This completely mirrors my experience at my kids' NAIS school. It's amazing how effective the NAIS' campaign was to goad schools into adopting this extreme ideology on such a grand scale. Same thing - first day school assembly in the fall of 2020, notably given Zoom, since the kids were home due to COVID and it focused on white privilege and intersectionality - this was for middle school. On so many levels, it was so wrong. It's hard for me to still process that people think this is morally right. Needless to say, we left the school.
"Our philosophy advocates for civil rights and liberties, and compassionate opposition to racism and intolerance rooted in dignity and our common humanity. " Bravo!! Necessary, but insufficient. Also necessary are the relentless pursuit of truth and the expectation that all are open to pursuing it. This means we need to challenge those people who posit their truth and authority, and especially to call them out when they make claims that some other group is racist. The label of "racism" should be taken seriously and with the gravity and scorn it deserves. However, it is thrown around so much and applied with no evidence that it has been rendered meaningless. Indeed, the word "racism" is only really a cudgel, wielded by those who wish to dominate others and or to just feel good about themselves. When someone claims someone else (or some other group) is racist, then we need to demand they provide proof. The BIPOC classification needs to be challenged. It is inherently racist and divisive. We are all human. We all share the same abilities for good and for bad. To hold that some people are more inclined to do good or bad based on the color of their skin is not only ignorant, it is racist. That is, and by what is seen in the news, those claiming to be antiracist tend to be the most racist people out there.
Truth is pursued by challenging what we think we know and how we think we know it. My own maxim is, "Everyone is mostly wrong about everything always". However, if and when we share our thinking with others and keep open to challenging our own thinking, we can compare and test ideas to find the faults. We all make assumptions. We all use our perceptions to learn even though our perceptions and especially the conclusions we draw from them are fraught with error. The threat to learning is over-confidence in one's position and egocentrism. Herein is the main problem that has caused the great divide in society. The elitist mob has positioned itself as unassailable. They are authoritarian. One either "assimilates into to Borg" or he/she is eliminated. The clamor of the struggle has little to do with racism, homophobia, transphobia, et cetera ad nauseam. It has to do with free-thinking individuals resisting the Progressive juggernaut.
One tactic we might try is to challenge any and all claims of racism. Elicit the evidence, or the lack there of, from those who make such accusations. Expect and demand people provide the evidence and thinking they use to hold their position. Challenge the claim and the person making it. If we did these things, I expect most claims of racism would evaporate and that those that are real would be exposed. Pursue truth. You cannot effectively address racism if it is just anything that someone doesn't like and/or cannot substantiate.
This completely mirrors my experience at my kids' NAIS school. It's amazing how effective the NAIS' campaign was to goad schools into adopting this extreme ideology on such a grand scale. Same thing - first day school assembly in the fall of 2020, notably given Zoom, since the kids were home due to COVID and it focused on white privilege and intersectionality - this was for middle school. On so many levels, it was so wrong. It's hard for me to still process that people think this is morally right. Needless to say, we left the school.
"Our philosophy advocates for civil rights and liberties, and compassionate opposition to racism and intolerance rooted in dignity and our common humanity. " Bravo!! Necessary, but insufficient. Also necessary are the relentless pursuit of truth and the expectation that all are open to pursuing it. This means we need to challenge those people who posit their truth and authority, and especially to call them out when they make claims that some other group is racist. The label of "racism" should be taken seriously and with the gravity and scorn it deserves. However, it is thrown around so much and applied with no evidence that it has been rendered meaningless. Indeed, the word "racism" is only really a cudgel, wielded by those who wish to dominate others and or to just feel good about themselves. When someone claims someone else (or some other group) is racist, then we need to demand they provide proof. The BIPOC classification needs to be challenged. It is inherently racist and divisive. We are all human. We all share the same abilities for good and for bad. To hold that some people are more inclined to do good or bad based on the color of their skin is not only ignorant, it is racist. That is, and by what is seen in the news, those claiming to be antiracist tend to be the most racist people out there.
Truth is pursued by challenging what we think we know and how we think we know it. My own maxim is, "Everyone is mostly wrong about everything always". However, if and when we share our thinking with others and keep open to challenging our own thinking, we can compare and test ideas to find the faults. We all make assumptions. We all use our perceptions to learn even though our perceptions and especially the conclusions we draw from them are fraught with error. The threat to learning is over-confidence in one's position and egocentrism. Herein is the main problem that has caused the great divide in society. The elitist mob has positioned itself as unassailable. They are authoritarian. One either "assimilates into to Borg" or he/she is eliminated. The clamor of the struggle has little to do with racism, homophobia, transphobia, et cetera ad nauseam. It has to do with free-thinking individuals resisting the Progressive juggernaut.
One tactic we might try is to challenge any and all claims of racism. Elicit the evidence, or the lack there of, from those who make such accusations. Expect and demand people provide the evidence and thinking they use to hold their position. Challenge the claim and the person making it. If we did these things, I expect most claims of racism would evaporate and that those that are real would be exposed. Pursue truth. You cannot effectively address racism if it is just anything that someone doesn't like and/or cannot substantiate.
I never thought I would utter these words.
I'm glad I live in Ohio.
This is nothing if not child abuse.