Florida bans AP African-American Studies course from schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am white and would have taken this AP class as a high school senior if I had the chance.

Wait. Wait.

You mean people with white skin cannot do stuuuuuuupid things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happened to the idea of local control over education? Why does this need to be mandated at the state level?

I'm skeptical of the educational value here (especially at a high school level), but shouldn't individual school districts be able to make that decision on their own, without state involvement?

I agree with your main point, but still the state has the responsibility to ensure some minimum quality standards.

You wouldn't want to see some district drop all math courses in all grades because math is racist or whatever, would you?

If the course lacked rigor that would be one thing, although it's doubtful to me that an AP course is going to be so lacking in rigor that it should be banned.

The worrying thing for me about this the class is framed as "contrary to Florida law." This seems most likely to be referring to the Stop WOKE Act. That act banned teaching a number of things, but looking at what's been posted of the curriculum I'd guess the big issue is the clauses prohibiting teaching that a "person by virtue of his or her race, color, national origin, or sex is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously" and that "members of one race, color, national origin, or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race, color, national origin, or sex."

Without weighing in on how I feel about those statements, I have no issue with anyone agreeing with DeSantis that those statements are untrue. What bothers me that the state is interpreting the law in a way that makes it illegal to learn that some people DO think those statements are true. Reading something written by someone who thinks all white people are inherently oppressive is not at all equivalent to teaching that that belief is true. By the time a kid is taking an college level social studies course, they should be exposed to a wide variety of beliefs including ones that the government of Florida might disagree with. If the Florida government is interpreting the Stop WOKE Act in a way that bans teaching ABOUT ideas the government finds objectionable, I think that's a real problem.

It is good to be skeptic, and better to review the actual evidence.

In this case, there are many red flags about the course. But don't trust what I say, just look up the course details yourself and see what you think.

If you'll read my comment more carefully you'll notice that I have done just that. It's how I was able to identify what I suspected were the "issues" with the course. Nothing in the sections highlighted as a problem by people in this thread ("Postracial Racism and Colorblindness" and "Black Queer Studies") suggest a lack of rigor. The fact that many people find an idea disagreeable with an idea doesn't mean you can't study it with rigor. After all, I think a normal APUSH class calls on students to read and understand arguments for slavery (mine certainly did). Students can study the arguments for slavery seriously, even if we all agree that those arguments are wrong. It's the same with "Black Queer Studies," you're free to think that school of thought is silly, but I don't see how you can argue that studying it is so unserious as to be illegal for a high school teacher.

"Postracial Racism and Colorblindness" and "Black Queer Studies" don't suggest, they PROVE, that this AA course lacks academic rigor and it's pure political propaganda.

You unironically are a textbook example of postracial racism and colorblindness. The kind of person who “doesn’t see color” and believes Obama’s election proves that racism is over forever in America, all while supporting racist efforts to ban courses or discussions about Black history and discrimination.

Yeah it's Friday. But perhaps you can wait to get drunk till 9 or 10pm if it's not too much to ask?

[Anonymous]

Sometimes I think we are living in Bizzaro World.

Desantis keeps referring to “the woke mob.”

Mob?? Are Democrats storming the Capital and plotting to kidnap governors?

I honestly don’t know how an educated person could possibly want that party at the helm of our country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes I think we are living in Bizzaro World.

Desantis keeps referring to “the woke mob.”

Mob?? Are Democrats storming the Capital and plotting to kidnap governors?

I honestly don’t know how an educated person could possibly want that party at the helm of our country.

They don't and republicans are increasingly pandering to less educated voters because they decide republican primaries

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/08/us/politics/how-college-graduates-vote.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes I think we are living in Bizzaro World.

Desantis keeps referring to “the woke mob.”

Mob?? Are Democrats storming the Capital and plotting to kidnap governors?

I honestly don’t know how an educated person could possibly want that party at the helm of our country.

Is there no middle ground between storming the capitol and black queer post racial racism? Why do we have to choose one? Can't we have something more moderate?

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes I think we are living in Bizzaro World.

Desantis keeps referring to “the woke mob.”

Mob?? Are Democrats storming the Capital and plotting to kidnap governors?

I honestly don’t know how an educated person could possibly want that party at the helm of our country.

The "Capital" -- what is that, dumb PP?

And, yes, Dems proved to be the ultimate violent mob while burning dozens of cities in 2020. Where you born then, PP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there an AP African-American Studies course?

Because it is not routinely taught in the current white washed version kids learn about in schools. But, come on, you already know that.

DP

Then shouldn’t we demand a rigorous and factually accurate history curriculum for everyone?

I went to private school K-12 and received an excellent education. My kids are in mcps and I am told they are receiving a high quality education, but I’m not convinced.

US and World History are precisely the topics that could be standardized through a high quality curriculum. States could develop their own special curriculum covering their state.

Why is this so hard?

We should be able to print textbooks for US and World History that accurately cover the facts—including relevant black, Latino, Asian, etc.

