World is starting to rail against critical race theory
KEVIN DONNELLY
WHEN it comes to ridding schools of neo-Marxist inspired, politically correct ideology and group think, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and education minister Alan Tudge have a lot to learn from the governor of the US state of Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis is in no doubt about the destructive influence of cultural-left ideology. In opposition to critical race theory that argues Western societies are riven with white supremacism and non-whites are always oppressed, DeSantis says societies like America should be celebrated.
As a result, the governor has banned teaching critical race theory in schools. DeSantis argues: “The woke class wants to teach kids to hate each other, rather than teaching them how to read … I find it unthinkable that there are other people in positions of leadership in the federal government who believe that we should teach kids to hate our country.”
Last week, DeSantis went even further by telling schools that instead of undermining Western, liberal democracies, they should ensure students are taught about the evil nature of totalitarian dictatorships like communist Russia, China, Vietnam and Cuba.
The governor argues students should be taught: “Why would somebody flee across shark infested waters, say leaving from Cuba, to come to southern Florida? Why would somebody leave a place like Vietnam? Why would people leave these countries and risk their lives to be able to come here?”
According to the Black Book of Communism, communist dictators like Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh and Castro have killed over 94 million people and that does not include the additional millions starved, tortured and imprisoned. Proven by the revised Australian national curriculum, it’s obvious critical race theory is about to infect our schools.
Students are told to study the “impact of invasion, colonisation and dispossession of lands by Europeans on the First Nations Peoples of Australia such as frontier warfare, genocide, removal from land, relocation to ‘protectorates’, reserves and missions”.
The curriculum embraces what Australia’s most eminent historian Geoffrey Blainey describes as a black armband view.
Ignored is the reality governor Philip was ordered by the British admiralty to do all he could to ensure any Aborigines encountered were treated fairly. It’s also true, after being speared, Philip did not seek vengeance and, years later after the Myall Creek massacre, seven white men were publicly hanged for killing a number of Aborigines.
In opposition to what cultural-left activists argue, Indigenous Australians instead of being oppressed are equal before the law, are able to vote in elections and entitled to hold high office as proven by the recent decision to preselect Jacinta Price to the Australian Senate, an Aboriginal woman of Warlpiri descent.
The way civics and citizenship is taught in the national curriculum also adopts a cultural-left perspective that ignores the fact we are a relatively peaceful and prosperous nation because we have inherited a unique political and legal system and way of life.
A system underpinned by Christian concepts like the inherent dignity of the person and the need to work for social justice and the common good.
A system that draws on a Westminster parliamentary form of government inherited from the United Kingdom.
In addition to Florida, Arkansas, Idaho and Oklahoma have also banned teaching critical race theory in schools. Also significant is that the Australian Senate recently passed a motion 30-28 calling “on the federal government to reject critical race theory from the national curriculum”.
One only hopes for the good of the nation and its students the Australian government is prepared to act.
Dr Kevin Donnelly is a senior research fellow at the Australian Catholic University.
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