The end of ethnic studies? Part II

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is back on his high horse again arguing for the elimination of the ethnic studies programs at Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). Bill aims to rid TUSD of ethnic studies:

"Ethnic studies programs … are designed to promote ethnic chauvinism," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said in a news release Friday. "I have tried for two years, using publicity and persuasion, to attempt to convince the Tucson Unified School District to put a stop to this dysfunctional program. They have refused. The next step is legislation."

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In an interview, Horne said that TUSD is encouraging "ethnic chauvinism."

"It's a fairly small interest group that pushes this racial agenda," he said.

This is just double-speak for mandating the dominant Euro-centric cultural education, in particular, the superiority of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) male-dominant culture, and American exceptionalism. It is Tom Horne who is projecting "ethnic chauvinism" and his "racial agenda" on behalf of all pasty white doughboys like him.

I have a broad liberal arts education in world history, the arts and humanities, political science and social studies. I was not exposed to this education until I went to college. Even then, much of the history and cultural studies I have learned has been through self-study, reading and travel.

When I was in grade school and high school in Arizona, history began with the English settlers at Jamestown and Plymouth, and ended with Lincoln's assasination at the end of the Civil War. That was it. If not for the social studies classes I had while in Catholic grade school (where they value such education), I would not have been exposed to the history and cultures of other parts of the world. And that is how Tom Horne would like to keep things. It is ignorant and counter-productive.

I have news for you Tommy Boy, there were advanced ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, India, China, Egypt and Mesoamerica (Mexico and Central America) when white Europeans were still warring tribes of hunter-gatherers living in caves. Timeline of Civilizations History did not begin with the Greeks and Romans. White Anglo-Saxon Protestants were late comers to the game. Their sense of superiority over all other races and cultures is largely a product of religious dogma and "ethnic chauvinism."

If anything, our children should be receiving a broad liberal arts education in grade school to give them a greater understanding and appreciation of the people and cultures of the world in which they live, instead of the Euro-centric WASP male-dominant American exceptionalism education they receive now. It is no wonder that America has lost its competitive edge in the global economy.

There is also the admission by Tom Horne that the parents of students in TUSD have rejected his narrow-minded "ethnic chauvinism" and they want to keep the ethnic studies programs because these programs have proven to be effective and have increased student achievement test scores. This is something one would think that the Superintendent of Public Instruction would want to encourage.

Once again, the residents of Tucson are under siege from a paternalistic GOP legislature that wants to dictate terms to local autonomous governments what they must do, from educating their children to how they conduct local elections. The go-to person behind this GOP Taliban siege of Tucson is our own Benedict Arnold, Sen. Jonathan Paton (R-30). It is time for Tucsonans to rise up and in unison tell Sen. Paton to "go to hell!"