Texas State Board of Education voting Demonstrates Our National Pastime of Denial - Rome Is Officially Burning
There are more links at the bottom should you need one.
The United States of America has routinely and stubbornly refused to recognize the contributions of minorities throughout this county's existence and before. African American History is one great example of this. African American History isn't just our history, it is the history of this country and everyone in it. Meanwhile just calling it African American History allows some to feel better about their parents. This supposedly "exceptional" America lacks the fortitude to look itself in the mirror and be honest. That's fine. Honesty requires character and strength. As much as I love my country, it lacks both in great abundance, but I digress.
Children's school books are not the place to insert ideology liberal or conservative because ideology often does not hold up to reality. The concept of "American Exceptionalism". What pray tell are we exceptional at. Perhaps its being exceptional liars while banking, a Wall Street innovation and the latest craze. Maybe as China's number one borrower, we are exceptional, which brings us to my next point. One of the school board's proposals is that Texas school children be taught that American Capitalism is superior! Right, while Communist China is loaning us money left and right, it some how makes sense to ignore the failings of American capitalism, because it is better than everything else if we say it is. Of course they were on a roll and saw no point stopping. They, went on to specify that American Capitalism works best when there is little government intervention. Wow really. So California insurers telling their clients they're raising premiums by 39% is some sort of benevolence or better yet, the government must be making them do it. Foreclosures and Wall Street cooking the books and somehow, if we just let these guys run things, well we'd all be better off. Even after Enron and WorldCom, apparently corporations love us and the government is evil.
What they are proposing to put in these books is nothing more than opinion. If we print it however its real. Honestly I find this unsettling if not full on eerie. Supposedly only the Russians and Chinese would seek to program little children's minds by telling them opinion with the conviction of certainty in the form school books. Ooopps that's were I learned all this stuff about the Russians and Chinese.
With all that's wrong with this country all we have time to worry about is what school aged children think of capitalism.
I suspect the school board is wasting its time as American Capitalism is in the process of schooling the whole world. Maybe its just me and the kids won't suspect that capitalism is the reason daddy isn't working or why the family is loosing their house. Ah, I see the genius of this. The school board already apologized for Capitalism by saying it works best with less government. So this is all the government's fault. With all this superiority and exceptionalism going around and a wholly American enterprise, odd that China's families fortunes are improving while American families are lookin at homliness, joblessness and despair.
After 400 years of not caring how we get what we want; only that we get it we have become a country in denial. One of the things that Tivo brings front and center in our sports are the exceptionally bad calls that lead to dubius wins and we all just line up and forget. Votes and ballots, same thing. American Capitalism is the best, this country is the best. These kinds of people are the best. Those others not so much.
Will this kind of narrow, petty and small minded dribble infect American dialogue forever. The inclination to blame this on Texas is easy for some or to say oh its the South. This kind of thinking is taking place even in Washington and all over the country.
The current president's biggest critics are the one's who created the mess. However they don't mind helping out, but only if they can be in the driver's seat. America is exceptional at being small and small minded. We have moments of greatness and are capable of a great deal, but in so many instances it gets mired with this kind of blind cheerleading for failed ideals and glorious moments past that weren't all that grand. So now we've come to the point that reality TV isn't distraction enough and instead, the children's school books of tomorrow will be great works of fiction.
Additional Links:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPQ3ktQNqImWyQ23yXKoCFXWrN1...
