This video is being labeled as CRT

[goldberry]

 

I don't even know what to say about this.  Posted on our local facebook.  This person said school is closed but he wanted to alert parents and will be talking to the school on Monday.

 

CRT Materials Taught at XXXXXX Elementary:

This morning before work, I asked my 2nd grader about what he learned about Thanksgiving at Columbine Elementary. He said his 2nd Grade Social Studies teacher, played a video from Brainpop Jr., and he learned that the "Pilgrims stole from the Native Americans." I watched the video he referenced here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL8vHuj5JSw and was appalled.

[MercyA]

Oh for pity's sake. People are so dumb (and heartless, too, actually).

Sorry, not feeling articulate today but that sums up my feelings about that. 

[WildflowerMom]

Ridiculous.  Btw, for a short, little cartoon, it was pretty good!

[goldberry]

11 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

Ridiculous.  Btw, for a short, little cartoon, it was pretty good!

I know right?  I thought it was pretty balanced and presented the basic info neutrally.

[Melissa Louise]

Well that's just dumb. 

[Corraleno]

CRT = anything that doesn't center white Christian men and portray them as heroes.  Let's all go back to the 1940s when white men were credited with everything good that ever happened in history and POC knew their place! (Except the part where we thought Nazis and fascists were bad guys — we'll skip over that, because I'm sure many were actually very fine people ....)

[Roadrunner]

I just watched it. It’s so well done for kids and in line with my kids were taught in school 10 years ago. We always loved brain pop here. 
What on earth does that have to do with CTR? 

[historically accurate]

I just finished it - that's a pretty good overview for that age group. Nothing too out of whack.

[MercyA]

Very well done video. Thankful that these resources are being used with kids! 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

CRT = anything that doesn't center white Christian men and portray them as heroes.  Let's all go back to the 1940s when white men were credited with everything good that ever happened in history and POC knew their place! (Except the part where we thought Nazis and fascists were bad guys — we'll skip over that, because I'm sure many were actually very fine people ....)

Reminds me of some people's horror at the idea that some Roman settlers in Britain were not white.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/06/mary-beard-twitter-abuse-roman-britain-ethnic-diversity

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/classics/warwickclassicsnetwork/romancoventry/resources/diversity/evidence/

[goldberry]

The video did not say "pilgrims were bad people!" or "we should hate the pilgrims!" or white people, or any other person.  It simply said "this happened" without any subjective commentary about it.  IT HAPPENED.  Is there another word for when a person takes something that does not belong to them that is less offensive than stealing?  Is that what people want?  Is there another word for slave and slavery that is less offensive than slave or slavery?

Someone asked the person, "what would you WANT your kid to learn about Thanksgiving?" And he responded "that it's about being thankful and getting together with family."  Until they got older and could understand different "interpretations".   But somehow I don't think he meant "no pilgrims or history of Thanksgiving".  I think he meant go back to the old story which was blatantly untruthful.  And oddly enough, the video did highlight the thankful and family parts.  What do people even want?

[Junie]

I watched the video and I don't think that it was well done at all.  I agree that the way Thanksgiving is often taught is not the full story, but I don't think that this video is helpful.

Yes, the pilgrims stole.  Food.  Because they were starving.  It's not the same thing as stealing because they were greedy.  I think that could have been explained better.  

The Pilgrims feasted because they were celebrating being alive.  So many of them died the first winter and they were grateful to be in a better position.  That, to me, is the reason for Thanksgiving.  Being grateful to God for what we have and that we are still here.

Yes, there is much, much more to the story of the relationship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag.  But, to me, that story is not really part of the story of Thanksgiving.  I believe that history absolutely should be taught, but not as part of the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

[AmandaVT]

7 minutes ago, Junie said:

I watched the video and I don't think that it was well done at all.  I agree that the way Thanksgiving is often taught is not the full story, but I don't think that this video is helpful.

