Indoctrinated students, white kids in danger, and someone else pulling the strings. It sounds like a rally for Donald Trump‘s next run at emperor in chief, doesn’t it?
Sorry to disappoint all you lovers and haters out there, but you’ll need to turn your attention to the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, the most controversial and apparently, paranoid, conspiracy-believing school board in SLO County! At an April 13 meeting, board members expressed those concerns about a proposed elective course designed by a high school teacher who’s taught at the district for more than 20 years.
Yes, an elective! A choice. Not a requirement.
But, but, it’s a course in—and here’s a trigger warning for all you über conservatives out there—ethnic studies. Gasp!
Can I get a round of slow claps for the majority white school board elected by the Paso community and their inability to get away from sounding more than just a little—dare I say—racist? Oh whoops, I mean, aggressively against public education about non-white groups and their history in the American story if it makes white people look, you know, bad.
It needs to be more “balanced,” several board members argued in two separate meetings, and incorporate the white perspective. So, what about all of the other classes taught at Paso Robles High School? Do they need to be more “balanced” and incorporate the non-white perspective? Nah!
Board member Dorian Baker, who called the course “poison” in a now-deleted Facebook post, was super concerned that the course focused on “themes of social justice, social responsibility, and social change.”
“It’s those concepts that are troubling to many of the people that reach out to me,” she said.
Oh no! Responsibility, justice, and change. That’s not what America’s about! We are individuals who have bootstraps! We can’t poison our children with truth! We need to teach our students about how little needs to change in America and how exceptional this country is—even if some of its past is a little shady. You know, be more like the North Koreans.
That sounds like indoctrination to me. But board members are more worried about Marxism, which Baker said may not be directly named in this ethnic studies curriculum, but “it dresses it up so that it can be taught at the high school level.”
Yeah, totally, Baker. Understanding more about America’s complicated history with immigrants and people of color is definitely communist. We should call Joseph McCarthy. He needs to be alerted about the potential for student activism that could come from this course!
She even accused the 22-year-veteran social studies teacher who created the curriculum—Geoffrey Land—of not actually developing the course. It must have come from Cal Poly, she surmised. It’s the only thing that makes sense!
Fellow board buddy and higher education hater Jim Reed also said “somebody else had some hand in” the course’s creation.
“Somebody has decided what ethnicities are more disadvantaged, or, you know, have a better story,” he said. “And to me, this is kind of, it’s dividing ethnicities up rather than celebrating them.”
Well, Jimmy, I’ve got to say, policy, data, history, and population sizes really speak for themselves when it comes to deciding what ethnicities America has divided up.
We interned Japanese Americans during World War II, for example. Oh, and those were American citizens, too! We enslaved African Americans for hundreds of years. We murdered Native American tribes because we wanted their land. We took a giant swath of land from Mexico in a war and have argued over Mexican American border policies for more than 30 years.
You know, little things.
Meanwhile, board member Lance Gannon is extremely concerned about student safety, saying “right now there were probably students at the high school that are scared to even say anything against this course for the reprisals that they will get.” Oh. OK.
Kind of like the pushback the board got after its March 23 meeting on the ethnic studies course, where members expressed their initial concerns about the course being a little too ethnic.
“Students who elect to take this class are going to look at the white students differently,” Gannon said at the March meeting.
I got news for you, Gannon—the students who elect to take this class have already had experiences that cause them to look at certain white students “differently.” They’re the same students who some people demanded get expelled for protesting on their lunch break.
The craziest part about the whole conversation is that Paso High School taught an ethnic studies course at least two different times in the past, starting in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, board member Chris Arend—yeah, the guy who wrote that opinion piece about how systemic racism is a myth without a trace of irony—was just exasperated with all these people speaking Spanish in their public comments! I guess since he doesn’t speak Spanish, he doesn’t realize that the Paso School District’s Spanish translation of the board meetings is barely audible—a big problem for the majority Latino district with almost 1,500 students classified as English language learners.
