A Subtle Form of Book Burning...

Good Morning!

This past week I happened upon and read many "news shorts" related to "well meaning" citizens interfering with our educational system...

How are they interfering? 

Why would they do something like that?

Good questions!
Each article discussed an individual's or group's effort to stop a topic being taught in school...

Their rationale for removing a topic WAS NOT that it no longer was relevant...

It was because of BIASES and personal freedom (religious) concerns!

Not one of them was based on some new idea or concept...

This fight is an ongoing drama...

The topics included major efforts to:

Stop teaching certain religions...(specifically Judeo-Christian concepts)

Stop teaching evolution...(specifically Darwinian concepts)

Stop teaching...stop teaching...stop teaching...

I suddenly had an epiphany! 

You will probably tell me that this is one of my "epiphanies of the utterly obvious"

If so...humor me...

If not...then help me spread this message!

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Do these people see how destructive that these efforts are?

It is my belief that everything should be taught...to everyone!

People wrongly believe that teaching the "wrong things" biases the learner in the wrong direction...

I do not!  Education directs...and when properly positioned...what NOT to know and NOT to believe is just as important as what to know and believe!
Directed and limited education is a narrow view...AND...this belief give too much credence to the perceived power of information!

I know that this doesn't make sense...Let's dive a bit deeper...

If a person or group is concerned that opposing views and opinions threaten their own truth...then their "truth" needs to be questioned itself...is what they believe...so weak that it needs to be guarded?

Think about it..."Don't teach my kids this because they may begin questioning our beliefs!"

This is not a healthy position to be in!

From my perspective...It is the broad and informed decision that is most often correct...and the most powerful!

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Let's make a cliche out of my position...(OK...let's use one of my old cliches)

...If you find yourself in a position that you have to make a decision...you do not have enough information...

Can you see that "Focused and controlled education" is biased...and is itself...an act...on equal standing with book burning!

Outlawing the teaching of certain topics is no different from burning the materials!

It is an act of bigotry, prejudice and fascism!

Groups and lawyers that are out to stop the presentation of certain topics or materials (I am not including offensive, abusive or immorally/unethical material) are acting no different than the dictators of our past who burned books and killed people for what they taught and/or believed!

Restricting access or presentation to certain pieces of information is BAD!

It is very destructive to our society...

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Am I saying that people should be forced to learn?

NO!

Restricted education is an open option to people that desire it...

But it is not an option in the public education arena!
It is and should be provided by private schools.

If these people desire that their children are educated in a information controlled environment...then send the children to private schools...

It is WRONG for them to try to push their insecurities on the public...and public education!

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What do we do in situations like these?  How do we respond when someone (under the guise of individual rights and "freedom from" arguments) works to restrict our public education?

Our response to people that push the restriction of teaching of certain topics should be...

Isn't that what Hitler did?  Isn't that what Stalin did?  Isn't that what every dictator did?

Let's show the world what those people are really doing...What their insecurities and self-rightousness are doing!

These activities are almost on the same level of educational terrorism...OK...I admit it...it is not terrorism...but an action of that kind of person!

This is about teaching freedom and liberty!  One can not be free if what they know as to be true is filtered and they are living a lie!

If learning about evolution shakes a person's faith...then the faith was weak to begin with...my guess is that learning about advanced math may shake that same person's faith!

Let us NOT allow special interest groups narrow our childrens' education...we need to broaden it with the same fervor as it is being attacked!

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Education of our children can not be abdicated!

Parents must play in this arena as well as our teachers!

When a child comes home and questions the family's values because of what they learned...a GOOD PARENT sits and discusses it with them...

My guess is that if there is a meaningful discussion...there will be a change!

Either the child will grow stronger in the family's values...or the family values will change!

How wonderful would that be?

What are these activists really afraid of?

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Let's show the world what those "People's Rights attorneys" are doing to us...They are fascist henchmen!

These people want to push their agenda through information control...it is reverse propaganda at its best!

Education is about information...not influence and control...

Education is about informed decisions!

Education is NOT brainwashing!

True education leads to no-brain choice!  There are no decisions where complete information resides!

Enough Said!