Yes, the pilgrims stole.  Food.  Because they were starving.  It's not the same thing as stealing because they were greedy.  I think that could have been explained better.  

The Pilgrims feasted because they were celebrating being alive.  So many of them died the first winter and they were grateful to be in a better position.  That, to me, is the reason for Thanksgiving.  Being grateful to God for what we have and that we are still here.

Yes, there is much, much more to the story of the relationship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag.  But, to me, that story is not really part of the story of Thanksgiving.  I believe that history absolutely should be taught, but not as part of the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

"History" is already being taught as part of the Thanksgiving holiday - which leads to crap like this: 

 

[Junie]

I definitely agree that there are problems with this (the above photo -- I don't want to quote it).  And I think that problems like this should be addressed so that people know that it is wrong just like blackface and segregation are.

I think, though, that by trying to overhaul the whole holiday at once that there will be more backlash -- that people will fight harder against change.  Because Americans are very much for change and against change at the same time.  I think that slow change would have better results. 

[Sneezyone]

46 minutes ago, Junie said:

I definitely agree that there are problems with this (the above photo -- I don't want to quote it).  And I think that problems like this should be addressed so that people know that it is wrong just like blackface and segregation are.

I think, though, that by trying to overhaul the whole holiday at once that there will be more backlash -- that people will fight harder against change.  Because Americans are very much for change and against change at the same time.  I think that slow change would have better results. 

Justice delayed is justice denied.

[Moonhawk]

1 hour ago, Junie said:

I definitely agree that there are problems with this (the above photo -- I don't want to quote it).  And I think that problems like this should be addressed so that people know that it is wrong just like blackface and segregation are.

I think, though, that by trying to overhaul the whole holiday at once that there will be more backlash -- that people will fight harder against change.  Because Americans are very much for change and against change at the same time.  I think that slow change would have better results. 

I'm not really sure how much slower the change could be, if this video is too fast.

I could see cutting out maybe the part between what happened after Thanksgiving to the Wampanoag up to the the Lincoln part and still be truthful and on topic, but frankly if it's deemed too upsetting to teach what happened to the Wampanoag after Thanksgiving, what right do we have to take their name and history and use it as propaganda for Thanksgiving (and the Pilgrims, and the USA in general) at all? Cut them out completely if you want to cut out how they were treated, that seems more fair than making them the fun sidekicks in A Pilgrim Story.

Seeing the narcissist threads recently about how narcissists "speak their reality into existence" ... it's just an uncomfortable idea that I don't like connecting to how we're approaching teaching this "too soon".

The can was kicked this far, "let's kick it slower" isn't a solution.

And I don't see how this or similar education videos are even trying to overhaul the whole holiday at once. I mean, they still had the hand cut out turkeys, they talked about families and being thankful, it really seemed pretty traditional view of thanksgiving + a truthful and age appropriate view of history.

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Moonhawk

[goldberry]

1 hour ago, Junie said:

 

I think, though, that by trying to overhaul the whole holiday at once that there will be more backlash -- that people will fight harder against change.  Because Americans are very much for change and against change at the same time.  I think that slow change would have better results. 

When my 22-year-old daughter was born, there was already discussion about how the story needed to be revisited in light of the truth. This is been ongoing for 22 years at a minimum that I know of, and that video definitely does not qualify as all at once. It was actually very mild. That video has a tiny modicum of hard truth in the middle of a very favorable discussion of thanksgiving. That people would still object to that as a complete overhaul of the holiday shows that no matter how much time goes on it will never be enough.

 

[goldberry]

Why not just separate it from the whole Pilgrim/Indian saga all together? Why are so many people insistent on connecting it to a story that is not being told truthfully?  

[Junie]

31 minutes ago, Moonhawk said:

I'm not really sure how much slower the change could be, if this video is too fast.

