Posted on 06/18/2020 5:51:46 PM PDT by robowombat
Education May 30, 2017
Does the Witch Hunt to Rename Monuments Signal a Narrow Education?
By Annie Holmquist
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been a popular trend to rename various geographical and manmade landmarks. The renaming attempts often revolve around issues of racism, particularly in relation to whether an individual was pro-slavery.
The latest incident in this line of renaming attempts occurred at a high school in Madison, Wisconsin. As local publication The Capital Times explains, the school is named for America’s fourth president and one of the nation’s founding fathers, James Madison. And therein lies the trouble; for Madison, like many of the nation’s founders, owned slaves.
This fact brought a great deal of consternation to Mya Berry, a student of the school who happens to be of African American descent. Berry began a petition to change the school name, “citing the need to create a more inclusive environment for African-American students.”
Cases like these are hardly unique today. What’s interesting about this incident, however, is the process through which it came about. According to The Capital Times:
“Berry said she was inspired to start the petition after watching a documentary about the history of enslavement. Currently, she is enrolled in a social justice class where her teacher asked students to consider the type of change they want to make in the world.
‘This is my social change,’ she said.” Let’s start by giving credit where it’s due: it’s exemplary that schools like the one Berry attends are trying to teach their students to make a difference in the world. But in aiming for this goal, have schools failed to give their students the tools to actually do so in a sensible, rational way?
Take, for example, the instruction which inspired Berry to petition for a name change for the school. One of these points of instruction was a course on social justice. As has been noted in the past, social justice curriculum is becoming prominent in schools and often conditions students “to see the world through the lens of race, to adopt the mantras of certain radical groups, and to become activists.” Such a viewpoint is clearly one-sided and seems to provide indoctrination rather than instruction in reaching an informed decision.
The second factor which influenced Berry’s advocacy was a documentary on slavery. Such a topic is a worthy one; however, it is only a small, specialized area of history. According to the Nation’s Report Card, only 12 percent of American high school students are proficient in this subject. Clearly, America’s schools are not very effective at passing on a broad, well-balanced view of our nation’s past.
This is important, particularly considering that Madison himself wrestled with the idea of slavery. As a collection of quotes from George Mason University indicates, Madison, like many other founders, saw major problems with the practice and spent a decent amount of time pondering and debating various ways to abolish it. By focusing on specialized, selective glimpses of history, are students receiving a one-sided, inaccurate overview of the past, and actually being encouraged to condemn and forget those who made significant contributions to the anti-slavery argument?
If we want students who will make a positive difference in society, perhaps it’s time we stopped schooling them in such narrow, specialized subject matter.
Is the Pope a social activist [catholic]?
It’s a Maoist cultural revolution in process, as part of a planned globalist, Marxist revolution.
Libtatd socialist orwellian education.
So 100% yes.
Virtually every sector or society. And lets be honest: if we lived in 1858, we'd screw it up too in some fashion. We buy stuff from China today knowing they do not have our best interests at heart. We allow public schools to educate our kids (don't flame me, I'm painting with a broad brush), knowing it is a substandard education detrimental to their development. We allow the killing of our unborn children by our passivity. Need I go on?
“It’s a Maoist cultural revolution in process, as part of a planned globalist, Marxist revolution.”
Exactly right. The useful idiots are doing what their masters want in furtherance of that revolution.
Cultural Marxism successfully destroyed pride in the nation and her amazing accomplishments. All that they have left is destruction of our history.
Author Annie Holmquist is not very bright and not very well informed to think this is the result of a “narrow education.”
When only the best in Communist education and indoctrination will do...
Bloom called his book The Closing of the American Mind.
If he were to write a sequel he might choose something like: Closing Nothing, We’re Auctioning Off the Furniture Here!
“Does the Witch Hunt to Rename Monuments Signal a Narrow Education?”
Yes...and a death wish.
Schools have replaced education with leftist indoctrination. Long ago. Sent my children to Catholic schools.
And, enrolled my daughters into martial arts to learn discipline and my sons were in the Young Marines all the way through High School for the same reason.
They have gone to Universities and come out with their values intact because we have discussed Liberalism in our home with them for years.
How about NO education and no ability or desire to learn?
Erasing history? Never going to happen.
Not if Patriots have anything to do with it!!!
I need to remember this. Please, if you have the time, FReepmail me!
I would really appreciate it!
Julie.
(never gave my real name before.)
Seems like the larger problem is not Madison High School. If the name Madison is somehow deemed Racist, then the city of Madison, Wisconsin will presumably desire a more woke name also.
I fail to see how erasing history somehow makes any country better.
Watch out Mick! Keith is invincible. Brown Sugar & Monkey Man. Let he who is without sin kill the 1st Stone.
Let’s hope nobody tells them that Madison was a slaveowner.
..... Schools ceased teaching real American history and Civics at least 20 years ago ..... Over the past 20 years .... Adults entering the voting blocks have been woefully inadequate in understanding America and how it works ..... And Why it exists as a beacon of Freedom on this planet ..... Add into that mess ..... The Soros funded viral destructive influences that are coming to fruition today ..... Just in time for one of the most important elections in the History of our Nation.
..... Pray For America .....
.
It signals a broad lack of education and a propagandization.
There are twenty seven cities and towns in the US named Madison:
https://geotargit.com/called.php?qcity=Madison
There are schools, streets, lots of people(!)....this cancel culture oscillates between the frightening and the absurd.
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