Having said that, special AP courses that take a deeper dive on interesting topics are a good thing imho.

Conservatives don’t want the accurate facts. Because facts — such as, this land we live on was occupied by nations when the Europeans arrived, and those nations were pushed off their land, persecuted, killed, and made to sign treaties that the whites in power broke over and over again— destroy the long-standing image of the United States as a divinely blessed entity whose existence had to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes I think we are living in Bizzaro World.

Desantis keeps referring to “the woke mob.”

Mob?? Are Democrats storming the Capital and plotting to kidnap governors?

I honestly don’t know how an educated person could possibly want that party at the helm of our country.

Is there no middle ground between storming the capitol and black queer post racial racism? Why do we have to choose one? Can't we have something more moderate?

There is a middle ground.

It's called Florida.

That's why PP and the woke mob want to demonize DeSantis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there an AP African-American Studies course?

Because it is not routinely taught in the current white washed version kids learn about in schools. But, come on, you already know that.

DP

Then shouldn’t we demand a rigorous and factually accurate history curriculum for everyone?

I went to private school K-12 and received an excellent education. My kids are in mcps and I am told they are receiving a high quality education, but I’m not convinced.

US and World History are precisely the topics that could be standardized through a high quality curriculum. States could develop their own special curriculum covering their state.

Why is this so hard?

We should be able to print textbooks for US and World History that accurately cover the facts—including relevant black, Latino, Asian, etc.

Having said that, special AP courses that take a deeper dive on interesting topics are a good thing imho.

Conservatives don’t want the accurate facts. Because facts — such as, this land we live on was occupied by nations when the Europeans arrived, and those nations were pushed off their land, persecuted, killed, and made to sign treaties that the whites in power broke over and over again— destroy the long-standing image of the United States as a divinely blessed entity whose existence had to be.

We're careful about the facts that we teach. Remember learning about the time when the Haitian American Sugar Company successfully lobbied the US government to have the Marines invade a country, over throw the government and reinstitute slavery? I certainly was never taught about it.

[Anonymous]

Do you people even know what intersectionality is?

It is a sophisticated concept, that helps people analyze issues.

Black men do not have the same lives as black women. Gay blacks do not have the same lives as straight blacks.

Studying people as if they belong to one group/have one identity is too simplistic. Why would you not want young adults to understand that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you people even know what intersectionality is?

It is a sophisticated concept, that helps people analyze issues.

Black men do not have the same lives as black women. Gay blacks do not have the same lives as straight blacks.

Studying people as if they belong to one group/have one identity is too simplistic. Why would you not want young adults to understand that?

Do you people even know what intersectionality is?

YES, IT'S BS


It is a sophisticated concept, that helps people analyze issues.

NOPE, MORE LIKE THE OPPOSITE. TO ANALYZE ISSUES YOU NEED TO BREAK THINGS DOWN, NOT THE OPPOSITE. IT I SAY, ALL PROBLEMS ON EARTH ARE CREATED BY MARTIANS IN CAHOOTS WITH JEWS, IS THAT A "SOPHISTICATED CONCEPT" OR JUST CRAZY TALK?

Black men do not have the same lives as black women. Gay blacks do not have the same lives as straight blacks.


VERY TRUE. NOW, WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION THE REAL STRUGGLES OF GAY BLACK REPUBLICANS? HMMMMMM

Studying people as if they belong to one group/have one identity is too simplistic. Why would you not want young adults to understand that?


WHICH IS WHY WE NEED TO STUDY INDIVIDUALS AS INDIVIDUALS. WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT YOUNG ADULTS TO UNDERSTAND THAT????

[Anonymous]

I guess some of these posters have no familiarity with the social sciences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes I think we are living in Bizzaro World.

Desantis keeps referring to “the woke mob.”

Mob?? Are Democrats storming the Capital and plotting to kidnap governors?

I honestly don’t know how an educated person could possibly want that party at the helm of our country.

Is there no middle ground between storming the capitol and black queer post racial racism? Why do we have to choose one? Can't we have something more moderate?

There is a middle ground.

It's called Florida.

That's why PP and the woke mob want to demonize DeSantis.

Wow, if you think Florida is moderate...I am not sure what to say.

No one needs to demonize DeSantis. He words and actions do the job by themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes I think we are living in Bizzaro World.

Desantis keeps referring to “the woke mob.”

Mob?? Are Democrats storming the Capital and plotting to kidnap governors?

I honestly don’t know how an educated person could possibly want that party at the helm of our country.

Is there no middle ground between storming the capitol and black queer post racial racism? Why do we have to choose one? Can't we have something more moderate?

There is a middle ground.

It's called Florida.

That's why PP and the woke mob want to demonize DeSantis.

Wow, if you think Florida is moderate...I am not sure what to say.

No one needs to demonize DeSantis. He words and actions do the job by themselves.

FL has been the ultimate moderate, swing state for decades. It's a well-known fact.

Are you high or drunk by any chance?