Only "Happy" History

From IBD: Is it any wonder why the number of private and religious schools has been growing over the last decade? But, what of those people who cannot afford private school? Can we just stand back and allow the government to destroy the education system, producing generations of people who couldn't qualify for work in third world countries?


Posted 5/4/2006

Education: Falling test scores, mounting truancy and dropout rates, abysmal teacher performance — you'd think California legislators would have enough on their minds about schools. But no, there's identity politics.
A few weeks ago, Islamic groups protested the portrayal in state textbooks of their sometimes violent history.

The word went out among educrats that references to Muhammad's legacy must thenceforth be made more palatable.

We're not sure how solid the assurances were or even if the protesters felt placated. One thing's certain: Textbook publishers smiled over the guaranteed job creation. As long as there are touchy paragraphs to be rewritten, Golden State tax dollars will be available for politically correct wordsmiths.

On Wednesday, the state Senate's education committee approved another windfall for publishers. Pushed by California's first openly lesbian legislator, Santa Monica Democratic Sen. Sheila Kuehl, the bill would mandate the teaching of positive images of the LGBT community.

The what? If you haven't gotten the 411, that's shorthand for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Kuehl thinks straight students deprived of such favorable portrayals will develop warped attitudes toward the LGBT community. LGBT students themselves? Right. They'll lose self-esteem.

A companion bill moving in the state Assembly would toughen anti-discrimination and anti-violence measures in the schools. Senate Bill 1437 itself passed the committee 8-3 along party lines.

Religious and conservative groups are not amused, contending such instruction coerces and discriminates against them. Students should learn about behavior associated with LGBTs from parents, they understandably insist, not from morally neutral pedagogues.

Testified Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families: "I seriously doubt California students will excel from learning about our leaders based on who they decide to sleep with." Well said.
No doubt individuals of unconventional sexual orientation have contributed much to the arts, sciences, business and politics. There's even a cottage industry, moving from the reasonable to the ridiculous, that uses the flimsiest of evidence to "prove" historical figures from Alexander the Great to Abraham Lincoln were gay.

But that is not the point of history, the proper teaching of which prepares young people for hard realities. Properly understood, history cultivates respect for what previous generations have learned without having to reinvent the wisdom of the species, including classically liberal standards of tolerance.

Kuehl would reduce the teaching of history to feel-good therapy. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, self-advertised as a socially liberal Republican, has given no indication of whether he'll sign her bill — a roll of the dice as he seeks re-election in November.

Meanwhile, the LGBT community does not mix well with traditional Muslims. We wonder how the subsidized textbook writers will finesse that one.