“That Conversation about Race” category archive
Indoctrination Nation 0
The Tamba Bay Times tells one teacher’s story of working under the rule of Florida’s Grand Wizard Governor DeSantis.
Just go read it.
If One Standard Is Good, Two Must Be Better 0
Michael Paul Williams finds himself dismayed at the willingness of the self-styled “law and order” party to look the other way when the (most credibly) accused is Donald Trump. A tiny bit from his article (emphasis added):
The entire piece is worth your while.
The “Con” in “Conservative” 0
At the Tampa Bay Times, James Unnever makes a compelling case that Lyndon Johnson was right.
Still Rising Again after All These Years . . . 0
. . . and they want you to know it.
A staff member found the rope hanging from a tree on the school’s property, according to a letter sent to families.
“This has caused some understandable feelings of fear and stress amongst our staff and we’re making you aware because we believe it is important to be transparent with our school community,” the letter reads.
Follow the link for details.
A Viral Infection 0
At the Idaho State Journal, Leonard Hitchcock reveals that, to his horror, he just might be infected with the “woke mind virus.” Here’s one symptom:
As proof, she reminded me that I have expressed concern over the proposed relaxing of child labor laws. Surely that is a “wokeness” symptom when I know that conservatives support such a move. Deceased conservative billionaire David Koch even once pledged to “abolish” child labor laws altogether.
More symptoms at the link.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Florida Man’s actions have consequences.
Decoding de Code 0
Thom translates the term.
Thought Police 0
The Fredericksburg, Va., Free Lance-Star reports on efforts to censor books in the Spotsylvania County public schools. You can follow the link for the story, but this sentence leapt out at me (emphasis added):
The county continues to field book challenges, most of them initiated by one parent.
Welcome to the unfree marketplace of ideas.
This New Gilded Age 0
LZ Granderson wonders whether Republicans have ever read any of the works of Charles Dickens.
Here’s how his article starts:
High school freshman girls should not double as cocktail waitresses at night.
That’s not a sentence I thought needed to be said, but here we are in 2023, and conservative lawmakers in more than 10 states are making efforts to roll back child labor laws. Cocktail waitress is just one of the disturbing occupations floated as appropriate work for children.
Iowa enacted a law last month allowing more kids to work more dangerous jobs. In Arkansas, a 14-year-old would no longer need to show an employer proof of parental approval.
Now the arguments against this movement are painfully obvious, but the so-called case for child labor requires unpacking.
Follow the link for the unpacking.
Afterthought:
As Republicans reintroduce child labor while barring immigrants who are willing to work, I am again reminded of Professor Shade’s mantra, “History is irony.”
Misdirection Play, This New Gilded Age Dept. 0
Robert Reich details the decoys. A snippet:
Follow the link for the debunking of de bunk.
Courting Disaster 0
Federal Judge Judge James Ho has a notion of immigrants.
Built-in Bias 0
Writing at Psychology Today Blogs, Karim Bettache takes a penetrating look at how structural racism permeates society. (Structural racism is that thing that racists and their dupes, symps, and fellow travelers say does not exist because they don’t want to admit that it does.) Furthermore, he suggests that it’s a world-wide phenomenon that can be traced back to the age of empire, when European nations used racism–that is, white superiority–to help justify rationalize subjugating foreign lands and peoples.
Bettache cites research that demonstrates that children start absorbing racist messages from the culture almost before they learn how to talk, let alone learn how to read or think critically. Here are a couple of snippets from his article:
(snip)
For black girls, discrimination based on hair texture is a common experience that reinforces their position as outsiders in some environments. Some schools have even prohibited natural hairstyles, considering them “unruly” or contrary to policies requiring a “professional” appearance (Macon, 2014). The message is that to succeed and be accepted, black women must conform to white norms rather than embrace their cultural heritage and identity. Such policies inflict psychological harm and perpetuate racist beliefs that natural black hair is somehow unkept (sic) or unclean.
Given the efforts of the New Secesh to rise again, I think his piece is well worth the few minutes it will take to read it.
Sound Familiar? 0
Thom offers a definition of fascism from the U. S. Department of War during World War II. A snippet;
Fascism is government of the few, for the few.
Fly the Fiendly Skies 0
They are fiendlier than ever before.