Beginning with Generation X, teaching of civics and history changed. According to a 2018 report by the American Federation of Teachers, civic knowledge and public engagement had reached an all-time low. Since first published in 1980, Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States – a radical alternative to established textbooks – became widely accepted by educators at all levels. More recently How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi is reported to have been adopted into educational programs and is gaining a foothold in K-12 through teacher professional development and other methods. The basic premise is that racism is to blame for all obstacles that black Americans face. Kendi has authored a children’s book Antiracist Baby aimed toward parents and educators that follows a woke baby who gets involved in social justice. Podcaster Jason Rantz asserts the book “…poses the biggest threat to breaking apart the very foundation upon which this country was built.”
Controversy surrounds topics such as “critical race theory” and “inherent bias” that claim U.S. societal constructs are intrinsically racist, designed to retain economic and political power for whites by oppressing minorities. Gender ideology, inappropriate sexuality, politics and other leftist culture war issues are taught by respected authority figures to children not mature enough to distinguish between these concepts and traditional values presented to them in other areas of their lives. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are often employed in a workplace environment and according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce “…have become key indicators to identify which organizations are considered employers of choice.” Equity can be confused with equality, the state of being equal, but adds the element of justice or fairness, predicating that the only certain measure of equality is outcome. In January 2023 Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin blamed equity as the motivation for numerous Northern Virginia high schools failing to notify students that they had won national merit awards, a key consideration for college scholarships and among the most prestigious honors a high school student can receive.
These examples provide insight into the curriculum Generations X/Y/Z have been exposed to. It is largely ideologically motivated and geared toward indoctrination. This influence helps to explain how present-day citizens can reject patriotism and view the country negatively, supporting efforts to rename structures honoring historical figures, tearing down statues and defacing monuments, and embracing socialism. Having not been taught history in the proper context, they judge individuals long dead by modern-day standards and neglect to understand the actual results of implementing economic systems like Marxism. It is not difficult to find citizens who consider the country so flawed that they want to tear it apart and rebuild.
Furthermore, it results in the poisoning of young minds who are taught to believe the U.S. is inherently flawed due to systemic racism, colonialism, and capitalism. In January 2023 the “Night of Rage” Antifa protest in Atlanta spiraled into violence as riotous demonstrators set off fireworks, broke windows, spray painted buildings, and attacked police cruisers, setting one ablaze. Six people were arrested on charges of domestic terrorism, five of them from out of state. All have privileged backgrounds and are representative of professional leftist agitators who have protested around the country since the death of George Floyd. Rush Limbaugh spoke numerous times about the number of conservative friends he lost after their daughters went away to college and returned radicalized, blaming their parents for screwing up the country, the planet, being racist and supporting the wrong politicians. Almost exclusively white, wealthy, female college students assuming a mantle of guilt. The fathers don’t want to lose their daughters so they capitulate.
Active Understanding vs Passive Acceptance
A significant flaw in our education system, mostly at the collegiate level, is a failure to develop “higher order” skills like reasoning and critical thinking. Critical thinkers rigorously question what they hear rather than accept it at face value. The lack of these skills diminishes the ability to analyze a set of facts and arrive at a conclusion. The net result is greater susceptibility to groupthink, spurred by an urge to conform in order to minimize conflict and achieve consensus. It leads to greater vulnerability from authoritarian figures, be they professors, politicians, news media, large corporations, or Big Tech barons.
Last edited: January 31, 2023