But he did say: “I’m convinced it’s not going to be a course indoctrinating students to dislike folks of other races or anything like that.” Δ
The Shredder is convinced the board is indoctrinated. Send comments to shredder@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Apr 15-25, 2021.
“Ethnic studies”? This title is the euphemism for radical socialist indoctrination, that’s the problem Shredder. Temperate language substitution is the way of leftists in our society to pull the wool over well meaning people in pursuit of power and social leverage. The “renaming” of things over the course of time is an attempt to normalize the abnormal, to broaden the acceptability of things unacceptable, to reprogram young minds to be pliable to the whims of some who mean them no good. The “elective” you speak of in high school is currently being made mandatory for some degrees at the college level. If ethnic studies is truly balanced and free of bias, then teach the writings of Thomas Sowell, the economics of Walter Williams, the judicial ideals of Clarence Thomas with as much vigor as you teach the writings of left-leaning equivalents. Allow the students the freedom to hear the spectrum of ideas rather than the sliver of socialism you prefer to present. The left fears freedom of information because any thoughtful person will gravitate towards capitalistic, free ideals when given by example over socialist, communist manifesto thrust upon them.
“You should teach about these black men whose politics just happen to align with mine. Teaching about the other black men whose politics don’t align with mine is indoctrination.”
Not at all! Teach BOTH sides, by ALL means. The difference is why. I believe that when presented equally, conservatism will be preferable. PLEASE teach ALL information! Just don’t teach ONE side in the light of messianic idealism and the other as “hate”. If you believe truly in your ideas, put them up against the other side and see what not only young people will choose, but what MOST people will choose. I challenge you ALL.
“I believe that when presented equally, conservatism will be preferable.”
So I wonder what examples of “conservatism” you find “preferable.” Is it the corruption and paranoia of Nixon? Or maybe tax cuts for the rich but tax hikes for the poor and middle class under Reagan—not to mention tripling the national debt. Or maybe it’s the endless wars and financial collapse of George W. Bush—another debt buster. Or maybe the total mismanagement of a deadly pandemic by Trump—more needless debt. Take your pick.
If woke entrepreneurs want to put on courses where neurotic, rich white liberals pay to engage in self-flagellation over their privilege, unconscious racism, and inherent guilt over being white, wonderful. I support free enterprise. But leave kids out of it. Public schools have no place serving as indoctrination centers for every brain fart which captures the gnat-like attention spans of lefties. Just teach kids that some people are different that them, and that they should treat everyone fairly and with respect. You know, the Golden Rule and all that.
Yes, great idea, John. Let’s develop a whole course about teaching kids that some people are different than them. We could talk about how those people are different than them, or why they appear to be different. Maybe discuss things about their culture and ancestry. And maybe a little bit about this history of people like them, and how that history effected the present and future for people of that ethnicity. Maybe we could call it something like Ethnic Studies.
Paso Robles school board president Chris Arend has spent a big portion of his adult life publicly denying there is a racism problem in the United States. Hes essentially made it a political campaign. What would motivate someone to do that? Why does he feel he is part of an equation that needs to be defended? What is he trying to accomplish that is good for our community by continually claiming that we need not be concerned with racism? And why has a ramped up these efforts following so many examples of unarmed black people being murdered? How is he helping or what is he helping?
If I were one of the students in the Paso Robles school system I would be strongly considering making sure national media knows that a school board president in California is a recalcitrant big mouth bigot who claims to the point of absurdity that we need not be concerned with racism in our communitythat the scourge of White supremacist bigotry evaporated and that we can all go back to pretending this is the 1950s as seen in a Leave it to Beaver television show. I think its safe to say that if the Beaver showed up these days in Paso Robles hed be leading the students in a rally to rid themselves of their arrogant school board president and his condescending attitude toward youth and their hopeful ideals that should be celebrated rather than quashed and made fun of by a man points backwards when it is time to move forward.
Dump Ethnic Studies, it is pollution curriculum, and the students deserve better.
