Bonkers, Blather, Blunders, & Buffoons #5
Unhappy about her Portland (OR) school district’s vote to ban Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Pride symbols within the schools, a female high school English teacher decided to respond to that mandate by removing our American flag from her classroom. And the reason: “It’s the most political symbol there is.” It represents “violence and menace and intolerance.” BLM flag = good. American flag = evil. Interesting ironic display of academic “intolerance.” Actively banning our national flag of freedom, courage, and opportunity. Be blessed that your kids aren’t having to deal with a classroom atmosphere like hers! Pretty sure her book reading lists and writing assignments are well noted for their unbiased political tolerance!
Much the same issue, but a different school district. This time it’s a public-school classroom in Los Angeles. Visiting a classroom there, an incensed father, upon noticing a display of objectionable posters, complained to district officials about the “disgusting brainwashing of students with taxpayer dollars.” As a sampling of what he saw hanging or posted on the classroom walls: a Palestinian flag, a transgender flag, a BLM flag, a modern PRIDE flag, and then it got worse. Shown in the article about all of this was a poster with the large letters (“F**k The Police”) and another one of similar size (“F**k AMERIKKKA. This Is Native Land).” The L.A. district office responded that the school system: “holds firm to its policy that students and adults…should treat all persons equally and respectfully and refrain from the willful or negligent use of slurs against any person on the basis of race, language spoken, color, sex, religion, handicap, national origin, immigration status, age, sexual orientation or political belief.” Well, that about covers the politically correct list of all those who could possibly be impacted. We certainly hope that the teacher(s) in question were properly reprimanded (or more) for his/her/their offensive and obscene artwork displayed, which unwittingly would offend, we would hope, most all of the above protected groups. Yet another teacher(s) you would not want to find instructing your children. (Update: The posters will be removed. The various flags hanging will be left up. However, the only American flag visible in the room appeared to be draped over a piece of furniture!!). Be blessed if your school rooms are free of anti-America symbolism.
Meanwhile, at a high school in Sammamish, Washington, students there had planned to wear red, white, and blue clothing for its Patriot’s Day football game, as a show of respect for the 9/11 Attack on America and the tragedy of over 2,000 lives lost. The students were surprised to learn that school officials nixed that idea, because doing so could “unintentionally cause offense to some who see it differently.” No specifics given, of course, for the “differently” viewing individuals or groups. So, once again, the few who, for some unknown and unacceptable reason, might take offense at America’s patriotic colors were allowed to overrule the interests and intentions of the vast majority of young people wanting to remember a traumatic event in our history and to show their unity and tribute pride in America.
And to round out our brief windshield tour of some politically-disrupted classrooms in our nation, in Blacksburg High School, Virginia, a male high school English (what are the chances) teacher actually posted a video on TikTok (how charmingly hip) blaming the universally-accepted practice of having students actually behave in class, as nothing more than disturbing remnants of white supremacy! Said he on the video: “It’s things like making sure that you’re following directions, and making sure that you’re sitting quietly, and that you are in your seat – and all these things that come from white culture.” Apparently, it would be much better for this teacher, and perhaps others, to be faced with classroom chaos and mayhem each day, in order to rid the cripplingly behavioral stigma of “white” influence. Since the majority of adults and children, from America’s founding thru more recent years, have been white (by virtue of birth, not choice), such behavioral traits/habits, with assumed white association, probably shouldn’t be all that surprising. But for whatever reason, it’s become a troubling issue for this particular teacher. And it’s foolish. Most parents, regardless of race, attempt to instill respect for authority and other proper behavioral traits in their children. He got some pretty quick feedback regarding his “theory,” and, reportedly, very quickly removed his TikTok video!
Moving to the university level, Harvard has just added “woke” to its tradition by naming an actual ‘atheist’ to head up its 40-person chaplains group. Raised Jewish, now considering himself to be a ‘humanist,’ Greg Epstein spoke about his new role: “There is a rising group of people who no longer identify with any religious tradition but still experience a real need for conversation and support around what it means to be a good human and live an ethical life. We don’t look to a god (note the small ‘g’) for answers. We are each other’s answers.” Well, I’m sure that made all of you regular church goers, as am I, feel all nice and fuzzy. Talk about a ‘cancel (religious) culture’ advocate, whether meaning to or not. Makes you wonder why Harvard needs 40 chaplains, if the chief among them believes that all we need to do is skip the heavens business and just talk to each other. So, on Saturday or Sunday, pack your Bibles away and, instead, settle in at your local coffee shop. Then, eureka, with a caffeine assist, problems of this earth solved. There, that was easy.
Heading on to our federal government, the National Archives has decided to post a “Harmful Language Alert” banner above all documents within its digital archives, which, of course, includes founding documents like our bold and masterful Declaration of Independence and our revered government-guiding (in theory, these days) and freedom-ensuring Constitution. Heaven forbid that any of today’s’ gentle, tender Sun-Flower/Safe Space seekers would find any scary language written (you who studied actual U.S. history in school will recall) over 200-years ago, when times, threats, population, and everything else, were quite different. Welcome to our government agencies and departments, politicized and politically-correct for your safety and convenience.
On the subject of our oft-amended-to-reflect-changing-realities Constitution, “dozens” of students at the University of Florida were asked by the conservative group, Campus Reform, if they would be willing to sign a petition to abolish and replace our Constitution. No actual count on affirmative signatures, but reportedly a number of our scary, woefully uninformed (or mis-informed) young folks did, in fact, sign the form to abolish it. Quoting one of the bright lights with a familiar professorial spoon-fed refrain: “The time period was rich old white men and that’s exactly what that document says, and stands for, and vouches for.” Yes, damn those old rich white men who risked their lives and fortunes to found and guide this great new land of freedom. You have to wonder if most young students these days understand that our Constitution can be, and has been, amended to reflect societal changes, needs, and demands! Oh, never mind. That’s probably all too complicated and scary.
And, finally, for this edition of Quad-B, there’s that administration executive mandate that federal workers (including our military, but not the postal service, nor Congress?), and even employees in larger private companies & corporations, are now required to become anti-COVID-vaccinated. Expectedly, there has been a great deal of controversy and backlash over this expansive “order.” In response to those mandate fears, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that no one is being forced to be vaccinated. Said she: “There’s always been a choice: If you do not want to get vaccinated, you can work from home. You can homeschool your children. You can shop online.” It always all sounds so simple (just “work from home”) when pronounced from on high, by people with top pay and job security, who don’t have to live like, or even associate with, the ‘little people’ (e.g., hard-working, dedicated, family-responsible, loyal Americans). Everything’s do-able and ever-so-easy to those residing and preaching from atop Mount Elite. “Nobody’s being forced” to be vaccinated? That’s, of course, true for millions of Americans, within local-state-federal governments and private corporations. True, that is, if you don’t mind losing your job!
“You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of reality.” (Ayn Rand)
(Portland English teacher data via foxnews.com, Jessica Chasmar, 9-15-21; Los Angeles classroom’s offensive displays data via defendinged.org, Staff, 9-21; Washington high school ban on America’s colors for a football game data via breitbart.com, Dr. Susan Berry, 9-13-21; Blacksburg HS teacher’s theory data via nypost.com, Lee Brown, 9-15-21; Harvard head chaplain quote via foxnews.com, Peter Aitken, 8-27-21; National Archives warning info via thefederalist.com, Justin Haskins, 9-16-21; Students wanting to abolish the Constitution quote via foxnews.com, Emma Colton, 9-16-21; “Nobody’s Being Forced” quote via dailywire.com, Ben Johnson, 9-14-21).