Let us consider Hegseth's actual order to the DoD:
"Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department's warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force – to put one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.
Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month. Service members and civilians remain permitted to attend these events in an unofficial capacity outside of duty hours.
Installations, units, and offices are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos. We are proud of our warriors and their history, but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics."
Does this sound racist to anyone? Does it even sound indifferent to the realities of ethnic/cultural history?
Rather it simply states that DoD resources (funds or labor) would not be used to host ethnic/cultural celebrations. Is this even newsworthy?
So why does the DoD draw that resource allocation line? Because, as stated, what the Department's warfighting mission requires is 'force unity': the understanding and deep commitment by all members of the DoD to the fundamental understanding that an American warrior is that and only that. Everything else, every other demographic or cultural identifier that any individual or group of individuals may carry is and must be...a far distant second to the shared identity of American Warrior.
Would any of us disagree?
We say we endorse 'color blindness', but we are concerned that 'color blindness' might lead to indifference. We are concerned that programs intended to encourage 'blindness' might instead encourage indifference. But what, really, is the difference? If I am 'blind' to a thing -- whatever it may be -- am I not essentially indifferent to that thing. Conversely, if I am NOT indifferent to something, like, for instance, my own weight, then I cannot be blind to the numbers which flash upon the scale when I stand there.
Glenn speaks of his concern that ‘blindness’ / ‘indifference’, may lead to a lack of concern for the problems experienced by communities. But one is not logically connected to the other. If we learn that ‘Centerville’ contains a population which is 40% poor...70% obese....50% unemployed... 60% uneducated...and has an average life span 15 years below the national average...with a quarter of the population in jail...would anyone deny that Centerville is a community that needs serious help? Does it matter what color the residents are? Or what religion they practice? Or whether they all share a certain ethnicity or cultural preference for baked potatoes or Beyonce?
Of course not.
As for 'Back History Month' or MLK Day -- no one, as far as I know, is talking about cancelling such things, any more than anyone is advocating cancelling 'George Washington Carver Day' (Jan. 5th)....or removing February as our National Bird Feeding Month. But we should also consider that there are approximately 140 days, weeks, and months which have been officially recognized by Presidential Proclamation....and an additional 100 (with overlap) 'Observances' months....and probably thousands of ‘National Days’ (today, for instance, is National Cuddle Up Day). Why would we want the Federal Government to worry about any of these other than the 11 designated as National Federal Holidays?
How is any of this a bridge too far?
So no, let us celebrate what we hope is the death of DIE and move on.
And the best way to move on is a firm and unwavering effort to focus our best & brightest upon our darkest and most daunting national problems. No more; no less.
your response is a lot more tempered than mine.... But some of these holidays might eventually go away. They got rid of George Washington Day and Lincoln Day. Those days were observed and things were actually taught about them and their contributions to this country. Not anymore
I stipulate in my post why MLK might eventually give people to pause about what and who we are celebrating on MLK day. The acts of the man does not diminish the impact and words of MLK. But in a culture that does not celebrate our Founding Fathers because of the fact that some were men of their times and owned slaves...his legacy should have a realignment just like all our historical heroes have
Black History month is no longer needed. History was taught balanced with a lot of black history to me growing up 40 years ago. As someone with a kid that just went through elementary school in a suburban predominantly white town, Black history is taught all year long in elementary curriculum nowadays. But ask most young kids if they were taught anything about who George Washington was....
Black History Month has become more of a condemnation against our "white" past instead of a celebration of black culture. If it is going to be that, then I think that it should be replaced with Civil Rights month. We can celebrate every race and religion that has been discriminated against in the past of our country. You have the Irish; the Asians, Catholics, the Jew, all discriminated against,,,, in fact... Catholics are openly discriminated against still. Shit, straight white males most openly discriminated class in this country right now.