E Pluribus Unum = Out of Many, One.
Let the students decide.
Let the students decide? NO. Let the PARENTS decide! The reason the left wants the students to decide is because they are young, impulsive and easily led by liberal , emotional, propagandizing slogans. They are in school to be EDUCATED, not indoctrinated. To be taught critical thinking, not taught to be critical of their country’s ideals and values. To be enriched through knowledge, not polluted with left-wing ideology. Why not teach conservatism and liberalism side by side, in the way of William F. Buckley/Gore Vidal? Great minds on either side presenting principled views for the young mind to digest and form their own ideas from. What would the left have to lose? If liberalism is such an ideal, how could it lose? The left cowers in fear from the light of day that would illuminate the flaws in it’s philosophy. That socialism constricts freedom and leads people to ruin singularly and societally. Leftist socialism has a track record. Conservatism has a track record. Put both forward for examination and the choice will be clear to anyone with 20/20 vision and an open mind.
Let the students decide. If students are enthusiastic about taking an academic course, and there is a teacher to teach it, the teaching should go forward.
Student should not be allowed to be overruled by bigots.
It is obvious that bigotry is at the root of the objection to an ethnic studies elective class. Blatant bigotry of this type should not be tolerated.
The school board needs to show respect to students who are eager to learn.
An ethnic studies course could be the most important and valuable course a student will take in their entire high school career. Nothing good will come of trying to quash the educational interests of eager students wanting to learn. Respect the students. We have much to learn from them. Anti-bigotry would be one thing. Maybe its the students who should be teaching the school board. In fact, thats exactly what theyre doing and theyre standing up against bigotry.
If they start a movement able to remove the current Paso Robles school board president, give them an A+ and have them start teaching classes.
Am a bigot? Really? So quick to call names! Anyone who disagrees with LEFT leaning education is a bigot? Anyone who seeks balance is bigoted for doing so? NO! Students need to show respect for being able to learn, whatever is being taught. The students have more opportunity and dignity than any in the world! See how the left seeks to placate and pander to its future victims of indoctrination instead of laying down goals and expectation toward competence through education? Start a movement? Really? Start a movement to eradicate liberal philosophy from the classroom! The movement that blight turd 2 seeks is racist and edu-phobic. Obviously!
What does the so-called left and so-called right have to do with this? Why turn this into a political issue? It’s an educational issue and should not be decided based on partisan political ideology. Leave the politics out of it and start educating young people who are enthusiastic to learn.
Please do not try to use and abuse students in order to push a bigoted political agenda. The students have the right to learn about what they want to learn about. Those who are unwilling to teach them should move out of the way to let those who are willing do so. Let’s not put up roadblocks and speed bumps to prevent students from understanding crucial aspects of our American story. Thank you.
I think it would be very interesting and exciting if students themselves chose a candidate for school board president and worked hard to make sure that person was elected. That would be a very positive constructive and instructive student movement.
I think that’s a worthy goal for everyone to get behind: encourage students to play a bigger role in choosing school board members.
I think it’s fair to assume that currently students don’t quite understand all the power that they have that could be deployed to improve education in their district. Having them play a strong role in the school board election process would be an excellent way to have that come about.
Let’s work together to encourage students to take this active role in their education.
Its common knowledge that many white supremacists and other bigots are intelligent, have a good education , are hard-working and professional. Its been that way all my life so I dont expect that to have changed. Some are ignorant and uneducated and lazy, but not all. Its often the most intelligent ones that gather up the less educated and less intelligent and infect them with their racist worldview.
We need to look for more than intelligence and professionalism in choosing our leaders. We should be electing men and women of character who hold respect for constituents of all ages And ethnic backgrounds. Simply pretending to do so for the sake of gathering votes should not be enough. We need leaders who understand the power and value of love, compassion and truth, and who reject selfishness and greed.
