$5 Million Fine for Classroom Discussions on Race? In Tennessee, This Is the New Reality

[Earthtank]

Meanwhile the right is going much much further in making free speech illegal - subject to destructive fines and more.

$5 Million Fine for Classroom Discussions on Race? In Tennessee, This Is the New Reality

Tennessee aims to levy fines starting at $1 million and rising to $5 million on school districts each time one of their teachers is found to have “knowingly violated” state restrictions on classroom discussions about systemic racism, white privilege, and sexism, according to guidance proposed by the state’s department of education late last week.

Teachers could also be disciplined or lose their licenses for teaching that the United States is inherently racist or sexist or making a student feel “guilt or anguish” because of past actions committed by their race or sex.
...
it does not elaborate on what specifically school districts are banned from teaching, as many teacher advocates had hoped. Instead, it cites 11 broad concepts that teachers can’t teach or use materials to promote. For example, students can’t be told that they are “inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously,” or bear responsibility for past actions committed by members of their race or sex.

Love it and 100% support.

 

[sun rise]

Critical Race Theory is absolute trash

Discuss what "Critical Race Theory" really is including citing academic sources.

 

[sun rise]

 

[We Never Know]

Meanwhile statue's of General Robert E. Lee are being deemed as racist and being removed while a guy that owned over 120 slaves to work his plantation has his face on the $1 bill and the quarter and its all just fine .

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Meanwhile statue's of General Robert E. Lee

Do you know he didn't want to be made into a statue or any part of the Civil War commemorated? To him it was a dark and tragic chapter in America's history that shouldn't be celebrated.
And there are actually movements to change those on the money.

 

[We Never Know]

Do you know he didn't want to be made into a statue or any part of the Civil War commemorated? To him it was a dark and tragic chapter in America's history that shouldn't be celebrated.

I think I read something about that once, not sure.

And there are actually movements to change those on the money.

If he hadn't been president it would have probably already been done in my opinion.

We can't change or learn from history by erasing history.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

We can't change or learn from history by erasing history.

The only ones trying to do that are those wanting to prevent the "full perspective" on history being taught.

 

[We Never Know]

The only ones trying to do that are those wanting to prevent the "full perspective" on history being taught.

America's history, regardless of how bad, wrong, bloody, etc. it was needs to be taught.
We learn from our past. Erase our past and the lessons will be forgotten and just maybe eventually repeated.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

America's history, regardless of how bad, wrong, bloody, etc. it was needs to be taught.
We learn from our past. Erase our past and the lessons will be forgotten and just maybe eventually repeated.

I don't really believe that anymore. We teach the hell out of WWII and demonize the Axis and still hold Germany accountable to this day, but hard line nationalist and those with autocratic and dictator tendencies have been elected (or came close) in far too many places recently.
People will make their ex

 

[We Never Know]

I don't really believe that anymore. We teach the hell out of WWII and demonize the Axis and still hold Germany accountable to this day, but hard line nationalist and those with autocratic and dictator tendencies have been elected (or came close) in far too many places recently.
People will make their ex

People will make their ex? Explain that please.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

People will make their ex? Explain that please.

Something I didn't get all the way deleted. People will still make their excuses, basically. That they'll willingly not see what is there and draw lines to do the mental gymnastics to get around it.

 

[We Never Know]

Something I didn't get all the way deleted. People will still make their excuses, basically. That they'll willingly not see what is there and draw lines to do the mental gymnastics to get around it.

America thrives on war. From 2017(which we have been at war with someone since)...

THE U.S. HAS BEEN AT WAR 222 OUT OF 239 YEARS
The U.S. Has Been At War 222 Out of 239 Years

 

[Stevicus]

America's history, regardless of how bad, wrong, bloody, etc. it was needs to be taught.
We learn from our past. Erase our past and the lessons will be forgotten and just maybe eventually repeated.

I agree, although one area that seems deficient is in teaching the causes and effects of history.

