Most rational people I talk to these days have become at least somewhat desensitized to the plethora of people, places, and things the left will rush to declare “racist,” “white supremacist,” and, of course, “systemic racism” is my fave. That said, “racist math” remains the most ridiculous and absurd of all.
Remember your reaction to the following notion when you first encountered it? (Emphasis, mine)
White supremacy culture in the mathematics classroom, [including a focus on] “getting the right answer, [teaching math in a] linear fashion, [requiring students to] show their work [and grading them on demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter]… The concept of mathematics being purely objective is unequivocally false. Upholding the idea that there are always right and wrong answers perpetuates ‘objectivity.’
Personally, after laughing out loud and tossing out a few expletives, I stated the obvious. The very basis of mathematics is right and wrong answers. 1+1 will never equal 3. 100 divided by 5 will always equal 20. Besides, we’re not talking Pythagoras, Archimedes, or mathematical theory here — we’re talking about grade school math.
These people are beyond parody. The left’s attempt to label math “racist” and declare it a “harbor for whiteness” can only further divide America along racial lines, perhaps hurting the very people for whom the leftists claim to speak.
So on to the awesome topic at hand — awesome in the sense of the actions of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education.
As reported by The Blaze, the State of Florida, on Friday, announced that 54 out of a total of 132 textbooks submitted to the Department of Education for use in public schools were rejected because they were either “impermissible with either Florida’s new standards or contained prohibited topics.” The department said the 41 percent reject rate was the highest in state history. It gets worse, per the announcement.
The highest number of books rejected were for grade levels K-5, where an alarming 71 percent were not appropriately aligned with Florida standards or included prohibited topics and unsolicited strategies.
I know — try to contain your shock and amazement. Let’s check in with the governor for his thoughts, as transcribed by the department:
It seems that some publishers attempted to slap a coat of paint on an old house built on the foundation of Common Core, and indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students. I’m grateful that Commissioner Corcoran and his team at the Department have conducted such a thorough vetting of these textbooks to ensure they comply with the law.
Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran echoed DeSantis’s comments:
We’re going to ensure that Florida has the highest-quality instructional materials aligned to our nationally-recognized standards. Florida has become a national leader in education under the vision and leadership of Governor DeSantis.
When it comes to education, other states continue to follow Florida’s lead as we continue to reinforce parents’ rights by focusing on providing their children with a world-class education without the fear of indoctrination or exposure to dangerous and divisive concepts in our classrooms.
The rejected textbooks were in clear violation of DeSantis’s 2019 executive order, which “set Florida on the path to eliminate Common Core, develop world-class education standards, and increase the quality of instructional materials, and this textbook adoption is another important step in affirming Florida’s commitment to high-quality, lawful and world-class instruction.” Requested bids must align with the governor’s EO to avoid rejection.
How more clear-cut could the above be?
Finally, just for grins, as noted by The Blaze, Florida Democrats quickly condemned the move — and as histrionically as possible, of course. State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith called the move “crazy right-wing pandering,” while state Rep. Anna Eskamani hilariously tweeted, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Florida Republican leaders are preparing to ban Algebra from high schools.”
The bottom line:
Radical leftism is as insidious as it is blatantly aggressive. These people will stop at nothing in their efforts to — by any means possible — destroy America as we know it: culture, social construct, history, morality; the list goes on.
And as part of the incessant effort, what could be more effective than starting from the bottom up? Reprogramming America’s children into believing everything they’ve learned is wrong; everything they believe must be questioned; everything they see must be viewed through a lens they never knew existed: sexuality, the definition(s) of “gender,” and now even math.
Memo: Math is math, kids. 1+1 will always equal 2. And you are not “racist” for believing that.
Related on RedState:
‘Polyamorous, Gender-Fluid, Witch’ Crows About Teaching Four-Year-Olds About ‘Crazy’
Condi Rice Stuns ‘View’ Hosts With Knockout Argument Against Critical Race Theory
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