Overlooked in the furor over Arizona's new law enforcing illegal immigration is a law passed this week that will ban the teaching of ethnic studies in Arizona schools. While it's easy to jump all over this, it makes perfect sense. Ethnic studies in the US have become nothing more than an exercise in ethnic chauvinism, division and victim hood.
I have no objection to a course being taught relative to an ethnic group, but it has gone way too far. In universities in particular, ethnic studies departments have become huge white elephants and sacred cows as well. Students who graduate with degrees in these programs are qualified to do nothing more that teach it to the next generation.
It should also be pointed out that, while nice-sounding in theory, in practice, these courses only promote division between ethnic groups. In many cases, the history presented has been dubious, unproven or downright false. A case in point are classes in Islam being taught in middle schools and high schools, in which kids have to spend weeks hearing what is basically sanitized Islamic propaganda put out and pushed into schools by pressure groups, such as the Council on Islamic Education.
Arizona's latest move will undoubtedly meet with fierce opposition, but it is a step in the right direction.
Now we have to pass it everywhere.
ReplyDeleteAh, something we can agree on. As a former co-worker of mine, who grew up in a housing project in Memphis Tennessee, used to say about "Black Studies" programs, "Yeah, like I need a college degree to know how to be black."
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