I could see cutting out maybe the part between what happened after Thanksgiving to the Wampanoag up to the the Lincoln part and still be truthful and on topic, but frankly if it's deemed too upsetting to teach what happened to the Wampanoag after Thanksgiving, what right do we have to take their name and history and use it as propaganda for Thanksgiving (and the Pilgrims, and the USA in general) at all? Cut them out completely if you want to cut out how they were treated, that seems more fair than making them the fun sidekicks in A Pilgrim Story.

Seeing the narcissist threads recently about how narcissists "speak their reality into existence" ... it's just an uncomfortable idea that I don't like connecting to how we're approaching teaching this "too soon".

The can was kicked this far, "let's kick it slower" isn't a solution.

And I don't see how this or similar education videos are even trying to overhaul the whole holiday at once. I mean, they still had the hand cut out turkeys, they talked about families and being thankful, it really seemed pretty traditional view of thanksgiving + a truthful and age appropriate view of history.

 

Yes, this I agree with.

[goldberry]

I've never been anti thanksgiving, and I want to make clear why I posted this. Someone is using CRT opposition to target a couple of very mild historically accurate sentences in a video shown at our elementary school. This guy is going to make hell for some poor teacher. 

What's happening here has nothing to do with extreme cases of children being shamed for whiteness by crazy activist teachers. This is a Brainpop video being portrayed as CRT for stating factual history. That should be cause for concern.

Edited November 25, 2021 by goldberry

[Junie]

I get it that slow change is not desirable.  But, there is also the tendency in our country to double-down and make things worse if people think they are being treated unfairly.  That is what I meant about changing a little bit at a time, perhaps by focusing on the egregious war paint.

I know a lot of white people feel like they're being ganged up on and now they feel like their Thanksgiving holiday is being stolen from them.  They don't want to be reminded of the brutality to the Native Americans.  They just want to keep celebrating the way they always have.

I think Native American history should be taught separate from Thanksgiving.  Yes, we were taught the Thanksgiving Lie that the Pilgrims and Indians were such great friends.  I think that we can get rid of that narrative without introducing all of the brutality that happened later.

 

[Junie]

5 minutes ago, goldberry said:

I've never been anti thanksgiving, and I want to make clear why I posted this. Someone is using CRT opposition to target a couple of very mild historically accurate sentences in a video shown at our elementary school. This guy is going to make hell for some poor teacher. 

What's happening here has nothing to do with extreme cases of children being shamed for whiteness by crazy activist teachers. This is a Brainpop video being portrayed as CRT for stating factual history. That should be cause for concern.

You and I were posting at the same time.

Yes, I agree with you that this is cause for concern.  While I didn't like the video, I wouldn't be up in arms if my kids saw it.  I would maybe explain a few things better (they stole food because they were literally starving to death), but I wouldn't bother the teacher about it or go to the school board.

What this guy is doing is what I referred to above as doubling down.  He probably feels like he is being attacked on multiple fronts and feels like he has to make some noise about his rights.

 

[Sneezyone]

Do you hear yourself? Thanksgiving is “THEIR HOLIDAY”? Meaning white people. “DOUBLE DOWN IF THEY THINK THEY ARE BEING TREATED UNFAIRLY”? Because they (non-white people) should really just…? Shut up and be quiet? 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Sneezyone

[Corraleno]

8 minutes ago, Junie said:

I know a lot of white people feel like they're being ganged up on and now they feel like their Thanksgiving holiday is being stolen from them.  They don't want to be reminded of the brutality to the Native Americans.  They just want to keep celebrating the way they always have.

That's a pretty epic level of irony right there...

[goldberry]

13 minutes ago, Junie said:

I get it that slow change is not desirable.  But, there is also the tendency in our country to double-down and make things worse if people think they are being treated unfairly.  That is what I meant about changing a little bit at a time, perhaps by focusing on the egregious war paint.

I know a lot of white people feel like they're being ganged up on and now they feel like their Thanksgiving holiday is being stolen from them.  They don't want to be reminded of the brutality to the Native Americans.  They just want to keep celebrating the way they always have.

