As you probably know, schools across America celebrated Read Across America Day Monday, although some tried to erase Dr. Seuss from the proceedings, even though the day was created to fall on his birthday. His books didn’t make the NEA’s list of recommended reading, although we’re hoping President Biden picks up a copy of “Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship.”
What’s taken the place of Dr. Seuss? How about “Antiracist Baby,” by Ibram X. Kendi?
"Antiracist Baby" is significantly more dangerous for children's thinking on race than "If I Ran The Zoo." It's not close.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 2, 2021
Speaking of racist babies, Christopher F. Rufo is back with more documents, this time from the Arizona Department of Education. It’s an “equity” toolkit to help teachers deal with the racism that is inherent in children as young as 3 months old and pervasive in white children up to age 5 and beyond.
SCOOP: The Arizona Department of Education has created an "equity" toolkit claiming that babies show the first signs of racism at three months old and that white children "remain strongly biased in favor of whiteness" by age five.
Let's review the resources in the toolkit. ? pic.twitter.com/g4Sk6X0VuO
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
The Department of Education recommends a reading that claims babies are not "colorblind" and that parents must instill "antiracist attitudes and actions" beginning at birth, in order for their children to not "absorb bias from the world around them." pic.twitter.com/6WsfMTKJMx
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
Recommended
Well, at least we know babies are born as “blank slates” when it comes to racist thought, which doesn’t manifest until around 3 months old. “As their brains develop, their understanding of the world stems from what they observe in their parents and others around them.” Again, this is the recommendation for newborns through age 2.
Another recommended reading claims that "all white people are white in the context of a society that continues to disadvantage people of color based on race." The document teaches schools how to "change what it means to be white" and inculcate an "antiracist white identity." pic.twitter.com/7Whc717K5q
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
“Beverly Daniel Tatum suggests there are only three ways to be white: ignorant, color-blind, and racist …. She suggests we have to create a fourth way to be white: the antiracist white identity.” Hey, we thought there were eight white identities, including “white traitor” and “white abolitionist” (the intended goal).
The Department provides additional resources for "families & community," telling white parents that they "can have a black friend, partner, or child and still be racist." The article claims that white people deny their own racism to "alleviate some of their white fragility." pic.twitter.com/eCa6SSXx3x
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
Finally, the department shares a series of resources for teachers about "systemic racism" and "intersectionality," then explains how to conduct an "equity audit" and implement "racial equity plan" in schools using the principles of "antiracism." pic.twitter.com/9flMU0QWde
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
I call on Governor @dougducey to conduct an investigation into the Department of Education's radical "equity and diversity" program. It's deeply ideological, anti-scientific, and morally bunk. Arizona students deserve better.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
Destroy them, Chris.
— Grant Fleming ⚔️ (@SirGrantFleming) March 2, 2021
I'm trying ?
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
–> The document teaches schools how to "change what it means to be white"
that has to be federally illegal
— Enrique in the BK ? (@enrique_pause) March 2, 2021
Are they intentionally creating racial tension or segregation because this is absolutely bonkers
— Brewstermonk (@Brewstermonk1) March 2, 2021
Serious question, how is race both a social construct and natural to babies? ?
— Cece O'Leary (@Cece_Oleary) March 2, 2021
Apparently white babies start picking up racist behaviors from their caregivers at around 3 months.
— threegirldad (@threegirldad) March 2, 2021
What immediately jumps out at me is that everything is based on one study with no links to those studies. Is there so much unanimity or are we getting one side? We also can't read them and we can't evaluate them. We are just expected to accept this as true.
— Bob Smith (@GenericBobSmith) March 2, 2021
To me this is a clue that we are dealing with a religious worldview rather than a scientific one.
— Adam Quickfall (@Quickfall) March 2, 2021
In our research, we tracked down the source of all those aspects of “white supremacy culture” such as perfectionism and individualism, to a study by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun done in 2001. This has been around a while, folks.
The woke deny their racism to alleviate their fragilty.
— StillTrying (@StillTr05207382) March 2, 2021
I hope we begin to reject all this insanity
— A1fred (@AlfOvsep) March 2, 2021
The woke deny their racism to alleviate their fragilty.
— StillTrying (@StillTr05207382) March 2, 2021
I colonized two equatorial nations while I was still in the womb. YOLO
— Honus ? (@HonusWenger) March 2, 2021
This is bonkers, man
— Caio Patriani (@CaioPatriani) March 2, 2021
When I was in 3rd grade, my school was predominately white. But 4/5 of my best friends were black. I never realized this until I was an adult. In my house growing up, we didn’t talk about race. We talked about being friends with everyone.
— McKenzie Richards (@McK_Richards) March 2, 2021
Yes, but as the materials in the toolkit clearly state, you can have black friends or even a black spouse and still be racist.
The leap of logic from recognizing that the human mind allows babies to identify patterns to "babies show the first signs of racism at three months" is hard to overstate.
— Adam (@skepticaladam86) March 2, 2021
Sure children notice racial differences. But they really, really don't care about them – until some idiots point it out to them.
— Reiner Wilhelms. 雨男 (@rewtoetzi) March 2, 2021
Not going to review each cited work, but I'll point out Hirschfeld (2008) as one problematic example. The idea that 'children as young as 2 years use race to reason' comes from Hirschfeld citing three older books that are theoretical discussions more than rigorous studies. 1/2
— whopoes (@whopoes) March 2, 2021
https://twitter.com/whopoes/status/1366834451406331909
It’s important to track down the sources and studies upon which all of this new wave of antiracism is built, because then it all begins to fall apart.
Postmodern race science.
— matthew miller, tribeless (@Mattmilladb8) March 2, 2021
What complete garbage
— Mike Honcho (@BigDaddyDore) March 2, 2021
Related:
Is school district teaching that all whites perpetuate racism? Newsweek corrects its ‘fact-check’ from half-true to true https://t.co/UnDJO2U11f
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 1, 2021
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