Quote:
By JONATHAN J. COOPER, Associated Press Writer Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press Writer – Wed May 12, 6:23 am ET
PHOENIX – Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill targeting a school district's ethnic studies program, hours after a report by United Nations human rights experts condemned the measure.
State schools chief Tom Horne, who has pushed the bill for years, said he believes the Tucson school district's Mexican-American studies program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people.
Public schools should not be encouraging students to resent a particular race, he said.
"It's just like the old South, and it's long past time that we prohibited it," Horne said.
Brewer's signature on the bill Tuesday comes less than a month after she signed the nation's toughest crackdown on illegal immigration — a move that ignited international backlash amid charges the measure would encourage racial profiling of Hispanics. The governor has said profiling will not be tolerated.
The measure signed Tuesday prohibits classes that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group.
The Tucson Unified School District program offers specialized courses in African-American, Mexican-American and Native-American studies that focus on history and literature and include information about the influence of a particular ethnic group.
For example, in the Mexican-American Studies program, an American history course explores the role of Hispanics in the Vietnam War, and a literature course emphasizes Latino authors.
Horne, a Republican running for attorney general, said the program promotes "ethnic chauvinism" and racial resentment toward whites while segregating students by race. He's been trying to restrict it ever since he learned that Hispanic civil rights activist Dolores Huerta told students in 2006 that "Republicans hate Latinos."
District officials said the program doesn't promote resentment, and they believe it would comply with the new law.
The measure doesn't prohibit classes that teach about the history of a particular ethnic group, as long as the course is open to all students and doesn't promote ethnic solidarity or resentment.
About 1,500 students at six high schools are enrolled in the Tucson district's program. Elementary and middle school students also are exposed to the ethnic studies curriculum. The district is 56 percent Hispanic, with nearly 31,000 Latino students.
Sean Arce, director of the district's Mexican-American Studies program, said last month that students perform better in school if they see in the curriculum people who look like them.
"It's a highly engaging program that we have, and it's unfortunate that the state Legislature would go so far as to censor these classes," he said.
Six UN human rights experts released a statement earlier Tuesday saying all people have the right to learn about their own cultural and linguistic heritage, they said.
Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman didn't directly address the UN criticism, but said Brewer supports the bill's goal.
"The governor believes ... public school students should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people," Senseman said.
Arce could not immediately be reached after Brewer signed the bill late Tuesday.
From:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100512/ap_on_re_us/us_arizona_ethnic_studies
You know I understand that government wants to
only single out on Central American folks so politicians can gather votes come November. But this issue is something that mostly communism states practice. You go over to China and use their internet and you'll find sites that don't adhere to their philosophy therefore they're banned. Go Over to Cuba and you got the internet banned altogether. Hell, even in Miami's very own Cuban exiles banned a book on Cuba in public schools.
Here now they want to ban a class because
"he believes the Tucson school district's Mexican-American studies program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people.
Public schools should not be encouraging students to resent a particular race, he said". Reality check, by banning the classes it will only solidify what they are trying to avoid. I don't understand what is their logic, do they think by not offering the educational course that they will re-write history of what was done and people will forget?
I get a little touchy when one silences media, protests, voices, education, just because you don't agree with it or it may derail another agenda. I mean what's next?
THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT ONE.
Quote:
The Tucson Unified School District program offers specialized courses in African-American, Mexican-American and Native-American studies that focus on history and literature and include information about the influence of a particular ethnic group.
Yeah, why exactly did they only select the one program? Just because one "activist" said something in 2006? Maybe they should simply censor their guest speakers?
To the rest of the world, please note that our governer signing these into law wasn't actually voted into office...
fortune cookie say: better a delay than a disaster
Mr.Goodwrench-G.T. wrote:
I get a little touchy when one silences media, protests, voices, education, just because you don't agree with it or it may derail another agenda. I mean what's next?
No offense, and i'm not trying to fight with you. But this line did interest me, since you hate Fox News and all. But isn't this exactly what Mainstream media is doing? silencing, mocking and ignoring Tea Parties, and anti-government protests?
These are Americans angry that after 8 years of idiot Bush and nearly 2 years of inexperienced agenda filled Obama they've had enough. It's no secret that there are more stupid people than aware people in the world. There are more people that think Entertainment Tonight is just as much a News program as NBC's Nightly News. They were sheep lead to the polls to vote Obama for no other reason than well...McCain sucked and well the news and media pushed him on us, so obviously he would get in. We have a right to be mad, we were sold and image and promises that are all B.S..
4 years ago if they were protesting Bush ALL news outlets would be covering this live as an event 24/7. But since it's media darling Obama, they don't DARE give them air time or attention. You're not touchy that protesters & voices are being silenced or mocked by the news media? Why should this upset you? So if a class was being taught that black people are lazy niggers and it's bred into them because they feel owed something for being slaves, and a school stopped it, you still think that is silencing truth? They have no right?
That's an opinion and racism, and should not be taught to kids.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, May 12, 2010 11:28 AM
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
Jookycola wrote:Mr.Goodwrench-G.T. wrote:
I get a little touchy when one silences media, protests, voices, education, just because you don't agree with it or it may derail another agenda. I mean what's next?
No offense, and i'm not trying to fight with you. But this line did interest me, since you hate Fox News and all. But isn't this exactly what Mainstream media is doing? silencing, mocking and ignoring Tea Parties, and anti-government protests?
I don't
"hate" any news media, period. Also there is a tremendous difference in not following/agreeing with a source versus silencing. I don't do the latter and even if the constitution was altered and I have the power to shut them down, I still would not do it.
