The Great Textbook Wars

The Black Oil

I’ve not posted in this forum before and don’t frequent it much. I wouldn’t really pigeon-hole myself under any particular label and at a boards meet when some mentioned the A n’ A board I didn’t know what they were referring to. Anyway, last evening I was listening to this documentary through NPR. http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=11860



I missed the very start of the piece so I’ll have to catch up later. It’s well worth a listen, imo. Some of it is reminded me of the claptrap peddled by the Tea Party in the U.S. at the moment, this and that is socialist, etc. Generally, I found it was a bit unnerving to listen to, both in the archive clips that are used and the reflections on it now, including some lad essentially saying thank god we have Fox News, Sean Hannity and Glen Beck. Also, the extent to which people were willing to go, the violence such as threats to put blasting caps on car petrol tanks and so forth. So, in a way, the pattern is nothing new. We’ve the same type of pundits, vested interests and eejits setting the tone and framing the debate. In some respects, part of how campaigns gather momentum boils down to people being stupid, right? Many people jump on bandwagons, don’t do their own research, hear things third hand and then shout the loudest. But I guess we can’t say this without being accused of being liberal elitists. Not to say I'm perfect or have never been guilty of not finding out information for myself.

One thing that’s clear from the piece is that campaigns like this rely on momentum and an element of fear as well. I’ve less of an issue with ordinary religious folk exercising their right to object than I do with the people who go out of their way to stir up this kind of fear, those preach in a particular way (not necessarily the content, but the agitation for the sake of agitation), the misinformation and the push to jump on the bandwagon. By the way, this campaign effectively shut down schools or at least curbed attendances for a while, mines and other workplaces were also part of the protest so I wouldn’t really call it a flash in the pan. I’m not going to say ‘only in America’ because that’s stupid and of course this campaign could easily happen again in 2010. America’s public discourse is a law unto itself, at times, though.

I’m not a parent so I don’t know what it’s like to have a child in school. Hypothetically, if I had a child, I’d hope he/she would not only learn the curriculum, but they’d learn to appreciate that others are free to air their views. I certainly wouldn’t want a child to feel pressured into mirroring every aspect of my belief system, be it social, cultural or economic issues. This is not to be politically correct or have a group huge about multiculturalism, but in this world we all have to learn to stand on our own two feet. One part of the documentary is a clip of Sean Hannity saying something like he wouldn’t his kids in a school where they’re being indoctrinated with views that contradict his own. Yawn.

I won’t ramble any more for now, but if you’ve time give it a listen.

robindch

Stan Bumgardner?

Hope he don't live down South.

Galvasean

The Black Oil wrote: »

at a boards meet when someone mentioned the A n’ A board I didn’t know what they were referring to.

Someone?!!?!? :mad:

Dades

Interesting bit of audio OP. Giving it a listen now.

Galvasean wrote: »

Someone?!!?!? :mad:

I take it that was you, in your black suit, white shirt and knapsack mode.

Galvasean

Dades wrote: »

I take it that was you, in your black suit, white shirt and knapsack mode.

Me, jeans and a rubber toy rhinosaurus.