Arvada Colorado School Board Longs to Spin History

The Ministry of Truth is back at it.

A new conservative school board majority here in the Denver suburbs recently proposed a curriculum-review committee to promote patriotism, respect for authority and free enterprise and to guard against educational materials that “encourage or condone civil disorder.”

Source
The board says it's had conservatives before, but nothing like the three who are trying to bring back the good old days. In high school in the eighties, I was taught a watered down patriotic version of American history. I was eventually taught a more accurate history in college by a Chinese professor.

Are you a social conservative who condones this? If so, why?

Who here was also taught an altered history in school?

edit on 24-9-2014 by gentledissident because: general clean up

edit on 24-9-2014 by gentledissident because: fixed the title

edit on 24-9-2014 by gentledissident because: changed title again

a reply to: gentledissident

It is really sad when things like this happen.

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

Anyway I was taught watered down history in school back then I had zero interest in it and only learned or memorized what I needed to pass but later in life I found that it wasn't boring and till this day I still have a keen interest in history both the good and bad.

History can be the most interesting subject in schools but not with a gaggle of board members dictating how and what can be taught.

Civil disobendience was a part that helped the US gain independance so telling kids its ok to rebel when its the 1770's but now its 2010's just put up and shutup?

This doesn't surprise me. And as someone already said, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

It saddens me. If you don't know the past, how do you question the future? We all should question things that don't seem quite right. When we don't agree with something that involves the majority of the population, we should be asking "why?" If they pick and choose what they teach, no one will ask questions because they won't know the history behind it.

Hopefully kids are smarter than that and if they have questions, they look hard for the answers they seek.

Sounds quite political, hopefully the people in Arvada can get the curriculum they want.

We probably (as a group, all of us) need to stop trying to use our kids as political pawns or to score political points, they are worth more that that.

I just want to point out that this is not happening in the Denver Public Schools system, but rather in the Jefferson County Public schools system.

More on point, I do not agree with removing "unfavorable" parts of history in the classroom.

Why is it always the conservatives that are trying to rewrite history? Why is it always the same group trying to inject religion? History should be truth, why are so many against it?

originally posted by: TycoonBarnaby
I just want to point out that this is not happening in the Denver Public Schools system, but rather in the Jefferson County Public schools system.

LOL, me and my sensationalist rewrite. It's a suburb of Denver. Fixed that for ya.

a reply to: gentledissident

Last time I heard the only other countries or group promoting Patriotism while censoring History are North Korea, China, Russia, and many other countries.

In Germany, many school kids are required to learn about their past.

Not to mention more evidence America's school system is going down the drain.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
Why is it always the conservatives that are trying to rewrite history? Why is it always the same group trying to inject religion? History should be truth, why are so many against it?

Please, neither side makes any historical sense. The dems have been endorsng revisionist history for decades now.

In this particular case it really doesn't make any sense at all. Liberals are in power in DC and in the state of CO, conservatives should be encouraging civil disobedience and strife, not advocating against it! Kinda exposes the thin curtain of lies separating the two parties, in my opinion.

a reply to: gentledissident

What exactly are "they" trying to change?

Can't see any details in the story.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
Why is it always the conservatives that are trying to rewrite history? Why is it always the same group trying to inject religion? History should be truth, why are so many against it?

Why is it only the conservatives? You're joking right? Where the hell have you been since the 60s?

I think also, that it's important to note that history is skewed. What we learned in school probably isn't entirely factual. I mean, we're all here, so obviously we desired to learn more and stumbled onto things that enlightened us and made us question the world around us.

I remember reading that in some part of California kids were learning about how some Germans refuse to admit that the Holocaust happened. And they had to right a report on it. If they agreed that the Holocaust didn't happen, they scored higher than those who sided with history and said that it DID happen.
Here's one article about it aattp.org... and another,
townhall.com...

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: gentledissident

What exactly are "they" trying to change?

Can't see any details in the story.

I've been looking at other articles on this. The proposal seems to simply be,

promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free-market system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights" and don't "encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.

a reply to: gentledissident

I used to think of myself as a social conservative, but I don't necessarily condone this type action. The truth is that all history is propaganda. This effort is utterly useless because after being presented a "conservative" version of American history, the kids go on to college to be subjected to the Marxist view of history. The result, from what I've observed, is a generation of cynics who have come to realize that everyone's got their "slant" on history and uses it to promote their agenda. Like everything else, history has become part of a larger business model of manipulating the mind numbed masses toward support of a political agenda for fun and profit.

So, in the end, it probably doesn't matter what version of "history" is taught in the middle and high schools. The best version would be the shortest!

a reply to: gentledissident

Thanks.

Can you post more links?

But what parts of history are being "Censored"?

Confusing article.

a reply to: gentledissident

Wow that sounds horrible!

Totally changing history!

originally posted by: ManBehindTheMask
a reply to: gentledissident

Wow that sounds horrible!

Totally changing history!

It could change some things. Think of every time civil disorder led to change.

originally posted by: xuenchen
a reply to: gentledissident

What exactly are "they" trying to change?

Can't see any details in the story.

Proposed change:

"Materials should promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights. Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law. Instructional materials should present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage."

And no, teaching history from a patriotic and non-disobedient POV is not okay and is a disservice to the kids. Taking civil disobedience and fighting unjust laws out of US history will lead to a terrible understanding of US history. And presumably makes the whole cause-effect of history a bit more difficult to understand.

a reply to: Lyxdeslic

I concede that point but there is also something to be said for encouraging people to respect the rule of law

Granted there are times the laws are twisted. But there are ways to do this as well

IE. Martin Luther King