In this week’s Clarion Call, Jay Schalin examines the idea of “social justice” teaching that Barack Obama’s friend William Ayers has been pushing.
When the Ayers-Obama connection comes up, a food fight erupts between conservatives who denounce Ayers as an unrepentant bomber and liberals who praise him as an esteemed “educational reformer.” Jay does neither, but looks into the ideas Ayers and his allies are pushing. Ideas that have taken firm root in many American education schools.
One might wonder what effect “social justice” teaching would have. Does it radicalize students and teachers, building momentum for the eventual overthrow of “the oppressors”? Or does it simply waste valuable class time that poor students need to learn the fundamentals of language, math, science, and so on? I strongly suspect the latter.
One might also surmise that this is part of what Don Luskin calls “the conspiracy to keep you poor and stupid.” To leftist agitators, angry and ignorant people are far more valuable than are those who are gainfully employed and enjoying the rising prosperity that capitalism makes possible.