The current Paso Robles school district board president has not been honest about systemic racism in our society, claiming and campaigning publicly that it evaporated in the 1970s and is not something we need to concern ourselves with. Fortunately, theres a growing number of people in our community no longer willing to mindlessly tolerate that attitude and behavior from school board members.
What I would like to see is students stepping forward and exercising the leadership that will be so crucial to their lives and our world in the days ahead. Let the students choose the board members. They have the wisdom and experience to do a good job at that. But they Could always benefit by more positive reinforcement as they work to achieve their hopes and dreams of a better more fair and less violent world.
May we be so blessed!
More power to the students of the Paso Robles school district!
rightword 2 is racist. Most white supremacy is hidden in democrat policy and agenda. Wasn’t it LBJ who talked of keeping folks on the plantation? To this day he has proven correct. Notice how “rightword” wants to give teens the power to choose elected officials in charge of educational decisions. “rightword” probably also wants inmates to design and guard prison walls and grounds. Also probably wants pimps to administrate at planned parenthood. Drug dealers to facilitate groups at drug and alcohol services and while we are at it, how about morbidly obese people create the NEW school lunch program for the newly empowered teenage students who, as it is well known, make absolutely impeccable choices in life. Yeah, let them choose school curriculum…genius!
Students should not be treated like inmates in a prison. I would like to see students in the Paso Robles school district find a candidate to support in the next school board election. Theres nothing wrong with letting the students have their say and be part of the campaign to improve the district for students teachers and administrators. I have full confidence that increasing student involvement in the process will aid in their education and improve the district as a whole. I do not believe the bigoted and condescending attitudes promoted by some school board members represent the attitudes of the vast majority of students and teachers in the district. But they were elected and I dont see anything wrong with a healthy challenge in the next election. And if the students are part of that all the better for themselves and our community as a whole.
” Wasn’t it LBJ who talked of keeping folks on the plantation?”
Gee, correct me if I’m wrong, but “wasn’t” it also LBJ who singlehandedly (JFK had already tried and failed) pushed through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, arguably the two most important achievements related to equality in this nation’s history.
Please take your alternate history about how the Democrats are just as racist as Republicans and stow it.
Comparing students in the Paso Robles school district with prison inmates, drug dealers and pimps is another in a long line of absurd and dangerous false equivalencies being foisted upon readers by local extremists from the Republican Party. Such antics give more credence to the idea that students should should have more say in the administration of their schools and the schools will be improved because of it. I don’t know of a single student in the Paso Robles district who would agree with treating students like inmates, drug dealers and pimps. Sorry, but in this case the students are surely going going to exercise more common sense then the people who want to prevent them from learning about the more disturbing truths of American history.
Rightword 2 and Silence Dogood need to get a room. It is clear they have chemistry.
Probably so. Maybe the two of us could shack up at the former motel 6 in Paso? I hear the rates are cheap! Haha!
All you lefty’s have your heads up your asses
“All you lefty’s have your heads up your asses”
As opposed to all you righty’s who have your heads up Donald Trump’s ass.
The so-called left always ends up proving to be correct. The left was correct about Vietnam, civil rights, Nixon, Iran Contra, The Iraq war, marijuana legalization and Donald Trump. You name it. With all the big controversial issues in the U.S. the so-called left ends up being on the right side of history, time after time.
Disconcerting to observe so many right wing racists, bigots. and white supremacists feel comfortable enough to spout their poorly informed and hateful rhetoric without nary a thought… And then there are the cowardly and insecure who do so anonymously… Pathetic to see this taking place in SLO County in 2021… even given that Paso is a significant outlier in being a haven for those with such ignorant and hateful positions
Here’s the thing. There isn’t anything “conservative” about denying students the option of enrolling in an ethic studies course. Just like there isn’t anything “conservative” about denying the extent that racism, white supremacy and genocide played in the “founding” of the US. Apparently, many people have been conditioned to think that using the buzz word “conservative” is a panacea for anything that violates their particular notion of how they think that the US and the rest of the world should be run. More curious still is how grossly uninformed about US and or world history so many of these openly racist and white supremacists folks appear to be, at least based on how they express themselves here.
