in Pullman, WA. The University used this idea to punish a student for his religious and political views. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education website notes, "Dispositions" theory, increasingly in vogue in education programs, requires professors to evaluate their students’ commitment to concepts such as “social justice” and “diversity” in conjunction with their actual scholastic achievement."
Professors are obviously intelligent people, but taking the opportunity to talk politics to a captive audience without the opportunity for open debate is only indoctrinating minds ... not teaching them.
What does thanksgiving have to do with political soapboxing? Well, according to the Seattle Public Schools, such a view of Thanksgiving is a myth. Their website states, "Thanksgiving: A Native American Perspective:
This session examines the myths surrounding the "First Thanksgiving" and will offer historically accurate readings and discussion materials. The perspective of Native peoples will be addressed as will the legacy of contact between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of North America. Participants will deconstruct what we have been taught about this holiday and come to a new understanding of the history behind the myth."
Obviously, we have been getting it wrong all these years. The website fails to mention a Seattle Public School memo, as reported by KVI, detailing that Thanksgiving is really a time of mourning and remorse for the Native Americans who were robbed of their land by the Europeans.
Don't get me wrong, the Native Americans were not treated fairly. The United States broke a lot of its supposedly valid treaties. Even so, Thanksgiving was truly a time of rejoicing. Remember Squanto? The Native American who saved the colony when he taught the Pilgrims how to harvest and live off the land? There is cause to celebrate on Thanksgiving. The public school system still seeks to rewrite the "myth" of recorded history.
This political soapboxing (Aha! The topic of the post!) in the school system is getting out of hand. It isn't even reserved for the holidays. Whitney Blake wrote an excellent article about the University of Virginia and racism. A professor held the right to express racist statements on the grounds of tenure and his own status as an African American. Nor is the situation isolated to The University of Virginia; even at a small Northwest college, Olympic College, many professors express political views in classes unrelated to the subject matter. As an article in the OC's Olympian notes, "When I polled 50 OC students, I discovered that one in five students said their professors talk politics in class unrelated to the subject matter." One final example is the use of "dispositions theory" at Washington University in Pullman, WA. The University used this idea to punish a student for his religious and political views. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education website notes, "Dispositions" theory, increasingly in vogue in education programs, requires professors to evaluate their students’ commitment to concepts such as “social justice” and “diversity” in conjunction with their actual scholastic achievement."
Professors are obviously intelligent people, but taking the opportunity to talk politics to a captive audience without the opportunity for open debate is only indoctrinating minds ... not teaching them.
posted by Matt Pitchford at 20:33
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