La Shawn Barber’s Corner » Broward County School Board Says NO To Indoctrination

Of course the local MSM couldn’t be bothered to give a background as to why 5 districts, so far, had rejected this piece of mamby-pamby tripe. Just because it includes Sesame Street & friends doesn’t automatically make it good. It’s not content, but the message that matters. heh.

Comment by Andy — 07.18.05 @ 4:39 pm

Has anyone seen the video to understand whether it actually “promotes” a “homosexual agenda”?

Comment by Tony — 07.18.05 @ 5:57 pm

I’m sure the people who oppose the video saw it, Tony. What a strange question. Besides, people have different opinions about what “promotes” homosexuality and whether or not homosexuality is something that should be promoted.

You know where I stand on both counts.

Comment by La Shawn — 07.18.05 @ 6:22 pm

Tony’s question is not as strange as it sounds. During the ‘evolution hearings’ in Kansas, one of the members of the subcommittee admitted that she had not read the draft of science standards which was being debated…yet she was there to make a ruling on that very subject!

Many, many people will take what they ‘hear’ from their peers as the final word, and the information to be absolutely correct. Very rarely does much true information come out of this.

Teaching diversity is not wrong, nor is it promoting homosexuality. I think that by taking that kind of stance on the subject you are over-simplifying the issues. America is the ‘melting-pot’ for good reason. We should be proud of our differences, not looking to suppress others.

I have not seen the video in question, so I cannot comment on it directly. However, how many counties have accepted it into their curriculum? Five counties nationwide have rejected it? I have to think if there really were a problem, that number would be higher.

Comment by Eric — 07.18.05 @ 7:33 pm

I wasn’t trying to judge in my question. Specifically, my concern is that people will rant on and on about the homosexual agenda in the video without actually seeing it. I assumed the Board saw it, but no doubt this will float around in the news as a victory. Shouldn’t someone who rants about it actually see it?

I’ll qualify that as saying I don’t think your post is wrong, even though you haven’t seen it. You made a statement based on the facts presented in the article and left it at that. The rest of your posts on the subject stand for themselves, as you said, so you didn’t go crazy with this example is a summation of everything wrong and liberal with America.

My main point is that I think the idea of a homosexual agenda is nonsense. There are certainly unhinged homosexual groups, but those groups should be smacked down whenever they promote the unhinged. To assume that all homosexuals are out of touch and wish to indoctrinate is incorrect, in my experience. Which is why I put “promotes” in quotes.

Comment by Tony — 07.18.05 @ 8:04 pm

Eric, regarding the evolution hearings, no comment. In reference to people not getting the facts for themselves, an all too human trait that affects us all, no matter which side of the aisle weâ€™re on.

As I said in previous comments, I donâ€™t need anyone preaching to me about the value of our differences. We come in all colors, shapes, sizes, subcultures â€“ as a black woman who is also a Christian and independent conservative, I possess the kind of â€œdifferencesâ€ you white liberals just can’t appreciate. We are a melting pot, yes, but remember the motto â€œOut of many, one,â€ or is that null and void now?

Iâ€™m proud of the fact that people can legally immigrate to America and embrace the American dream. I am embarrassed, however, that weâ€™re becoming a balkanized cesspool. Those differences, I HATE.

Comment by La Shawn — 07.18.05 @ 8:10 pm

I agree with you, La Shawn. It also shows how popular cultural icons and media are used to promote otherwise unpalatable ideas.

“Diversity” has become the bullies’ pulpit.

Comment by Mwalimu Daudi — 07.18.05 @ 10:11 pm

“‘Diversity’ has become the bullies’ pulpit” LOL.

Comment by Andy — 07.18.05 @ 10:59 pm

I’ll have to go back to try to find another article that talked about this video. Basically, while most people will focus on the video as the point of praise or attack, there’s an entire curriculum that accompanies it…worksheets, pamphlets, and a “contract” that students sign. Trying to remember what else it said…the video itself is pretty unobjectionable (

Comment by FL Mom — 07.19.05 @ 8:34 am

Gah! I did something weird on my comment. The rest of it should read: but the stuff that goes with it is what pushes concepts that don’t belong in a school agenda.

Comment by FL Mom — 07.19.05 @ 8:36 am

FL Mom, I read that too somewhere about signing the pledge to tolerate kids with two moms/dads etc. Basically it was to push the notion that everything is normal vis a vis gay parents.

Comment by Andy — 07.19.05 @ 8:59 am

That information about the video vs. accompanying teaching materials is what I was getting at. If the video isn’t objectionable, throw out the pamphlets and worksheets and use the video. And especially the pledge. Having the kids sign a pledge is ridiculous. Overall, though, I don’t see that it has to be all or nothing (unless the producers of the video require that).

Perhaps surprisingly, I agree with La Shawn about the concept of teaching diversity. Kids instinctively don’t care about differences, in my experience. Focusing on it only encourages them to see differences where they normally wouldn’t. It would be far better to teach kids what it means to be American (”Out of many, one” is the way to go). Let them discover the other aspects of life in the normal course of their lives.

Yet, fearing their exposure to gay people seems excessive. It’s part of the world, so pretending it doesn’t exist isn’t helpful to kids. We work to protect our kids from material we find objectionable on television or wherever, but we know they’ll see it at some point. Better to deal with it honestly, rather than pretending it doesn’t exist.

Regardless, the discussion is interesting. Thanks for being willing to allow differing opinions.

Comment by Tony — 07.19.05 @ 11:18 am

Eric and Tony - A visit to the website of the video’s producers when the video was first distributed and a few clicks of the mouse would have shown you that the video and the pledge were being promoted by groups advocating the radical homosexual agenda. Of course, once the controversy arose, those links were removed. Does that tell you anything?

Comment by Jim Rockford — 07.19.05 @ 2:04 pm

I agree with Tony insofar as dealing honestly rather than pretending it doesn’t exist, but my problem with this video and related curriculum materials is that it takes valuable time away from rigorous academic study, which should be encouraged at any level.

Comment by Fausta — 07.19.05 @ 2:10 pm

Isn’t Broward County one of the places with the chad problems in the 2000 election?

Comment by mj — 07.19.05 @ 2:33 pm

Yes.

Comment by Baklava — 07.19.05 @ 2:36 pm

There is an upside to this. The Department of Education could designate the California school system a vocational system and its mission would be to turn out service workers. This would also create a pool of labor to compete with the Mexicans and they would be forced to go home. Go home now that the schools in that state are producing the lettuce pickers and toilet scrubbers. No need for Mexicans to rush the border anymore. Cali would be producing all the low skilled labor this nation could buy.

Comment by Raymond — 07.19.05 @ 2:45 pm

Jim,

That’s why I asked my original question. I didn’t know and the linked article didn’t say. That’s poor reporting by the journalist because I didn’t want to rely on the differing opinions thrown around without supporting facts.

Comment by Tony — 07.19.05 @ 2:57 pm

I couldn’t find the original article I talked about before. It’s been months since I read it, and now I regret not saving it. However, a search turned up this other useful piece which explained the ruckus surrounding this video and its study guide in the weeks prior to its launch.
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0035835.cfm

I also agree with what Fausta said about school needing to focus on academics rather than this PC junk. Tony raised many good points too. I just think that parents, not the school, should be the ones deciding when and how their children should hear about sexual behavior. It’s not about fear or willful blindness.

Comment by FL Mom — 07.19.05 @ 4:17 pm