17 Comments
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Stan H's avatar

Thank you for the shout-out Susan, and the reminder that we should keep pressing our alma mater to teach Ms. Harper's book. It should be required reading for every single Southwest Missouri high school student.

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Susan Campbell's avatar

Amen. I can’t thank you enough for the recommendation. That book profoundly affected me.

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Christopher Tracy's avatar

You've got to be carefully taught...

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Sharon Foster (CT)'s avatar

I graduated high school in Dallas TX in 1968, and every bit of that was true. My history teachers subscribed to the "War of Northern Aggression" story, and one was teaching from the syllabus that he'd used for his 40-year career without alteration. My high school is now majority Black and Hispanic, judging from the photos I've seen, so I hope those students are going in with a more accurate picture of the state's history, whether they get one in class or not.

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Susan Campbell's avatar

It’s stunning, how inaccurate were some of those lessons. I’m still mad.

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Jac's avatar

It's enraging that there can be such a difference in history lessons, state to state! (And country to country) i grew up in the north, so we were taught that the northerners were the good guys. (We know that wasn't the whole story either.) Honestly, I hated most history in school becaused it often focused on battles and dates and men's names (with a sprinkle of less interesting women like Betsy Ross.). A lot was left out, especially the things that would make America & white, male Americans look bad.

Now, I really enjoy Heather Cox Richardson's take on current events because she often puts things in the context of history. I'm often learning history I had never been taught.

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Susan Campbell's avatar

She’s wonderful. I now know (belatedly) realize my education is on me.

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Jac's avatar

So true. And what you teach your students on how to validate/fact check info & sources is so valuable because learning is a lifelong task.

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Susan Campbell's avatar

I teach older adults, too. I think we all missed that lesson.

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Jac's avatar

It's so much more important now with internet access. Back in the days of our youth, there was the local paper, 4 TV channels, and the library. Older adults need to be educated for sure. Where are you teaching a media literacy class for older adults? Or do you mean some older adults are also in your college classes?

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Julian F. Wheeler's avatar

Not sure if this will show up. It should include a rebuttal received from a politically conservative acquaintance:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157086540320952&id=676490951

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Susan Campbell's avatar

I could cheerfully argue every word in that comments. The author is dealing in tropes that are supposed to serve as a succor or excuse for racist behavior. Tropes aren’t serious and “But...but... Black people destroy businesses too”

isn’t either. Good in you for the original post. When we talk about racism, the last goddamn thing we need is white excuses. Sit down. Shut up. And listen. She said sweetly.

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Julian F. Wheeler's avatar

My post referenced a different tragedy. But the comment could have been generically directed at any similar incident.

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Susan Campbell's avatar

True. And the comment would still be crap.

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Mary Ann Dimand's avatar

Why do the worst people get the most deference? (Well, sometimes because their existence is just a stalking horse for the empowered, of course.)

Tangential:

(1) This reminds me of "If you *talk* about racism you Just Make It Worse." Which, read literally is an extravagant WTF. I have come to take it as a threat of violence of one sort or other, when White people say it.

(2) Theologically: Why on earth is repetition so out of fashion? I think it's one of the best things ever!

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Susan Campbell's avatar

I love your questions. I have no answers.

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Mary Ann Dimand's avatar

Whoops. Autocorrect got me. It should be repentance, not repetition.

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