I came across two articles in my morning paper today that, while seemingly unconnected, to have a common thread worth writing about. One concerns the recent flap about the elementary school song to President Obama while the other concerns another silly piece of legislative nonsense out of Sacramento.
First, in Burlington Township, NJ, some 70 protesters gathered yesterday in front of B. Bernice Young School in response to the recent controversy over school kids singing songs in class about Obama. The protesters sang "God Bless America", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and chanted, "No indoctrination". There were, of course, counter-protesters. One of them, Karen Flowers, a 43-year-old state social worker, defended the singing of the songs in class and said the protesters were making a lot out of nothing.
The article also mentioned that the video of the singing which caused all the uproar had been made in conjunction with a later class visit by author Charisse Carney-Nunes, who wrote a children's book entitled, "I am Barack Obama."
I have already commented on the song episode, but had not been aware of this children's book. Let me just say here that had the book been entitled, "I am Abraham Lincoln" or "I am Martin Luther King", I would be fine with it. I am not comfortable with children's books devoted to sitting presidents. Why? It's what totalitarian governments do, that's why. Would I have voiced similar concern about a book entitled. "I am George W Bush" or "I am Gerald Ford"? Yes, but I don't recall any such books. This just goes to reinforce the charges that this administration is building a personality cult around Obama.
Now the latest insanity coming out of Sacramento. Arnold Schwarzenegger (our governor) has just approved Senate Bill 572, which creates an annual "day of special significance" honoring the birthday of Harvey Milk, the San Francisco supervisor and gay activist who was murdered in 1978 along with Mayor George Moscone by a disgruntled city councilman named Dan White. Milk's birthday, May 22, will not be a holiday, but schools will "be encouraged to conduct suitable commemorative exercises".
Not in my classroom.
I recently wrote on the Milk/Moscone murders, so I won't repeat the details here; suffice to say that anyone who knows me knows that I believe that "suitable commemorative exercises" would entail executing the murderer. Having said that, there is only one reason that folks are elevating Harvey Milk to such stature-because he was a gay activist-which had nothing to do with his death and ignores the death of the mayor of San Francisco-a more notable public figure.
It will be interesting to see how schools put this "day of special significance" into practice and what pressures are brought to bear on teachers to incorporate Harvey Milk into their lesson plans.
Not in my classroom. I don't try to teach my students (who are young adults) what they should believe about the world-one way or another. Similarly, if I happen to mention President Obama in my class, it is in a totally neutral way, just as when I mentioned President Bush when he was in the White House. As for the Harvey Milk/gay issue, it is simple; mutual respect for all.
Isn't that really the best way to handle it?
Gary, I remember all sorts of lessons about Ronald Reagan when I was in elementary school. I even got a pencil with his name on it.
ReplyDeleteAnd regarding that song, wasn't it part of a much larger presentation that included songs about other presidents? Either way, I agree that people are making far too much of this. Like I said before: it's one class in one school in one town in one state. That's hardly some kind of national trend.
As for Milk, you're talking out both sides of your mouth. You say "As for the Harvey Milk/gay issue, it is simple; mutual respect for all." Isn't that what Milk was all about? Wasn't one of his big battles opposing a law that would make it illegal for gay people to be public teachers? (Where did you stand on that one back then, by the way?) Is that really such an awful thing to tell the kids - that they shouldn't fear having a gay teacher?
Maybe I'm missing something, but your reaction comes across as pretty homophobic - no matter how much you protest with "mutual respect for all".
Shoot, now I actually want to talk about Harvey Milk in my class.
"Wasn't one of his big battles opposing a law that would make it illegal for gay people to be public teachers? (Where did you stand on that one back then, by the way?)"
ReplyDeleteI don't even remember. Plus, I didn't know anything about Milk until he was killed.
Here we go again. Criticize the state making it a "special day of significance" and "suggesting" I devote activites to Harvey Milk in class and I'm a homophobe.
That's right, Lance-pull out the card. Typical liberal tactic.
Looks like I hit a nerve. I repeat, what you wrote "comes across" as being homophobic. What is your gripe with Milk, exactly? Is it bad that he was a "gay activist"? Do you not want kids to learn about gay activists? What is that but homophobia?
ReplyDeleteBut like I said - maybe I'm missing something. If your beef with this whole thing has nothing to do with him being gay, then what exactly is it? He was a civil rights leader from what I can tell, and that's something you should learn about in school.
Lance,
ReplyDeleteI have nothing against Harvey Milk. Never met the gentleman. His death was a tragedy. I just don't like the idea of the state telling me I should set aside class time to talk about him. Who will be next?
I don't get it - isn't he an important figure from history? Isn't that the sort of thing that kids learn about?
ReplyDeleteWho will be next? What do you even mean by that? Probably some other influential person, no doubt.
I really don't see what your problem is with this.
Is Harvey Milk an important figure from history? Debatable. Why is it that the actual mayor of SF, George Moscone, has been lost to history? Why no movie about Moscone? Could it have to do with symbolism? What were Milk's achievements as supervisor, which was a post I think he held less than a year? Gay activists? SF is full of those. Let's really think about it Lance.
ReplyDeleteNext? Maybe they will suggest I have a class on Che Guevara. (perhaps a bad example as Che was a bad guy.) Maybe Cindy Sheehan or John Lennan.