I think Native American history should be taught separate from Thanksgiving.  Yes, we were taught the Thanksgiving Lie that the Pilgrims and Indians were such great friends.  I think that we can get rid of that narrative without introducing all of the brutality that happened later.

 

I dont agree with your conclusions because I don't think that placing some people's sensitivities above other people's is something to encourage or coddle, even if that's reality. But I wanted to say thank you for being willing to share your reasoning calmly.

Edited November 25, 2021 by goldberry

[Melissa Louise]

I watched it. I learned a lot! 

There is a flattening and decontextualising of the colonists, and a noticeable shift away from multiculturalism in the representations of current festivities, so I'd imagine someone who wanted to find a problem with it could. 

I'd also.imagine the content outweighs the quibbles. 

It's not quite how I explained colonisation to my kids - I think I was both more and less careful. More, in that I was careful not to set up hero-villain narratives, which this video does, and less in that I was probably more forthright about colonisation and genocide. 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by Melissa Louise

[Junie]

11 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

Do you hear yourself? Thanksgiving is “THEIR HOLIDAY”? Meaning white people. “DOUBLE DOWN IF THEY THINK THEY ARE BEING TREATED UNFAIRLY”? Because they (non-white people) should really just…? Shut up and be quiet? 

 

6 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

That's a pretty epic level of irony right there...

OK, so I apparently am misunderstanding something or not explaining myself clearly.  And I want to understand -- I'm honestly not sure what I'm missing?

I'm assuming that the guy raising the outrage is white.  There has been a lot of outrage in the white community -- January 6th was a big part of it.  And masks.  And vaccine mandates.  And then CRT.  And books in the school libraries.  For some white people, they feel like they're being ganged up on.  They know that minorities will soon be the majority in our country.  They are racist and scared.  So now when they feel like Thanksgiving is being attacked, they are outraged.

It's not right and I disagree with it, but it's what I'm seeing.

[Sneezyone]

1 minute ago, Junie said:

 

OK, so I apparently am misunderstanding something or not explaining myself clearly.  And I want to understand -- I'm honestly not sure what I'm missing?

I'm assuming that the guy raising the outrage is white.  There has been a lot of outrage in the white community -- January 6th was a big part of it.  And masks.  And vaccine mandates.  And then CRT.  And books in the school libraries.  For some white people, they feel like they're being ganged up on.  They know that minorities will soon be the majority in our country.  They are racist and scared.  So now when they feel like Thanksgiving is being attacked, they are outraged.

It's not right and I disagree with it, but it's what I'm seeing.

This is helpful, thank you. I understand that the sentiment exists. Your initial phrasing made it sound like this was *your* perspective.

[Junie]

3 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

This is helpful, thank you. I understand that the sentiment exists. Your initial phrasing made it sound like this was *your* perspective.

ohhh.  No, that's not my opinion at all.  I'm sorry that I was unclear.

[Frances]

20 minutes ago, Junie said:

I know a lot of white people feel like they're being ganged up on and now they feel like their Thanksgiving holiday is being stolen from them.  They don't want to be reminded of the brutality to the Native Americans.  They just want to keep celebrating the way they always have.

 

 I guess I’m not understanding how kids watching this video could make a white adult feel like their Thanksgiving holiday is being stolen from them? Even if the adults were by choice to watch (or read) it or something similar that reminded them of the brutality to Native Americans (and I would question whether and to what degree many are even aware of the actual history), how would that prevent them from celebrating the way they always have? As a fellow white person, I just can’t relate to this at all. I truly mean, it literally does not compute. It seems like a really extreme version of the whole outrage over Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays.

[Moonhawk]

3 minutes ago, Junie said:

 

OK, so I apparently am misunderstanding something or not explaining myself clearly.  And I want to understand -- I'm honestly not sure what I'm missing?

I'm assuming that the guy raising the outrage is white.  There has been a lot of outrage in the white community -- January 6th was a big part of it.  And masks.  And vaccine mandates.  And then CRT.  And books in the school libraries.  For some white people, they feel like they're being ganged up on.  They know that minorities will soon be the majority in our country.  They are racist and scared.  So now when they feel like Thanksgiving is being attacked, they are outraged.

