The Texas Board of Education is currently holding hearings about textbook standards and changes they want publishers to make for their texts to be adopted. Texas and California have great influence over what textbooks contain since they are such enormous markets; while the standards are only specific to each of them, very similar (or identical) versions of the texts are then sold to other states as well.
Here is a clip of standards advisor Don McLeroy explaining that textbooks should recognize the fact that women and racial minorities got more liberties because the majority gave it to them (from TPM):
Technically, he is exactly right: it did take a majority of votes in Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act, and the majority then (and now) was White (men). But to say that the majority did it “for the minority” erases an awful lot of struggle and organizing on the part of disadvantaged groups, as well as the foot-dragging and opposition so many members of the majority engaged in to try to prevent such changes. Before men “passed it for the women,” both women and men worked for decades to get women the vote, often being harassed and even jailed as a result. But to hear him describe it, you’d think the majority just happily passed these types of bills, with maybe just a tiny bit of prodding from minorities.
Here’s a clip of Barbara Cargill explaining that we need to take “negative” elements of American history out of textbooks and focus more on “American exceptionalism”:
Her opposition to the idea that the U.S. ever used “propaganda” is somewhat undermined by her blatant effort to rewrite history texts to be what, if it happened in another nation, we’d call propaganda.
Comments 23
Joshua — September 20, 2009
It's useful to consider the alternative to the "majority giving [rights] to the minority." If you don't give someone rights, then sometimes they take them from you by force. To say that the majority gave the minorities rights suggests that the rights are owned by the majority, to be doled out as they please. That's not true. Rights are inherent to human beings. They can be claimed from others, abdicated, and denied to others. If one group (the majority) is denying rights to others (the minority), and then the minority fights for those rights, and then the majority accedes, then it's ignorant for someone (like the guy in that video) to come along and talk about that like the majority deserves some kind of cookie for doing what they should have been doing in the first place. "Oh, you don't keep slaves, oppress women, or bash gays anymore? Well, I applaud the courage it takes for you to go against your cultural grain, but at the same time, big fucking deal. You want a ribbon because you don't kick puppies either?"
Joshua — September 20, 2009
... which leads me to my own little version of, "Things White People Do," which is: Expect Extra-Special Recognition For Not Being Racist.
Michael — September 20, 2009
Alternate interpretation:
Legally speaking, the various minorities throughout history, by virtue of being the minority, were not legally capable of accomplishing their goals. When their goals were accomplished (civil rights legislation, women's suffrage) it was because the majority had decided, for whatever reason, to vote in favor of it.
Barring the forceful taking of rights that Johsua mentioned, this is the only way for legislation to pass. It's not that the minority should feel grateful to the majority for giving them what they already have; it's that present-day minorities (like gay people) should recognize that no matter how organized they are, a necessary part of having their goals recognized (like marital recognition) is convincing the majority to vote for it. That convincing can take any number of forms: actually convincing the majority that it's morally right, convincing the majority politicians that a yea vote is the only way to get re-elected, whatever. But if the majority doesn't vote for it, the only alternative is force, which, generally speaking, is what democracy tries to avoid.
Although I'll grant that, if that's what he meant, he explained it really awkwardly.
LeAnna — September 20, 2009
How about you just put the facts in history books and let students make up their minds for themselves?
And by facts, I don't mean your opinion.
rachel — September 20, 2009
That's the problem, there is no such thing as "just facts."
Becky — September 20, 2009
History textbooks that focus on American exceptionalism are the reason why books like "Lies My Teacher Told Me" become necessary.
I had the good fortune of having a wonderful American history teacher who began the "history" of the Americas with the arrival of the first humans. We were in American history class for three months before we ever got to the arrival of Columbus! Now I am often surprised by people who forget that America was not "discovered" by Europeans.
He also wasn't afraid to reveal the ugly side of American history. We even talked about Noriega in Panama and our involvement in Latin American politics throughout the mid-20th century. I think the reason he never got any push-back from parents about it was that it was always placed in context.
Lia — September 20, 2009
Dear white men,
Thank you for allowing me to legally count as 5/5 of a person and to have a vagina and a vote at the same time. If only white men had been around when my predecessors were denied those privileges in the first place, the world would be full of cotton candy clouds that rained gumdrops.
Jei — September 20, 2009
Women were a minority back then? That was never in my history books....
Sam R — September 21, 2009
Racist!
Jenn93 — September 22, 2009
It's almost as if he thinks white men deserve a pat on the back for doing something they were supposed to do in the first place. It seems to be the same mentality as "I'm such a great guy for letting my wife have a career!" instead of "I acknowledge the right of my wife to make that call, and choose not to obstruct that right because I respect her."
b — September 24, 2009
*sigh*
As an educational researcher and designer, this is what has driven me to focus on informal learning environments. Schools need so much change, but I just can't deal with the red tape and bureaucracy and curriculum-by-committee crap. This shit happens in every state.
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