It really is a classical liberal boomer take. In an overall culture of free speech I'd tend to agree with JBP. The answer to bad speech is better speech. But that's only at higher education levels. In grade school you learn what we tell you to learn.
The problem with that idea is that we don't have a culture of free speech anymore. There's no prominent "anti-CRT" theory being pushed in universities or pedagogical training that teachers can lean on. Yes there are books criticizing it, and any of us could write essays to explain why CRT is bullshit and a negative for society, but the educational system left to its own devices is entirely hostile to such ideas. We can't just teach the alternative and let the best idea win. Even if there were prominent anti-CRT philosophers allowed to speak at government-endowed universities, and we had waves of educators attending their seminars to figure out the best way to teach colorblind American civic nationalism to the students, the government-protected teachers union wouldn't allow it. You can't say "may the best man win" when "the system" isn't playing fair. (the irony of saying this about CRT isn't lost on me)
There are a lot of policy tactics we need to take here besides "banning" CRT, but it needs to be an option for school districts. Sometimes all you can do is treat symptoms until you figure out where the core root of corruption is and how to remove it.
It really is a classical liberal boomer take. In an overall culture of free speech I'd tend to agree with JBP. The answer to bad speech is better speech. But that's only at higher education levels. In grade school you learn what we tell you to learn.
The problem with that idea is that we don't have a culture of free speech anymore. There's no prominent "anti-CRT" theory being pushed in universities or pedagogical training that teachers can lean on. Yes there are books criticizing it, and any of us could write essays to explain why CRT is bullshit and a negative for society, but the educational system left to its own devices is entirely hostile to such ideas. We can't just teach the alternative and let the best idea win. Even if there were prominent anti-CRT philosophers allowed to speak at government-endowed universities, and we had waves of educators attending their seminars to figure out the best way to teach colorblind American civic nationalism to the students, the government-protected teachers union wouldn't allow it. You can't say "may the best man win" when "the system" isn't playing fair. (the irony of saying this about CRT isn't lost on me)
There are a lot of policy tactics we need to take here besides "banning" CRT, but it needs to be an option for school districts. Sometimes all you can do is treat symptoms until you figure out where the core root of corruption is and how to remove it.
Heh that's a much better way of phrasing it. I need to work on my succinctness.
If you can ban teacher-led prayer and the teaching of "intelligent design" in public schools you can ban anti-white rhetoric.
"But they're not the same thing". Perhaps not, but now we're just haggling over where the boundaries around "banned topics" ought to be drawn.