It's not right and I disagree with it, but it's what I'm seeing.

I can appreciate that this is true, yes. Thank you for putting it clearly.

I don't know, though, that anything less than full obeisance to their worldview will ever be seen as less than attacked. 

If we keep waiting for the right time, when exactly will that be? In the next 5-15 years as a certain generation passes away? I could understand if a large majority of those upset were going to be out of the picture, but I don't think the spread works out that way. It's not just one generation where the problem is. There are always going to be people upset about approaching this. Waiting it out hasn't worked for the last 100 years so I don't think this approach is working. What if waiting longer makes it worse?

I am tired of the animosity, though, and don't like the idea of adding another pan into the fire. But really it's been in the fire for a long time and so may as well cook in it. 

[Frances]

1 minute ago, Moonhawk said:

I can appreciate that this is true, yes. Thank you for putting it clearly.

I don't know, though, that anything less than full obeisance to their worldview will ever be seen as less than attacked. 

If we keep waiting for the right time, when exactly will that be? In the next 5-15 years as a certain generation passes away? I could understand if a large majority of those upset were going to be out of the picture, but I don't think the spread works out that way. It's not just one generation where the problem is. There are always going to be people upset about approaching this. Waiting it out hasn't worked for the last 100 years so I don't think this approach is working. What if waiting longer makes it worse?

I am tired of the animosity, though, and don't like the idea of adding another pan into the fire. But really it's been in the fire for a long time and so may as well cook in it. 

I think though that much of the animosity is stoked by politicians and media and social media personalities for their own political and financial gain. Many people benefit from dividing us and stoking fear and animosity. Bringing people together and helping them to understand others better is unfortunately exactly the opposite of what many influential people desire. I honestly don’t see a way out of the animosity.

[Junie]

So I've been thinking about this thread and trying to figure out what is bothering me about it.

I think that what is bothering me is that Thanksgiving is by definition a day for giving thanks.  And the whole Pilgrims and Indians narrative has become a distraction from that.  

Yes, there were some terrible things that happened, but I think that the only way to keep Thanksgiving a day of thankfulness is to maybe just completely separate the history from the holiday.  I don't know if that's the answer, but I think Thanksgiving has been losing its meaning for a long time due to commercialism and now this is making it even worse.

When I said that this wasn't the right time to teach it, I didn't mean that it shouldn't be taught now as in this year -- I meant that it shouldn't be taught right now, meaning during Thanksgiving week.  The history absolutely must be taught.  I just think that Thanksgiving week isn't the week to do it.  I know that I don't like being reminded of it right at this moment.  It's causing people to choose sides and it's perpetuating some of the same problems that existed in 1621.

I'm sorry that I wasn't more clear earlier.

[Corraleno]

16 minutes ago, Junie said:

OK, so I apparently am misunderstanding something or not explaining myself clearly.  And I want to understand -- I'm honestly not sure what I'm missing?

My comment about irony wasn't directed at you but at the idea that Thanksgiving was being "stolen" from white people. "It's outrageous that people are trying to steal our holiday, that originally celebrated the survival of white people on stolen land by eating stolen food, by telling the truth about it!"

[Laura Corin]

3 hours ago, Junie said:

So I've been thinking about this thread and trying to figure out what is bothering me about it.

I think that what is bothering me is that Thanksgiving is by definition a day for giving thanks.  And the whole Pilgrims and Indians narrative has become a distraction from that.  

Yes, there were some terrible things that happened, but I think that the only way to keep Thanksgiving a day of thankfulness is to maybe just completely separate the history from the holiday.  I don't know if that's the answer, but I think Thanksgiving has been losing its meaning for a long time due to commercialism and now this is making it even worse.

