By Mary Grabar, Posted December 28, 2012: Dissident Prof has nothing to say directly about the gunning down of 20 children and 6 adults in a school in Newtown, Connecticut. Philosophers and theologians have debated the question of evil since time immemorial, but as they have been replaced by ideologues in the academy, our national conversation has degenerated apace. Politicians and news anchors exploited the tragedy for their own benefit. Cable news programs covered it for 24 hours days on end.
In this climate of anti-intellectualism emanating from the very places where one once expected intellectual and moral guidance, real discussion--especially about the Second Amendment--becomes impossible. No wonder such an ill-educated electorate is accustomed to an increasing role for the federal government--one that assumes the role of parent.
Carol Iannone at Phi Beta Cons was inspired to express thoughts about our "feminized society." Boys today are "improperly governed."
Indeed, and I would add that those of a particular race are routinely demonized as having a certain "privilege" by birthright. We are losing boys in school and in the workplace. Yet, educrats try to make them adhere to a feminized curriculum, sensitivity training sessions, anti-bullying harangues, and forced cooperative activities.
One of those demonizing white males is a guest writer in Maureen Downey's blog, "Get Schooled." UGA reading education professor Bob Fecho, writes, astonishingly,
As one white male to another, we need to look in the mirror, we have to begin seeing the realities around us. Whether we are carrying semiautomatic weapons, access keys for electronic voting machines, or legislative briefs in the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building, we provide the American people with far more to fear than any minority in this country.
Professor Fecho claims that the majority of mass shootings like the one in Newtown are committed by white males. He thinks that white males are more dangerous than any other group and to stop them we need stricter gun control laws. Facts however do not get in the way of the reasoning of this "reading education professor." These would be facts like those from the FBI about the relative number of crimes committed by blacks and whites. These facts show that by far the black crime rate per population is much higher than the white crime rate. Most victims of black crime are black, but the rate at which interracial violence is committed is 25 times higher for blacks than for whites.
Indeed, one could make the argument that there is discrimination when the media focuses on white victims and white perpetrators and ignores black victims (many of them children) and black perpetrators.
If there is an epidemic of violence it is in the black community, and it most often involves illegal guns. Why not address the social issues that have plagued our cities since the Great Society, Professor Fecho? Why muddy the waters with nonsense about the "violence" of voting machines and "legislative briefs"?
This guest editorial came the day after Ms. Dowd posted "Derail the School-to-Prison Pipeline in Georgia" by Rob Rhodes of the Johnny Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (sounds so wholesome, doesn't it?) But this group is associated with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU. The "school-to-prison pipeline" is an interesting moniker: It makes it seem that schools are training grounds for prison. It's not because of the radicalism of the curriculum or the lack of discipline either in the subject matters taught or the behavior expected, but because of punishment for bad behavior. Black males are three times as likely to receive punishment and through an inverse logic that means that punishment for small crimes (verbal or physical assault in school) leads to big crimes that leads to prison.
What is Mr. Rhodes's proposed solution? In addition to in-school suspensions,
sound, evidence-based practices that can maintain collective safety and order while nurturing individual students. Such practices may include the implementation of school-wide climate enhancement efforts using the framework of positive behavioral intervention and support.
Let me guess (since there are no specific examples of "climate enhancement efforts"). This might involve an army of free-lance consultants who specialize in "social and emotional intelligence" and collective blame.
Mr. Rhodes points to "growing evidence that with focused leadership and adequate resources, effective alternatives to exclusionary discipline can be implemented."
Of course, we need "adequate resources"! Dissident Prof will take bets though that Ms. Downey does not send her children to the schools that the Johnny Appleseed Center services.
Dissident Prof heard comments over the radio this week that reminded her of Carol Iannone's post. A middle-aged male caller to a radio talk show reminisced about buying and selling guns in the high school parking lot as his principal came by and commented on the good purchase he had made. It seems that at one time the "zero tolerance" resided within; it was part of character.
On government radio (NPR), on a "youth radio program," though, a teenage commentator, Davina La'Shay, from Oakland bemoaned the proliferation of guns in her neighborhood. She noted that many of the young males, with criminal records, would get sisters and girlfriends to purchase guns for them, then rub out the serial numbers. Quite illogically (and she must be excused in part for her immaturity and exploitation by public radio), she gave a typical NPR commentary that went round and round, examining feelings and random thoughts. But the intent was to imply that stricter gun laws would stem the proliferation of guns in her neighborhood. As if the lawless will suddenly respect laws.
This year, 466 children were shot in Chicago, a city with some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. Some high school teachers have armed guards stationed outside the classroom door. Yet, the rhetoric will be "we must change," as our president told us on the day of the Newtown shooting. Yes, WE, you, me, all of us. Perhaps it's because of our violent electronic voting machines and legislative briefs.
Tina Trent diagnoses the madness as "therapeutization of justice." Consider the Department of Education's Second Annual Bullying Prevention Summit in late 2011. At this "Summit," the Department of Justice was included, along with a number of teachers, union representatives, free-lance helpers, CDC officials, relatives of victims, and creative types. The department estimates that 70% of us are bullies! No wonder "We must change," according to the healer-in-chief. We must become peaceful, tolerant, and global. We must lay down our guns and let the government protect us.
So also implied the curriculum nonprofit, Rethinking Schools; they sent out a missive with a helpful sheet from the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association. The teachers union recommends "Helping Students Navigate a Violent World" by Teaching Tolerance, "Talking with Children About War and Violence in the World" by Educators for Social Responsibility, and, of course, PBS.
Interestingly, while the Department of Education has been promoting prevention programs against name-calling and "social rejection," they have been cutting back on real school safety programs. Ken Trump writes about the cutbacks in real safety measures during this administration. Federal grant programs "deemphasized school security, school police, school emergency preparedness, and school violence." School safety was redefined, thanks to former "safe schools czar" Kevin Jennings.
All kinds of consultants for "emotional and social intelligence" have been getting on the federal gravy train, as I noted in my report on a "conflict resolution" conference back in 2010, where I heard Jennings give the keynote address. The only fear we have to fear is having a bad thought or having a best friend. As Tina notes, the Dept of Ed is ready with grief counselors, and Dissident Prof's inbox has been filled with missives and statements from Dept of Ed officials.
Other developments at the burgeoning Department of Education:
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been named to Obama's guns task force.
The Department of Education has been hosting ex-offenders to get their stories on how school suspension led them to a life of crime.
The Department's Office for Civil Rights in its report announces its efforts to "support the equal rights of students to a safe school environment."
Presuming to be the protector of all American children, the Secretary of Education used his office last week to weigh in on the Second Amendment. Who would have thought that a bureaucrat would presume to override the Constitution?
So you see, most of us are bullies. We cannot be trusted with guns. We cannot even broach the topic. If we try to as Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, tried to do on CNN, we will be shouted down and called idiots. Yes, that was how CNN host Piers Morgan treated his guest, Larry Pratt. The British boor shouted out that Pratt's claim is "complete and utter nonsense" and "idiotic." Morgan called Pratt an "unbelievably stupid man." Now we have petitions to deport him (and petitions from the Brits to keep him out!).
Parents were advised by the psychologists offering advice on television to keep their children away from the television to minimize exposure to the traumatic events of the week. Dissident Prof thinks that was the best idea expressed by these experts. Also, because of all the biased news coverage, children might get the wrong ideas about who the most dangerous people in America are. They also might get the idea that bullying is okay only when done by CNN talk show hosts.
