MAGA PUSHES OVER 400 CULTURE WAR BILLS IN 2 YEARS, ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT FROM PEN AMERICA
In a recent report from PEN America, it has been revealed that MAGA has pushed over 400 culture war bills in just 2 years. Now, I know what you're thinking - "Wow, that's impressive!" But before we start handing out participation trophies, let's take a closer look at what these bills actually entail.
According to the report, these bills are best understood as forms of educational intimidation. They don't directly censor or prohibit curricular content, but they do create a chilling effect that encourages self-censorship among educators. In other words, they're like the schoolyard bully who doesn't hit you, but stands there looking menacing until you give him your lunch money.
These bills give parents, government officials, and citizens greater influence over what is taught in public schools. Now, I'm all for parental involvement in education, but these bills take it to a whole new level. They enable blanket restrictions on books and curricula for all students, effectively disempowering other parents and overriding their preferences. It's like saying "I don't like this book, so no one can read it." Talk about being a buzzkill.
And it's not just about books. A growing subset of these bills aims to restrict LGBTQ+ representation and expression in public schools. They discourage discussions of gender and sexuality, ban preferred pronoun use, and even require mandatory reporting mechanisms for parents to be alerted of perceived changes to students' gender identity or sexual orientation. This places pressure on educators to monitor and police students' expression, which is just plain creepy.
But wait, there's more! These bills are part of a broader effort to foment anger and anxiety about public education, restrict or prohibit instruction about race, sexuality, and gender, and ban books that address these topics. It's like the conservative version of "The Hunger Games," where the only winner is ignorance.
So where are these bills coming from? According to the report, conservative groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, the Liberty Counsel and the American Principles Project are behind a multimillion-dollar effort targeting LGBTQ rights through "parents' rights" bills. It's like they're trying to turn back the clock to the 1950s, when conformity was king and individuality was frowned upon.
And let's not forget about Missouri, which has introduced the most educational intimidation bills in the nation. That's right, Missouri - the Show-Me State is showing us all how to be bullies. They've introduced 31 bills since January 2021 that are largely focused on race and gender. It's like they're trying to erase history and pretend that discrimination never happened.
But don't worry, folks - there is some good news. Less than 10% of these bills have actually passed. So maybe there is hope for our education system after all. And who knows - maybe one day we'll even be able to teach our kids about tolerance and acceptance without fear of retribution.
In conclusion, these culture war bills are like a bad case of indigestion - they make you feel uncomfortable, they're hard to digest, and they leave a bad taste in your mouth. So let's all take a deep breath and remember that education is supposed to be about learning and growth, not fear and intimidation. And maybe, just maybe, we can all work together to create a brighter future for our children.
Educational Intimidation Bills - PEN America https://pen.org/report/educational-intimidation/
Republicans Pushed Almost 400 “Education Intimidation” Bills in Two Years https://theintercept.com/2023/08/23/school-censorship-bills-pen-america/
Education "intimidation" bills have spiked since 2021, report says https://www.axios.com/2023/08/23/education-intimidation-pen-america-lgbtq-schools-crt
Missouri No. 1 for school censorship measures, report says https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/missouri-no-1-for-school-censorship-measures-report-says/article_bba04662-4129-11ee-becb-335099610ea2.html