The US is such a huge mix of races and religions now that every month and week of the year could be dedicated to some type of oppressed identity. As far as MLK day, MLK was a womanizing, drug user who cheated on his wife several times. McWhorter is aware of the other allegations which might be true but are hidden in the documents his family dont want released by the government....He very well may have been witness to and laughed while a rape was happening. So, if the truth about MLK was actually taught and it turns out that it is even worse than we currently know... does he deserve to be put on a pedestal and celebrated? Or does MLK day go the way of George Washington and Lincoln days and and become one day. Get rid of all the identity holidays and months and replace MLK day with Civil Rights Day.
And this is not indifference to the plight of black people. But reality of the situation that our country is no longer just black and white that held sway over our conscious historical and present narrative. But its time for us to collectively move on and take full advantages of the opportunities that are there or be left behind. Because there are people of all races and religions focusing on what they need to do to get ahead and that train aint stopping.
Agreed... but I would suggest that things like Black History Month will eventually become as 'significant' as Womans History Month (March)...or Youth Art Month (also March)... or Arab American Heritage Month (April). Eventually, with enough nominal Congressional 'concern' our 100 months of nominal observation will become 200...and then 600...and then we'll be able to celebrate National Short Person from the Midwest Who Loves Basketball Month....maybe even with a straight face!
I listened to the full episode. This is a good excerpt. I liked Glenn's suggestion that we should focus on interest areas rather than group identity. With the former, anybody can participate while the latter seeks to restrict participation to identity groups. Symbolic events or people are harder to pigeonhole since they carry additional metaphorical energy.
Glenn, I would love to hear you and John discuss Christopher Caldwell's book The Age of Entitlement, which argues that the 1960s revolution in the role of the federal government put a new layer of values and rules on top of the Constitution, and that those values are incompatible with the classical liberal concept of liberty and a free society. I don't know where I stand, and I'm not ready to advocate rolling back the Great Society and Civil Rights Act, but he makes some very compelling points that left me thinking that we need to do something to reconcile the "old Constitution" and the "new Constitution".
Is Hegseth a DEI hire. Compare his credentials to his predecessor.
We confuse too much.
Let us consider Hegseth's actual order to the DoD:
"Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department's warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force – to put one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.
Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month. Service members and civilians remain permitted to attend these events in an unofficial capacity outside of duty hours.
Installations, units, and offices are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos. We are proud of our warriors and their history, but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics."
Does this sound racist to anyone? Does it even sound indifferent to the realities of ethnic/cultural history?
Rather it simply states that DoD resources (funds or labor) would not be used to host ethnic/cultural celebrations. Is this even newsworthy?
So why does the DoD draw that resource allocation line? Because, as stated, what the Department's warfighting mission requires is 'force unity': the understanding and deep commitment by all members of the DoD to the fundamental understanding that an American warrior is that and only that. Everything else, every other demographic or cultural identifier that any individual or group of individuals may carry is and must be...a far distant second to the shared identity of American Warrior.
Would any of us disagree?
We say we endorse 'color blindness', but we are concerned that 'color blindness' might lead to indifference. We are concerned that programs intended to encourage 'blindness' might instead encourage indifference. But what, really, is the difference? If I am 'blind' to a thing -- whatever it may be -- am I not essentially indifferent to that thing. Conversely, if I am NOT indifferent to something, like, for instance, my own weight, then I cannot be blind to the numbers which flash upon the scale when I stand there.
Glenn speaks of his concern that ‘blindness’ / ‘indifference’, may lead to a lack of concern for the problems experienced by communities. But one is not logically connected to the other. If we learn that ‘Centerville’ contains a population which is 40% poor...70% obese....50% unemployed... 60% uneducated...and has an average life span 15 years below the national average...with a quarter of the population in jail...would anyone deny that Centerville is a community that needs serious help? Does it matter what color the residents are? Or what religion they practice? Or whether they all share a certain ethnicity or cultural preference for baked potatoes or Beyonce?
Of course not.
As for 'Back History Month' or MLK Day -- no one, as far as I know, is talking about cancelling such things, any more than anyone is advocating cancelling 'George Washington Carver Day' (Jan. 5th)....or removing February as our National Bird Feeding Month. But we should also consider that there are approximately 140 days, weeks, and months which have been officially recognized by Presidential Proclamation....and an additional 100 (with overlap) 'Observances' months....and probably thousands of ‘National Days’ (today, for instance, is National Cuddle Up Day). Why would we want the Federal Government to worry about any of these other than the 11 designated as National Federal Holidays?
