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Stephen Gottlieb: Heaven Forbid We Expose Our Kids To Reality

So the latest seems to be that the political wrong wants their kids taught fairy tales and shielded from reality. Imagine – some schools and teachers are teaching what they call “critical race theory.” I would defy anyone to define it – academic language is like that and we fight endlessly about meaning and method. But never mind, whatever it is, that’s what they claim they’re attacking. In one form or another they want to make sure that their kids, and our kids, are never exposed to the idea that white people in America could have done something wrong or white cops either – wrong behavior is only for people of color but white people are by definition correct. Woopy, nothing new there.

In their churches, of course, of whatever denomination, confession is important, getting right with the Lord – in many faiths right there in front of the flock. But nations? Never? Our nation never makes a mistake, and therefore it never has to correct a mistake. It wouldn’t be hard to list the mistakes that mattered and still matter but it would be offensive to the thin skins of people who’s egos are wrapped in the color of their skin.

Of course those attacking schools and teachers are resorting to the same tactics they used against Congress on Dec. 6 – threats, intimidation, violence and murder. That too is nothing new. Years ago we had a struggle over teaching kids evolution. I don’t know how you go on in biology without understanding the process of genetic mutation. But I guess their kids didn’t need to inhabit any such sophisticated field.

Now the extreme wrong wants to whitewash – pun definitely intended – they want to whitewash the history of race relations in this country so that the white toughs never did anything wrong – when told to quit this or that, they followed the law instantly and still do. That’s a fairy tale. Dealing with racial discrimination, racial violence, racial injustice in all its forms has been a continuing struggle.

And teachers are now being harassed and threatened. I sympathize. But I also have a solution. Back in 1987 I published an article in the New York University Law Review titled In the Name of Patriotism. It’s subject was, as the subtitle read, the constitutionality, really the unconstitutionality, of "bending" history in public secondary schools. It was reprinted a couple of years later in a professional publication for history teachers. The idea was simple. I was not saying that teachers had to teach this or that. I just argued they had to be fair to both sides. Want to confront the goons from the hit squads that insist they never do anything for which they should be justly criticized? Simple – just tell the kids to report on both sides of the controversy. The kids won’t need much coaching and their parents aren’t going to like the results but whom are they going to fire for it? I don’t think their kids are going to end up with much respect for parents who cannot admit mistakes. But that’s their problem. They want to fight about it, let them get hurt in the battle – risking their kids’ disrespect.

Steve Gottlieb’s latest book is Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and The Breakdown of American Politics. He is the Jay and Ruth Caplan Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Albany Law School, served on the New York Civil Liberties Union board, on the New York Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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