Worse than that is how so many have been hoodwinked into believing that they live in a binary world, where a person is either a conservative or a liberal. And that both sides much hate and denigrate one another, all to the delight of those who own the country and the politicians who enrich themselves by funneling obscene riches their way. All of whom are laughing all the way to the bank on the backs, bodies and misery of those in the US and especially those in the rest of the world…
Perhaps it would be a good idea to stop being a “conservative”, “liberal”, “Republican” and or “Democratic”, and just concentrate on being a better human being and treat others they way you wish to be treated…
It boggles the mind but its not surprising that local bigots and some elected school board representatives are trying to convince our community that teaching about shameful aspects of American history promotes socialism and compassionate democratic ideals and therefore should be age restricted, censored and in many cases completely prohibited.
When it comes to illegal racist behavior causing unnecessary suffering and death to Native Americans, Blacks, Asians, Mexicans and other ethnic minorities, it seems our local bigots find perverse comfort and inspiration in the old adage that says: those who ignore history are bound to repeat it.
rightword 2 and Chris Knudson are racists. Democrat “plantation” policies are not fooling people of color any more. We are woke to your BS. We are American success stories not pawns for your emotional rhetoric. We and this country will rise regardless of your interference and lies.
What so-called lies are you talking about? The whole point of ethnic studies is to share truth about our history and culture so as to Feder our community
Bottom line is that we all need to work together and find unity among diversity. Let’s love our neighbors and treat others as we would want to be treated. It’s pretty simple. If we follow those guidelines our community will experience clear prosperity, peace, and joy.
“Progressively Stupid” comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors in SLO County.
Shredded Cheese Heads please surf this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qargQ-VkyL…
Be Woke. Be offended.
White Lies Matter or is it White Lives Madder?
How about we start by demanding that police officers stop killing unarmed black men and women? Is that too much to ask at a time like this?
It’s time to ignore left wing nonsense…my feeling is that the country is waking up to the results…look at dumb ass biden….harris is only in politics because she had an affair with major willy brown…are we really going to keep talking to these people?
Lefty’s want to test america apart…and make it like every country south of our southern border…a shit hole!!
Biden has already proven himself to be a great United States president, helping bring the country together and build it back better. Its all about character. We need honest public officials and its refreshing to see Joe Biden stand up against all the liars and predatory creeps.
Jesus taught us to love our neighbors. As Americans, we have so much to share with the world. And its equally important that we appreciate what the rest the world has to offer.
The people of the world are all connected and we need to appreciate that more and more. Let us all work toward bringing enough food, and quality education and healthcare to everyone in the world. We have the ways and means to do it. What we need is the will to make it happen.
Let us ignore all those who walk in fear and want to exacerbate animosity between people and nations. Let us always walk toward goodness, honesty and sincerity and walk away from the people and attitudes that want to destroy the natural brotherhood we share with all the people in the world.
Lets exercise our courage.
Lets live in love.
Racism, or ethnic prejudice, IS the reason why every shithole country south of us is a shithole.
Calling our neighboring nations “shit holes“ is disrespectful and fuels hatred and animosity and terrorism in the world. Nothing good will come of that attitude quite the opposite, in fact I have traveled in our neighboring nations and have found those nations to be beautiful and their people wonderful. They deserve our respect. As Jesus said, love thy neighbor.
When you’re finished with your white victimization experience, please learn Spanish. Please adult.
Biden and Harris are illegitimate. They surround themselves with guards and razor wire fence to keep the people away from them. Our “government” is stolen from us. Biden is an incompetent tool, Harris is “enjoying a long weekend” thanks to dead American soldiers. These fraudulently unelected so-called “leaders” need impeached. This country will be shown the truth over time. The leftists will be revealed and rebuked. WE THE PEOPLE will be free to live in liberty and prosperity, even after this sham is over.