How is any of this a bridge too far?
So no, let us celebrate what we hope is the death of DIE and move on.
And the best way to move on is a firm and unwavering effort to focus our best & brightest upon our darkest and most daunting national problems. No more; no less.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.davidgarrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/DJGStandpoint2019.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/arts/king-fbi-tapes-david-garrow.html
your response is a lot more tempered than mine.... But some of these holidays might eventually go away. They got rid of George Washington Day and Lincoln Day. Those days were observed and things were actually taught about them and their contributions to this country. Not anymore
I stipulate in my post why MLK might eventually give people to pause about what and who we are celebrating on MLK day. The acts of the man does not diminish the impact and words of MLK. But in a culture that does not celebrate our Founding Fathers because of the fact that some were men of their times and owned slaves...his legacy should have a realignment just like all our historical heroes have
Not to mention MLKs legacy of 'color blindness' has been eroded away in favor of 'equity'. The man would be appalled
Black History month is no longer needed. History was taught balanced with a lot of black history to me growing up 40 years ago. As someone with a kid that just went through elementary school in a suburban predominantly white town, Black history is taught all year long in elementary curriculum nowadays. But ask most young kids if they were taught anything about who George Washington was....
Black History Month has become more of a condemnation against our "white" past instead of a celebration of black culture. If it is going to be that, then I think that it should be replaced with Civil Rights month. We can celebrate every race and religion that has been discriminated against in the past of our country. You have the Irish; the Asians, Catholics, the Jew, all discriminated against,,,, in fact... Catholics are openly discriminated against still. Shit, straight white males most openly discriminated class in this country right now.
The US is such a huge mix of races and religions now that every month and week of the year could be dedicated to some type of oppressed identity. As far as MLK day, MLK was a womanizing, drug user who cheated on his wife several times. McWhorter is aware of the other allegations which might be true but are hidden in the documents his family dont want released by the government....He very well may have been witness to and laughed while a rape was happening. So, if the truth about MLK was actually taught and it turns out that it is even worse than we currently know... does he deserve to be put on a pedestal and celebrated? Or does MLK day go the way of George Washington and Lincoln days and and become one day. Get rid of all the identity holidays and months and replace MLK day with Civil Rights Day.
And this is not indifference to the plight of black people. But reality of the situation that our country is no longer just black and white that held sway over our conscious historical and present narrative. But its time for us to collectively move on and take full advantages of the opportunities that are there or be left behind. Because there are people of all races and religions focusing on what they need to do to get ahead and that train aint stopping.
Agreed... but I would suggest that things like Black History Month will eventually become as 'significant' as Womans History Month (March)...or Youth Art Month (also March)... or Arab American Heritage Month (April). Eventually, with enough nominal Congressional 'concern' our 100 months of nominal observation will become 200...and then 600...and then we'll be able to celebrate National Short Person from the Midwest Who Loves Basketball Month....maybe even with a straight face!
I listened to the full episode. This is a good excerpt. I liked Glenn's suggestion that we should focus on interest areas rather than group identity. With the former, anybody can participate while the latter seeks to restrict participation to identity groups. Symbolic events or people are harder to pigeonhole since they carry additional metaphorical energy.
Glenn, I would love to hear you and John discuss Christopher Caldwell's book The Age of Entitlement, which argues that the 1960s revolution in the role of the federal government put a new layer of values and rules on top of the Constitution, and that those values are incompatible with the classical liberal concept of liberty and a free society. I don't know where I stand, and I'm not ready to advocate rolling back the Great Society and Civil Rights Act, but he makes some very compelling points that left me thinking that we need to do something to reconcile the "old Constitution" and the "new Constitution".
Get rid of affirmative action…. That would be huge step
Or better yet, get him on the show and hash it out!