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Teaching cannot be apolitical

In Reply to: America is NOT a single culture, and thus does not have a single set of cultural 'values'. posted by Nikhil Jaikumar on July 13, 1999 at 15:22:44:

Stuart: "I would be offended also, but I'm not advocating the persecution of homosexuals, am I? On the other hand, the seven year olds I saw were being quite clearly taught that those who consider the practice sinful are the hateful bashers of society. Anyone teaching that to a seven year old child has a whole lot more on their mind than education."

What of those educators that teach that homosexuality is wrong? What of those educators that teach that homosexuals are "bad"? What of those educators that teach that women are inferior, or that African Americans are inferior? These things happen every day, not always on purpose, but often just because it is so entrenched in our minds and in our literature, in our history books and in our arts. One cannot be an apolitical educator. One either challenges the status quo, or one (willingly or unconsciously) endorses it, often at the expense of others. Don't be naive and assume that the latter lacks political force. It does not. It is at the root of all persecutions, past and present. Education reinforces how people are treated in society, and last time I checked, homosexuality was the focus of persecution and discrimmination. Teaching others that it is wrong, when it is not harming anyone (you have yet to EXPLAIN how it does this) is only encouraging and legitimizing further discrimmination. There is no "nobility" in that.

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