Harvey Milk was an important figure in the gay civil rights movement. Therefore it makes just as much sense to teach about him as it does to teach about MLK when discussing the black civil rights movement. That is not to say that their accomplishments are equal. It is simply to say that in teaching about history it is completely appropriate and logical to discuss the important figures.
ReplyDeleteApparently you're just too dense/homophobic to understand this. Yes, homophobic. I am not going to mince words like Lance.
Funny, I don't see you complaining about kids being taught about MLK. He's just as political and biased of a figure.
I know though, you're afraid the kids are all going to "turn gay" after being taught about Harvey Milk, right?
Is Harvey Milk an important figure from history? Debatable.
ReplyDeleteFair enough.
Why is it that the actual mayor of SF, George Moscone, has been lost to history? Why no movie about Moscone?
I don't know - maybe that's something that needs to be addressed. It's not like every mayor gets a movie though.
Could it have to do with symbolism? What were Milk's achievements as supervisor, which was a post I think he held less than a year? Gay activists? SF is full of those. Let's really think about it Lance.
Of course it's symbolism - what's wrong with that? Symbolism is important in determining our national heroes. It's not so much his achievements as a supervisor as the fact that he even BECAME a supervisor. He broke down barriers, and he got a lot of people to see gays as being just that - people. Instead of just taking the abuse that was dished out to him, he decided to stand up for the rights of himself and others like him.
Sure, SF is full of gay activists nowadays, but that wasn't as true back then. Like I said, he broke down barriers and appealed to a lot of people who weren't gay. He had to run several times before he won.
Actually, the fact that he was a supervisor for such a short time, and the fact that he was shot due to a reason that appears to be unrelated to him being gay, is a great thing to explore for a lesson in how historical figures become legends and almost more myth than reality. You're on the right track when you say it's all about symbolism, but that's part of the human way of telling stories.
I don't know if I'll do a lesson, but if I did, it would involve teaching the facts of his life and how he's been turned into such an iconic figure by a particular group of people. I could fit this into my King Arthur unit - who is based on some historical events, but it has turned into a legend. Harvey Milk's story would be a good example of a more modern version of the same thing happening.
Lance,
ReplyDeleteI think you may have inadvertently hit the nail on the head.
More myth than reality.
My dear Bryan,
ReplyDeleteUsing the term "homophobic" will not win you the argument. I am immune to it. I don't care if you think I am homophobic because I would resent being instructed or advised to dedicate my class time to Harvey Milk. I've been living with gays my whole life and came to terms with it long, long ago.
I also think you are overblown in comparing Milk to MLK, who was a genuine martyr for civil rights. He was killed for his civil rights work. Milk was killed because Dan White thought he had screwed him out of his supervisors seat.
As for what kids are taught, I have no problem with teaching them to respect gays as human beings and not harrass them or harm them. Some of these programs have gone over the line however. If you want examples, you might do some research into Kevin Jennings-who by the way is in the DOE in the Obama administration.
You see Bryan, one can respect gays right to do what they please and be treated equal and all that. There is a limit though, such as gay marriage. Opposing that (here comes Lance) does not a homophobe make.
As usual Gary, you can't have an actual discussion about the points I've brought up:
ReplyDelete- I even EXPLICITLY stated that MLK and Milk's accomplishments were not necessarily equal.
- It doesn't matter WHY either of them were killed.
- They were important figures in their respective movements.
- In teaching history, it is logical and appropriate to teach about the important figures. Therefore teaching about Harvey Milk is both logical and appropriate.
- Should we stop teaching about MLK? He was an analogous figure in the black civil rights movement. YES OR NO. As I already stated, it doesn't matter how he or Milk were killed. That is completely irrelevant, until you can prove to me why it IS relevant.
But of course, you hem and haw, and try to divert the discussion to your usual talking points, in this case Jennings. Who the hell was even talking about Jennings? This is why I rarely comment any more. It's because rather than discuss, you deflect and divert.
"Separate but equal" is still bigotry. You are indeed a homophobe.
Bryan,
ReplyDeleteOf course we should teach about MLK. You can't discuss 20th century America without the civil rights movement and you can't discuss the civil rights movement without mlk.
But if I deign to opine that making Harvey Milk's birthday a "Day of special significance" in Calif in which I should devote time in my class (ESL) to Harvey Milk is ridiculous-which I think it is- becasue maybe I don't think Harvey Milk is such an important figure-I am a homophobe and I hate gays.
That is the result of 4 years of college. Is that what they taught you at UCI-nothing more than political correctness? How will you go through life ever finding faults with anyone who happens to be gay, black, Muslim, Hispanic, etc? I get called Islamophobic because I criticize the MSU. If I criticize someone like Jesse Jackson, I am racist. If I criticize Villaraigosa, I am anti-Hispanic. If I call for the borders to be enforced, I am anti-Hispanic. (don't tell my wife) You see, Bryan, it goes on and on and on until we are forced into a nice little politically-correct box from which we dare not move.
I suspect that is what your college education taught you.
As to whether you read my blog-whatever. You might find the Daily Kos more to your tastes.
PS Bryan,
ReplyDeleteI never said, "separate but equal". That was your invention.