A couple of links that "graced" my computer screen this morning.
The first is the "Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries"
http://www.humanevents.com/2005/05/31/ten-most-harmful-books-of-the-19th-and-20th-centuries/
I am not sure what they mean by "harmful" because by my understanding the most harmful book ever published was "The Bible" followed by "The Koran". But this is a conservative website so who knows what they are thinking. Let's look at a few of the books.
"The Communist Manifesto" and "Das Kapital"- I am not a fan of communism and I have not read these, so I can't comment.
"Mein Kampf" ok I can't disagree with them here.
" The Kinsey Report" they are really quote mining this one. This book pushed the understanding og human sexuality out of the dark ages. Yes, it has it's problems, to list this one as "Harmful" says more about the people making the list.
"Democracy and Education" now this is just plain stupid. Dewey was brilliant and I have based most of my educational career on his ideas. Calling this a harmful book is pushing some agenda.
"The Feminine Mystique" again the only reason this is on the list is because these guys want some members of the population to go back to where they were and shut up. Their reasoning is full of Ad Hominem attacks as well.
"The Course of Positive Philosophy" and "Beyond Good and Evil" they disagreed with religion therefore they must be bad. What are these guys afraid of? I say guys, but there was one woman on the panel.
I really have no words for these people.
The other is "14 Wacky "Facts" Kids Will Learn in ouisiana's Voucher Schools"
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/07/photos-evangelical-curricula-louisiana-tax-dollars
Dinosaurs and men hanging out together? The nice KKK? This one has to be seen to believed.
There's a lot of scary stuff here. Hopefully the school curriculum being taught in the voucher schools is quarantined. If that kind of willful ignorance spilled out into the public school system at large, I would consider alternative educational options for my children. It's pure insanity.
ReplyDeleteThat is part of the issue here. These are the alternatives. Now admittedly these are few and far between. But not as few as I would like and certain far more than I willing to be comfortable with!
DeleteThese are the programs I've heard too many people vocally supporting. There are more than a few who want to make it so that everyone learns these things. That's one reason I'm so adamant against the teaching of intelligent design in science classrooms. If they manage to make that common place, how much further will they try to push it? People may think I'm paranoid, but the curriculum in these Louisiana schools shows some will go as far out there as they can.
ReplyDelete