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Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

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Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#51
post #4

Can someone simply explain what is this critical race theory?

The actual theory isn't so important.

It's a tool used by some politicians to paint the other side as insane radicals. Insane news stories are pointed at and accused of being a result of CRT, and of course their own side would outlaw it.

That's why they ban books without even saying which books are banned: so they are seen as taking action against the enemy, CRT. In reality there is perhaps some corruption and they want to help a specific publisher.

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#52

I would be curious if anyone has a high quality link containing real examples that were deemed offensive. My guess is the textbooks had sections that involved quantitatively examining "social justice" issues. I'm not for or against this in a math textbook, but it definitely gives an opportunity to "spin" the situation by massively simplifying the problem discussed, which opens the door to politicization.

Those making the decisions to not accept the books didn't release that information.

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#53
Does the Florida DOE have a set of guidelines for how they determine if material is inappropriate for students? Seems like if the Government is going to make decisions for the people they should at least have an idea on what grounds these decisions are made upon.

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#55

Floridian here. I've lived here all my life, and DeSantis is the first Governor under whom I have felt that the entire agenda is piss off people who aren't politically aligned with his values. Not a week goes by without some inflammatory new policy making it into the news cycle, and it saddens me because Florida has a ton of problems that we could be collaborating on legislatively, but instead, it's just partisan bri…

That's a good thing. There are a number of mutually exclusive positions the left and right simply don't agree on. At this point the only way to achieve peace is if like minded people moved together and the ones that don't get along separate. That goes for California as well as Florida. It's painful in the short term but everyone will be happier long term. That's why it's the "United States" and not a "homogeneous nation state."

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#56

With so little information it's not clear what we can discuss.

Agreed. It seems useless and brain cell-killing to be subjected to the hot takes from each side's chattering class, without access to the exact books and passages that led to these bans.

There is no details for the exact reason that Florida did not supply any details other than the negative hot-button words. Complaining the coverage is inadequate is silly since the whole story is that Florida banned textbooks without saying what. I can accept a detailed list of examples of things that are not acceptable. Banning books without any detail is the story.

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#57

With so little information it's not clear what we can discuss.

Really? We can't discuss the fact that our government is making decisions about what teachers can and can't teach children, and have decided they can keep the entire process, including their decisions secret from us?

That feels like enough to discuss to me.

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#58
post #46
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand we don't have any evidence supporting Florida's claim, but you don't have any evidence supporting what you said either. I'm inclined to believe Florida until shown otherwise.

I'm inclined to believe Florida until shown otherwise. You don't need to pick a side. You're allowed to say you don't know.

Sure, but I am choosing to (loosely) pick a side. The only evidence we have is their claim, and I'll believe it unless better evidence comes to light against it.

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#59

Soon they will loop back around to banning / modifying the teaching of evolutionary theory like some tried in the recent past because of "religious" reasons.

I have a suspicion that banning teaching evolution is the ultimate goal here. Or maybe just getting rid of public schools altogether, but leaving in place a mandate for children to get an 8th grade education. Religious schooling will always be cheaper, since we don't tax churches, so all the voucher money will go to schools that teach creationism.

Re: Florida rejects 54 math books, claiming critical race theory appeared in some

#60
post #4

Can someone simply explain what is this critical race theory?

When it comes to anything to do with race, gender, sexuality or politics is better to do research elsewhere than ask HN. This is the relevant text from the first couple of paragraphs of Wikipedia's page on CRT:

    Critical race theory (CRT) is a cross-disciplinary intellectual and social movement of civil-rights scholars and activists who seek to examine the intersection of race, society, and law in the United States and to challenge mainstream American liberal approaches to racial justice. The word critical in its name is an academic term that refers to critical thinking, critical theory, and scholarly criticism, rather than criticizing or blaming people.

    A key CRT concept is intersectionality—the way in which different forms of inequality and identity are affected by interconnections of race, class, gender and disability. Scholars of CRT view race as a social construct with no biological basis. One tenet of CRT is that racism and disparate racial outcomes are the result of complex, changing, and often subtle social and institutional dynamics, rather than explicit and intentional prejudices of individuals.

    CRT scholars argue that the social and legal construction of race advances the interests of white people at the expense of people of color, and that the liberal notion of U.S. law as "neutral" plays a significant role in maintaining a racially unjust social order, where formally color-blind laws continue to have racially discriminatory outcomes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_race_theory
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