Va. lawsuit denounces anti-racism curriculum as ‘pathological’ critical race theory
“A lawsuit filed by a Christian legal organization against a Virginia school district alleges it teaches critical race theory that discriminates against students because it 'classifies all individuals into a racial group and identifies them as either perpetually privileged oppressors or perpetually victimized.' The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is a Christian, conservative legal nonprofit based in Arizona that has won landmark Supreme Court cases allowing bakers to refuse to sell cakes celebrating same-sex weddings and companies to refuse to pay for employee contraceptive coverage because of religious beliefs of employers.” - Washington Post, 1/14/22
First Came the Stunt, Then the Suspension
“Ferris State University in Michigan has suspended a professor for a posting a provocative, often-profane video for students ahead of the new semester this week. Barry Mehler says in the video that he’s fearful of teaching in person during COVID-19 because he’s already 74 years old, and that he’s retiring at the end of the semester. So while it’s possible that being put on administrative leave isn’t the worst of outcomes for him, Mehler’s faculty union says the suspension is an attack on academic freedom generally.” - Inside Higher Ed, 1/14/22
Ohio State is about to score a financial aid touchdown
“The Buckeyes have grabbed the ball again. Ohio State has just announced it will use its endowment to eliminate student loans within the decade. If no-loan degrees are a national priority, then colleges have to step up. Those that have the money should use it to get rid of them on their campus starting now. Once praised as the 'great equalizers,' nearly all state flagship institutions have become unaffordable to low- and middle-income students. After a year of astronomical endowment gains almost all flagship universities do have the resources to eliminate loans at least for their undergraduates.” - The Hill, 1/14/22
How Deep Was Cardona’s Role in ‘Domestic Terror’ School-Board Letter?
“Internal emails, obtained by Parents Defending Education through a Freedom of Information Act request, show that the NSBA coordinated with the White House and the Department of Justice before sending President Biden its request. In an email dated October 5, NSBA secretary-treasurer Kristi Swett noted that NSBA interim CEO Chip Slaven 'told the officers he was writing a letter to provide information to the White House, from a request by Secretary Cardona.' In another memo, Viola Garcia, then NSBA president (soon to be appointed to a cushy federal job by Cardona), detailed the organization’s interactions with the administration leading up to the letter.” - National Review, 1/13/22
Chicago Teachers Strike Out
“Going forward, the best way to handle this sorry state of affairs is to take a cue from how Ronald Reagan handled striking air traffic controllers in 1981, when nearly 13,000 of 17,000 of them walked out after talks with the Federal Aviation Administration fell apart. Reagan branded the strike as illegal and threatened to fire any controller who failed to return to work within 48 hours. True to his word, Reagan fired more than 11,000 controllers who had ignored his order to return to work—problem solved—and air travel went on uninterrupted. Yes, we need to fire every one of the teachers who participates in a wildcat strike. They should be given 24 hours to show up . . . or else. Should that scenario become a reality, a great majority of teachers would suddenly discover that the situation isn’t really that bad after all, and sign in to teach the next day.” - American Greatness, 1/13/22
State Superintendent: “We are not teaching CRT in our social studies standards. Period. The end.”
“Yet, a key topic of discussion revolved around the Mississippi Department of Education’s proposed new social study standards. Notice of the proposed changes were given on December 16th and submitted to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office, but no hearing was planned prior to the adoption of the new standards. State Senator Brice Wiggins (R) said he thinks many people in the committee room were 'very, very' concerned about the fact that MDE issued the notice on the change with no hearing provided for which led to a number of questions and concerns from parents and lawmakers.” - Y'all Politics, 1/13/22
U.S. college enrollment dropped again in the fall of 2021, despite the arrival of vaccines.
“The enrollment crisis at U.S. institutions of higher learning continued a second year into the pandemic, even as coronavirus vaccines became widely available for students last fall, according to the latest numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Total undergraduate enrollment dropped 3.1 percent from the fall of 2020 to the fall of 2021, bringing the total decline since the fall of 2019 to 6.6 percent — or 1,205,600 students.” - New York Times, 1/13/22
Navient reaches $1.85 billion settlement over student loan practices
“Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan companies, has entered into a $1.85 billion settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general to resolve allegations that it steered borrowers into costly repayment plans and predatory loans. The agreement Thursday puts to rest multiple state probes into the company’s loan servicing and lending practices dating back to when it was known as Sallie Mae. The agreement spans 39 states and the District and will deliver $1.7 billion in private student loan cancellation to 66,000 borrowers nationwide, and another $95 million in payouts.” - Washington Post, 1/13/22
We’re Looking at Merit the Wrong Way
“In November, the Regents of the University of California announced the system would 'continue to practice test-free admissions now and into the future.' A month later, Harvard let it be known that its test-optional policy would extend through 2026. For some, the elimination of test requirements is an assault on the very principles that should govern college admissions. 'Death to Merit!' screamed the headline of a 2019 Forbes opinion piece suggesting that the move away from admissions tests is, in fact, a 'growing disenchantment with standards of merit.'” - Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/13/22
New York City high school students stage walkout, citing inadequate covid measures
“Students walked out of schools across New York City around lunchtime on Tuesday to protest what many called inadequate protections against the coronavirus — and to demand an option for remote learning until they improve. It’s the latest flash point in an ongoing debate over in-person versus remote learning that has seen new life with the unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant.” - Washington Post, 1/12/22
It would be hard to convince me that this isn’t a joke😂
Let’s call it for what it is, Microagression Manipulation. It’s a form of gaslighting that exerts control over individual thought and individual value that one group tries to remove from another, not for the sake of progress, but for the sake of power and control. Microagression Manipulators are dangerous sociopathic individuals who rank no higher than a common bully, yet have a unique ability to lead by coersion. They tend to live in their world of false virtue, false truths, false historical contexts, while convincing the masses that they somehow are the moral compass for the greater good. The depths of their own individual deceit is profound. The university leadership that perpetuate this behavior, glorify it even, are significantly weak and destructive ambassadors for education. They don’t know it yet, mainly ignorant of their own intellectual demise, but they are destroying the once great pillars of education and free thought, rather than building upon it.
I doubt it was really a professor writing this, the grammatical structure is too remedial. You can tell it’s satire because it uses leftist jargon, but not framing. For example, I would not focus on one person being “clearly triggered”, but ask how many more would be or have been? I would say the speaker is emblematic of how our society creates such poor moral character (“white privilege”) and claim the moral high ground (conveniently for me, on the political left). Moral equivalencies are also in fashion – they would posit that such microaggressions are mere symptoms of something more dire.
I could have trolled him better, IMHO.
The key issue here is to identify the forces behind it.
– Who put so many of these ideologues into positions of power in academia, media, and government?
– How did they do it?
– Why did they do it?
– What do they hope to accomplish?
Looking at the general form, with a little thought, one can discern who is behind it, and the answers will shock you.
Real satire now requires very little imagination. A superlative recording device will deliver in short order endless material, diverse in variety, eerily genuine in quality, and superbly realistic in presentation. What’s not to like about it?
It’s hard to tell sincerity from satire these days.