Irresponsible And Loving It

The self-appointed all-knowing cultural authorities have found yet another avenue in which to thaw the frosty indifference that “we the people” harbor and exhibit towards, in their words, ‘people of color’. It is they, the gurus of good deeds, who have assigned themselves the task of inculcating the unenlightened to the error of our ways. The latest venues which have become the point of focus to disseminate information are the public schools. It is through the age old art of storytelling that their truth will finally come to light.

Without regard to the facts surrounding the case of Michael Brown and how he came to be shot by Officer Darren Wilson, protestors and advocates for racial and social justice are insisting that courses about the Ferguson incident be taught in the classroom as if it was as important as the signing of the Constitution of the United States. The District of Columbia Public Schools have issued an outline for teachers to use in instructing students. The outline document can be viewed at www.dcps.dc.gov titled Preparing to Discuss Michael Brown in the Classroom, and the sources consulted for the document at www.edchange.org/multicultural  also www.TeachableMoment.org , a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility.

Among the ten guidelines for teaching the course is for the teacher to create a safe, respectful and supportive tone in the classroom, find out what students already know or have experienced about the topic, explore students’ opinion and promote dialogue be responsive to the student’s feelings and values and then do something. Suggestions include carrying out a social activity, organize a large demonstration or participate in speaking out on the topic.

Based on the rationale prompting the demonstrations surrounding the Ferguson and New York protests, the DC and other school districts were prompted and/or pressured to take this proactive stance to ease racial tensions and promote understanding of police interactions within minority communities. The problem is not derived from the lack of desire for racial harmony or better communications between citizens and law enforcement, rather the basis of a protest and subsequent actions by a small segment of the population to disrupt normal law and order while addressing a grievance with a false foundation. The facts surrounding Mr. Brown’s death clearly show the incident happened without racial animosity or malfeasance by Officer Wilson. Therefore any “teaching” of the Michael Brown incident in Ferguson is also based on a false premise and should not be considered, let alone implemented in any classroom as part of a social response to a legal matter. Based on the inherent divisive nature of this case and the obvious social engineering attempt to rewrite the events of that fateful day in Ferguson this class and all others of like content should be removed from the K-12 classroom. The more appropriate setting would be in a college law class or advanced political/social studies courses.

Should this and similar classes permeate our schools or dominate the daily social commentary, generations of impressionable children will grow to believe that living in America means your life has no more value than the mood of the first law enforcement officer you encounter on any particular day. Imprudent behavior and a live and let live attitude will become the normal way of life. The unfortunate re-educated youth will not aspire to enhance their life or the life of others as they surmise, “no life matters”. In short order the notion of being accountable for one’s actions will become an alien concept. We will languish in a nation of hopelessness as the citizens are taught their country of residence is not one of promise, but one to be feared. What fun that would be.