I don't really believe that anymore. We teach the hell out of WWII and demonize the Axis and still hold Germany accountable to this day, but hard line nationalist and those with autocratic and dictator tendencies have been elected (or came close) in far too many places recently.
People will make their ex

The problem seems to be in the methods of teaching, usually making it out to be some kind of melodramatic morality play rather than a rational and objective review of the causes and effects which got us to where we are now. At a basic (non-university) level, history is often taught as a series of disconnected incidents, as if "these things just happen" out of the blue, without any known or apparent reason. Also, with our culture being very individualistic, the focus is usually on key individuals, with a deemphasis on movements, trends, and how they connect with each other. Therefore, the populist version of history is that Hitler "just happened" out of the blue, leading some people to conclude that, if it wasn't for Hitler, WW2 never would have happened.

It leads some people to believe that, if only they had cancel culture or political correctness back in Germany in the 1920s, there wouldn't have been any Nazis or Hitler. That's what seems to be implied today and justifies that point of view in many people's eyes. There's this apparent underlying belief that, if we don't censor or restrict certain kinds of rhetoric, somehow it will spread and everyone in America will turn into a Nazi. They think it's only because of words (and nothing else) which create political movements and motivate people to support them.

We certainly don't want to examine economic causes, because then people might think poorly of capitalism or big business, and we certainly can't have any of that. As a result, we can see indications of people reacting against disingenuous, cynical, and skewed versions of history, even to the point of wanting to issue fines for teaching it. Of course, it seems that the current view of history started as a reaction against the Manifest Destiny/Lost Cause version which dominated the American political culture prior to the 1960s, so that may have been even worse.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Meanwhile statue's of General Robert E. Lee are being deemed as racist and being removed while a guy that owned over 120 slaves to work his plantation has his face on the $1 bill and the quarter and its all just fine .

Plus the old south wasn't as racist as people think.

Their actual problem involved the evils of rampant slavery as it was with the times.

The nastiest racist stuff was actually during the 40s through the 60s.

 

[Stevicus]

America thrives on war. From 2017(which we have been at war with someone since)...

THE U.S. HAS BEEN AT WAR 222 OUT OF 239 YEARS
The U.S. Has Been At War 222 Out of 239 Years

I can see how someone could make a case for this. On the other hand, one can look at official declarations of war and only count those wars as actual and official. The same history could be looked upon as politicians and national leaders being too cowardly to actually go on record and make an official proclamation. Instead, they put Americanism in some kind of vague, unofficial, "gray area" of doublespeak, where our national image has become more important than practical results or national interests.

 

[We Never Know]

Plus the old south wasn't as racist as people think.

Their actual problem involved the evils of rampant slavery as it was with the times.

The nastiest racist stuff was actually during the 40s through the 60s.

Slavery was done by the rich. It still is in a sense today accept people get paid to work for them.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Slavery was done by the rich. It still is in a sense today accept people get paid to work for them.

Unlike slavery, I've told some bosses to **** off and wasn't beaten for it.

 

[Revoltingest]

Slavery was done by the rich. It still is in a sense today accept people get paid to work for them.

Many slave owners weren't wealthy.
Anyone who thinks that working a regular job is slavery
is someone who needs to study some history.
Oh, they also need to ditch the victim complex.
If'n ya ain't independently wealthy, ya gotta work.

 

[Jose Fly]

If you read the actual law you would know it certainly allows for teaching about racist acts in history and about the Reconstruction era.

It's not a law, it's a proposed guidance that's still open for public comment.

 

[Stevicus]

Many slave owners weren't wealthy.
Anyone who thinks that working a regular job is slavery
is someone who needs to study some history.
Oh, they also need to ditch the victim complex.
If'n ya ain't independently wealthy, ya gotta work.

Well, it may not be slavery in the technical/legal sense, but it is interesting that, in light of the recent pandemic and people getting extra unemployment benefits, businesses are complaining about labor shortages. And it's not like they're getting that much money either. That severely deflates any arguments about workers "choosing" to work, therefore it's not slavery. Pay them without having to work, and see how willing they'd be to work.

So, working in a sweatshop may not technically be slavery, but recent evidence would clearly show that if people have other choices, they won't work there. (Same argument is often used to justify employing illegal immigrants, as people who have choices won't do those kinds of jobs at such low pay.)

The "victim complex" is that which displayed by business owners who complain about alleged "labor shortages."