Lama and Emma wrote:
> >"School children need to have the Klan *interpreted* for them. I mean,
if
> >not, there would be no stopping point.
>
> But they also have to read the literature first hand, in order to see
> THROUGH the code.
What strikes me about all this (and maybe I'm hopelessly obtuse) is that if
the students are being given a well-rounded and grounded education to begin
with, they should feel no need to search out any further first hand
literature about the Klan. Wouldn't they just know it is wrong, period, and
not have to investigate further to see for themselves?
Through my years in high school, my campus was littered
> with pamphlets from various neo-nazi/white
> supremacist/anti-gay/anti-whatever groups.
This is amazing to me. I know you are young, Emma, and it blows me away
that in such recent times literature like this would be allowed to be
disseminated on your high school campus. Free speech is all fine and good,
but who says a high school campus has to allow its campus to be littered
with such stuff?
>What if i had simply been blindly taught that these groups were wrong in
the past, and never been given the
> tools to know why? Then i pick up their literature, and it all seems
> reasonable to me, and i'm an easy target. Kids must be taught the truth
> about these people, and learn to read between their lies in order to
really
> not buy into them. They need to understand the whys and wherefores and not
> just blindly know that they are wrong, because that leaves them open for
> conversion.
Geez, everything they are exposed to from Kindergarten on should lead them
to know these groups are wrong.
> In large Jewish populations, i know that it's pretty much customary to
show
> all Junior High students "The Wave." It's this film of a class of students
> who's teacher teaches them class pride to the extent that they will not
talk
> to anyone from another class and are willing to hurt their friends if they
> don't go along with the movement. At the end, the teacher tells them that
> this is now Hitler got his troops. It's not well filmed, and i think it
> loses kids that way, but the message is clear and pertinent to kids of
that
> age. If you don't know what you need to watch out for, you'll be easier
> prey.
This sounds like an excellent film and it would be good for all junior high
students (and also some adults as a refresher course) to see. This is an
example of what I mean when I say that the schools' curriculum should
naturally lead the students to discern basic right from wrong.
I think that students should not neccesarily barred access from the Klan web
sites (sometimes what is prohibited is likely to intrigue some children) but
if it is allowed the teachers should first portray it as the undesirable
entity it is. This is not to say the teachers should merely tell the
students, "it's wrong, take my word for it" - they can certainly back up
this stance with a long list of historical facts to prove it. Teach your
children well.
Kakki, probably obtuse