When I said that this wasn't the right time to teach it, I didn't mean that it shouldn't be taught now as in this year -- I meant that it shouldn't be taught right now, meaning during Thanksgiving week.  The history absolutely must be taught.  I just think that Thanksgiving week isn't the week to do it.  I know that I don't like being reminded of it right at this moment.  It's causing people to choose sides and it's perpetuating some of the same problems that existed in 1621.

I'm sorry that I wasn't more clear earlier.

You could just call it Harvest Festival and start over. Otherwise I can't see how to separate it out.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_Festival_(United_Kingdom)

 

[Carrie12345]

I don’t see how or why it might be considered so hard to separate out. I mean, except for people wanting to cling to false histories.

My family celebrates a *lot of holidays with different meaning from their original assignment. We observe and learn about many other holidays that we don’t actively celebrate because they’re not our custom. We make up our own random celebrations that have nothing to do with anyone else. We’re not limited in when or how we acknowledge tradition. I will most likely have turkey on the fourth Thursday of November until I die, even though my family talks about the truth of the history. Nothing is taken away.

[JustEm]

I actually don't think it should be separated. I love Thanksgiving and I do a lot of gratitude practice during this month, one because of Thanksgiving and two because of the coming Advent.

But during all the gratitude and family time there is certainly room for reflecting on how we got here. The history of the holiday is important, especially for white people in the U.S. because we can see our founders' flaws and be grateful that we can do better if we want.

Also, from my personal experience, the people I know who get upset by a video like this aren't simply celebrating Thanksgiving in this modern world. They are also continuing to pass down the false history they were taught.

[Danae]

10 hours ago, Frances said:

 I guess I’m not understanding how kids watching this video could make a white adult feel like their Thanksgiving holiday is being stolen from them? Even if the adults were by choice to watch (or read) it or something similar that reminded them of the brutality to Native Americans (and I would question whether and to what degree many are even aware of the actual history), how would that prevent them from celebrating the way they always have? As a fellow white person, I just can’t relate to this at all. I truly mean, it literally does not compute. It seems like a really extreme version of the whole outrage over Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays.

For some people the giving thanks in Thanksgiving is giving thanks that God gave this country to the white Christian settlers by guiding their ships across the ocean and preparing the people who were already here to welcome them, admire them, and embrace their own role as helpers in the superior civilization the newcomers brought.

Making Thanksgiving about being thankful for family and friends and good health and plentiful food instead of about God’s plan for the New World is taking away their holiday. 

[elegantlion]

As far as if it's "too soon," Addams Family Values addressed the issue in 1993.  The bit from about 2:30 to 3:40 is the relevant part, then it verges into overboard with another stereotype. 

 

[MEmama]

1 hour ago, Danae said:

For some people the giving thanks in Thanksgiving is giving thanks that God gave this country to the white Christian settlers by guiding their ships across the ocean and preparing the people who were already here to welcome them, admire them, and embrace their own role as helpers in the superior civilization the newcomers brought.

Making Thanksgiving about being thankful for family and friends and good health and plentiful food instead of about God’s plan for the New World is taking away their holiday. 

That is just all kinds of 🤮.

Look, the national holiday does not belong solely to those who choose to perpetuate medieval myths. While they have every right to participate in such nonsensical thinking, it does not preclude the rest of the country from honoring the day in a more enlightened, honest way. It’s a holiday for ALL Americans, not just a minority of self-described chosen ones. 

[MEmama]

Here’s some interesting history on the holiday, yet another example how the division in this country is nothing new. 
 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/thanksgiving-pumpkin-pie-culture-war?utm_source=digg

[TechWife]

On 11/24/2021 at 10:20 PM, goldberry said:

I've never been anti thanksgiving, and I want to make clear why I posted this. Someone is using CRT opposition to target a couple of very mild historically accurate sentences in a video shown at our elementary school. This guy is going to make hell for some poor teacher. 

What's happening here has nothing to do with extreme cases of children being shamed for whiteness by crazy activist teachers. This is a Brainpop video being portrayed as CRT for stating factual history. That should be cause for concern.