Also
"mocking and ignoring Tea Parties, and anti-government protests" is my constitutional right, just because they are there, does not mean I must follow like a lemming.
Quote:
You're not touchy that protesters & voices are being silenced or mocked by the news media? Why should this upset you?
Nope, it doesn't, because in your case
it is not government, it would be media that is doing so. Just like FOX and certain radio programs looked the other way and skipped on issues, now it looks like the pendulum will swing the other way. Like it or not, that's what you get with US media.
Quote:
So if a class was being taught that black people are lazy niggers and it's bred into them because they feel owed something for being slaves, and a school stopped it, you still think that is silencing truth? They have no right?
Now you're going on off a tangent. Personally, I don't know any school that
"teaches" that, but if you find one let me know. Also public schools has a state/county approved curriculum, teaching anything offensive is technically prohibited. Private schools, I'm not sure how their curriculum is picked. Either way just because history was not painted with rosy paint brush and it didn't portrayed certain groups as a savior, it really is not a legit enough reason to shut them up. History is history, and we have to learn our past so we don't repeat it in the future. Simple logic no?
Keeping people ignorant is a recipe for disaster, just take a look around you.
THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT ONE.
As someone who was trained to become an educator my thought is this.
Teach American culture and studies. Thats what american public schools should be doing. I did not feel left out because they don't talk about Italian contributions to America, they just taught American Studies. My family was who taught me about my ethnic past.
I agree with the general idea of ridding schools of things like xyz american studies and replacing it with talking about American culture etc, I do not agree with getting rid of one in favor of the other, but it isn't the job of the schools to build self esteem in a group of people based on their cultural contribution, it is to teach them the skills they need in the real world like math english and sciences.
I do think the class they are talking about would have helped with this cinco de mayo issue though, they would no there was no reason to celebrate something that most mexicans do not recognize anyways.
Besides who hasn't beat the french?
It's not that most Mexicans don't recognize it. Most Mexicans don't know what they are celebrating for in the first place. I'm from California which most Mexicans dub Mexifornia...and there is a good reason for that, latinos out number any other race in this state. I made it a point every Cinco De Mayo to hit up every mexican i saw or knew to ask if they plan to go out and party, then i'd ask them do you know what you're going out to drink and celebrate for tonight? 99% of them say.
..."yeah, it's to celebrate our independence from you white asses trying to take our land"....
..."the day we beat America and gained our independence"...
and so on.
That's when i'd laugh and say um, Mexican Independence Day, is on September 16th. And it wasn't "us" white asses from America. it was the Spanish colonial government that you overthrew. Cinco De Mayo is victory of the Mexican Army over the French Empire. Then i'd tell them they are sucky Mexicans for not knowing that. So most latinos don't even know the very basic parts of their culture.
"Formerly known as Jammit - JBO member since 1998" JBOM | CSS.net
from what i have read the issues isn't so much as banning the class but banning the way the class was being ran. from what i read and im going from my memory cause i read it a few days ago. the issues is that its a mexican only class. as in a white kid couldn't go sign up for this class. the law i thought read that any stupid should be eligable to enter any class. so they dont want speacial classes that only certain races can join in. would be no diffrent then saying. lets have a white class, no black kids allowed. or no mexicans allowed.
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Jookycola wrote:It's not that most Mexicans don't recognize it. Most Mexicans don't know what they are celebrating for in the first place. I'm from California which most Mexicans dub Mexifornia...and there is a good reason for that, latinos out number any other race in this state. I made it a point every Cinco De Mayo to hit up every mexican i saw or knew to ask if they plan to go out and party, then i'd ask them do you know what you're going out to drink and celebrate for tonight? 99% of them say.
..."yeah, it's to celebrate our independence from you white asses trying to take our land"....
..."the day we beat America and gained our independence"...
and so on.
That's when i'd laugh and say um, Mexican Independence Day, is on September 16th. And it wasn't "us" white asses from America. it was the Spanish colonial government that you overthrew. Cinco De Mayo is victory of the Mexican Army over the French Empire. Then i'd tell them they are sucky Mexicans for not knowing that. So most latinos don't even know the very basic parts of their culture.
That's sad that they don't know their own sh!t. Pathetic actually.
sndsgood wrote:from what i have read the issues isn't so much as banning the class but banning the way the class was being ran. from what i read and im going from my memory cause i read it a few days ago. the issues is that its a mexican only class. as in a white kid couldn't go sign up for this class. the law i thought read that any stupid should be eligable to enter any class. so they dont want speacial classes that only certain races can join in. would be no diffrent then saying. lets have a white class, no black kids allowed. or no mexicans allowed.
That's not exactly accurate. Anybody can join these so called "ethnic studies classes" from any race, culture, religion, gender. Besides if that was the case, I would bet that there would be some sort of civil rights infringement, especially when it is in a public school. I went to a high school where students were representing 107 countries or were at least descendants from and I remember there were Jewish classes, Brazilian classes and that they focused on what kind of influence their category did in history. Not to mention numerous clubs during lunch and after school.
The only reason this is up is because the Americans really do not have a squeaky clean history with the Mexicans and now certain politicians are worried because if schools teaches history and the factual aspects, it may show resentment towards the Americans; Combined that with Central American profiling and certain politicians are worried of any form of retaliation.
It is an age old tactic, keep the population ignorant or stupid/dumb and it is easier to manipulate and/or keep under control.
THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT ONE.
