Remember Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan society in his novel, The Scarlet Letter? Poor Hester Prynne violated the laws of the church, which meant that she broke society’s laws, too. At the beginning of the novel, the reader joins Hester as she leaves the safety of the town prison and makes her way back into the society that jailed her. Reading the book for the first time in the 11th grade, I had a hard time understanding how, in a free society, the religion of one group could also form its judicial system. That makes the laws of God the same thing as the laws of man. Separation of church and state was also an 11th grade U.S. history lesson, so we students figured no more Hesters could be jailed for breaking the laws of her religion . Or so we thought. We fought a war 250 years ago to separate the colonies from a king who was not only ruler of the government but leader of the church. A quick walk through British history shows what a mess that ideal leads to: remember Henry VIII
It’s almost that time of year again: kids are enjoying the last free days of summer and getting ready for another school year. New notebooks, book bags, lunch boxes and pens and papers of all shapes and sizes line the counter tops of homes across the country, waiting for the arrival of a yellow school bus and another year of learning math, English, science, and history.
Except in Florida.
By now, you’ve heard of the Florida Education Department’s declaration that slavery was an on-the-job training program designed to ready slaves for the work force. But this isn’t the only scary change in academics for excited Floridian students.
Ever heard of Prager U (prageru.com) ? It’s neither a university nor a credible place to get curriculum for public schools. But that hasn’t stopped Ron DE Santis and his gang from using it to promote white supremacist, misogynistic, and factually inaccurate information among the most vulnerable minors.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Florida Department of Education has allowed teachers to turn to this source for classroom instruction. Some of the delightful videos and information include the following:
- “What Does Diversity Have to do with Science?” that claims there is a dearth of scientific evidence that proves diversity works in any area of life.
- “Who Needs Feminism?” which says that feminism denigrates men (heard this from anybody, like, I don’t know, Josh Hawley ?), and transforms women from feminine creatures to monsters who believe in equal rights. It also declares women’s primary role in life is to reproduce, while the men hunt and protect. See a connection between this and the crippling abortion laws in 26 states ?
- “Critical Race Theory” which incorrectly defines the term, stating that it really means that race is the only thing that defines you. According to PragerU, this wicked theory is being espoused throughout society and schools by liberal hooligans. The video goes on to literally show an upside down flag (after being subjected to CRT) for emphasis, with clever graphics.
The webpage hosts far too many videos on a variety of topics with a plethora of happy narrators, geared toward everyone from primary age to adult. But a quick scan of the available five minute shows is enough to curl your toes and make you vow to never skip another election.
The reason this website should matter to every one in Virginia is that it is not only circulating in Florida, but is gaining strength in other right-wing run states. And we have an election coming up in November that will decide whether Virginia stays purple (or maybe even blue) or succumbs to the red insanity that has overtaken half of the U.S.
We were sorely duped two years ago by a gubernatorial candidate in a fleece vest who told parents that they needed powers to regulate and participate in public schools - powers they already had.
If we’re duped again, we’re on track for curriculum not controlled by well-meaning parents or well-educated teachers and administrators, but by PragerU. Then, its overt agenda of white supremacy, historical inaccuracy, and misogyny will guide our children’s development from the age of five until they are released from the indoctrination of our pubic schools at 18. And how do you think they’ll vote then ?
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