Ding, ding ding! It’s censorship, plain & simple. In addition, it can lead to there being the only “acceptable “ story about Thanksgiving that should be taught. That’s propaganda. 
 

[fairfarmhand]

Here;s what I see.

One can love one's nation and be thankful for it and the opportunities that it has provided for people while still looking back and saying, "Well, that wasn't right. That was unfair and mean. Let;s do better in the future."  The narrative as it is often presented is that people have a choice of saying "I love everything about this country and its history and nothing terrible ever happened here." or "This nation is corrupt and horrible and nothing good has ever happened here." Both are extreme views. Neither is accurate. 

[Fritz]

Finally, something that is being "labeled as CRT" that is not offensive! 

[historically accurate]

33 minutes ago, Fritz said:

Finally, something that is being "labeled as CRT" that is not offensive! 

The Ruby Bridges book, Ruby Bridges Goes to School, is not offensive - it's been labeled as CRT. 

https://theweek.com/news/1002407/anti-critical-race-theory-parents-reportedly-object-to-teaching-ruby-bridges-book

Edited November 26, 2021 by historically accurate

[DawnM]

I have been following this guy on TicTok and I have learned so much.   Yes, he offends some, but I get where he is coming from and am not offended.

 

https://www.5280.com/2021/11/meet-denvers-navajo-tiktok-creator-confronting-racists-online/

[Fritz]

1 hour ago, historically accurate said:

The Ruby Bridges book, Ruby Bridges Goes to School, is not offensive - it's been labeled as CRT. 

https://theweek.com/news/1002407/anti-critical-race-theory-parents-reportedly-object-to-teaching-ruby-bridges-book

Oh right, I forgot about Ruby's book. Now there are two examples.

[Sneezyone]

12 minutes ago, Fritz said:

Oh right, I forgot about Ruby's book. Now there are two examples.

There are more than two. The AP Lit teachers at my friends school were suspended over teaching "So You've Been Publicly Shamed". The administrators cited their anti-CRT ban. The principal in TX who was fired for defending himself against CRT claims (it was considered insubordination when he refused to accept public abuse in silence). There's also the Moms For Liberty group in Tennessee which put out a list of unacceptable books, including those that were insufficiently Christian and covering animal mating habits.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/editorials/os-op-book-banning-new-target-race-racism-20211117-5i2clngjo5ddflehgbmmnv3vci-story.html

Edited November 26, 2021 by Sneezyone

[Melissa Louise]

4 hours ago, Fritz said:

Finally, something that is being "labeled as CRT" that is not offensive! 

Actually, if I wanted to get offended by it, I'd find it relies a bit heavily on noble savage tropes, and that's offensive, imo. 

It's actually a really interesting video, because the facts are fine- telling the untold story - but it does reveal several storytelling  elements that people could reasonably be uncomfortable with.

As mentioned above, and with the addition of the noble savage myth:

1. Settlers are stripped of context - no mention of factors propelling them other than generic 'didn't  agree with government'. More factually, they left the UK due to a combination of religious and economic reasons. 

2. Images of Thanksgiving today are race segregated. No imaging of mixed families. 

3. Noble savage tropes re Squanto. 

If I wanted to connect these aspects of the video to the most egregious examples of racial essentializing seen in educational settings, 1 and 2 would do it. 

3 is ugh. Ironically, it reveals a kind of racism, where the other is seen as not human in the way the standard European is. But instead of the not-human being demonised, the not-human is purified. Same coin. 

 

 

 

[MercyA]

5 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

There's also the Moms For Liberty group in Tennessee which put out a list of unacceptable books, including those that were insufficiently Christian and covering animal mating habits.

Well, that's an ironic name.

ETA: I had to look up the animal mating habits complaint. They objected to a book that contains a description and illustration of seahorses mating. Seahorses. You can't make this stuff up. 

Edited November 26, 2021 by MercyA