Another stunning step in Arizona's crackdown on immigration and ethnic tensions. Lawmakers recently made it illegal for public schools to teach classes that promote resentment of an ethnic group. This law aims to end classes designed for a particular ethnic group and classes that advocate for overthrow of the US government or resentment of a race. The bill was proposed primarily to end a Mexican-American studies class that teaches Mexican students they are an oppressed minority.
This decision comes on the heels of Arizona's recent immigration law. In that legislation police are instructed to question the citizenship of people who are likely to be illegal immigrants. Realistically, who's most likely to be an illegal immigrant in Arizona? That law has drawn widespread, international criticism. It's led to a boycott of contracts with Arizona-based companies and a potential supreme court challenge. Arizona has reacted to its problems in a way many other people simply don't agree with.
I happen to be one of those people. I understand the sentiment behind this new bill. Nobody wants a violent, ethnicity-based revolution in this country. But in reality what damage could this class do? We're supposed to produce critically-thinking, well-rounded students. The Arizaona bill aims to end ethnic tension and limit insurrection in this country, but what's the real threat in that? It comes not from ethnic hostilities but economic, religious, and social fractures.
Where does this restriction end? Are women not an oppressed class historically? What about teachers who want to explore the Communist Manifesto? It advocates violent revolution, but defined the world for half a century. I'm troubled by Arizona's increasing willingness to trample precedents of tolerance and liberalization in the name of state security and legal immigration. The spirit of Arizona's actions can be dfended, but not their manifestation or the rationale used to permit it.
5 comments:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/12/arizona.ethnic.studies/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/19/arizona.immigration.bill/index.html
high school history is never really great because most teachers don't really ask their students to think critically about historical events have effected the world. It is not suprising that AZ would do this because probably the believe all issues of discrimantion are not in existence. Fox news says something about this of course
the point is discrimanation still happens and it happens frequently. Some think that this new ban is a campaign tactic because superintendent of public instruction Tom Horne, is a candidate for attorney general and many from arizona look postively on the new legislation in regards to illegal immigration. cnn.com says "The focus of this ban is the Mexican-American studies program offered by the Tucson school district." and
according to Nicole Santa Cruz of the LA times "HB 2281 bans schools from teaching classes that are designed for students of a particular ethnic group, promote resentment or advocate ethnic solidarity over treating pupils as individuals. The bill also bans classes that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government."
this country was founded by immigrants who faced discrimanation in their home countries and than often times within this country as well.
heritage is important to many americans
we are all american but i'm proud to say i'm swedish as well. most americans associate themselves with the US and the country their family orginated from.
negating their struggle and for that matter the fact our founding fathers revolted against government is doing a diservice to so many. it is changing history to conform to a political agenda.
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I think this law is crap. They are oppressed, its a reality. Whites historically have ignored oppression and in many cases, promoted it. It is sad that we are in the year 2010 and still playing games like this. Quite frankly, its embarrassing and sets us back a decade on civil rights and equality.
I agree that it is bad to put restrictions on anything in the United States. My question is that if they are an oppressed race, why have classes teaching them that? Why not classes teaching cultural and racial acceptance. Classes teaching "resentment of a race" or teaching that your race is oppressed just spreads the hatred and ignorance. Why aren't there simply racial acceptance courses being taught throughout the country? In reality, no there shouldn't be any restrictions but why advocate resentment of a race? That just sounds ignorant to me.
Also on the subject of the immigration law, why does it matter? What's so bad of someone asking for your identification card? That's what police officers do when you're being pulled over. If a skinny white dude with short brown hair committed a crime and I got pulled over for fitting the description, I would legitimately be happy that the officers were doing their jobs. I am in contact with a family friend in Arizona, and he is legitimately afraid for his family and their lives. He loves the state and doesn't want to move, but immigrants are literally crossing the border, stealing from other farms in his town and even killing. These immigrants then just cross back to the safety of their country. It sounds ignorant of many of us to say that illegal immigration is not a big deal when we live in New Hampshire, hundreds of miles from the border. There are legitimate ways to become a citizen of this great country.
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