I wrote and sent a letter to the editor of the WSJ last night about this disingenuous flap about a single sentence in a 300 page curriculum on slavery co authored by black scholars. It probably won't be printed because what I wrote is pretty snarky.
That said, this VP seems to be identifying as a fellow victim. However poorly phrased, the point of the offending sentence holds up on every metric. If you're doing all the work planting and harvesting crops, tanning leather, doing the forging, keeping the horses properly shod, cooking and managing a plantation, etc., you've picked up some skills no one can take from you. This person has diminished everything about the office she so undeservedly holds and she keeps making it worse. Has she no shame?
Here's what I wrote since you probably won't see it published:
The growing horror of child sex slavery in America today seems of no interest to media or the current administration. Why is that?
VP Harris seems so deeply concerned about a single poorly worded sentence in a 300 page Florida curriculum on slavery which was co authored by black scholars who strenuously disagree with her assessment of the sentence in question.
Sadly, I am reminded that in 2018 Harris’ Jamaican father, now a retired Stanford professor, inconveniently wrote he was “…descendent of Hamilton Brown who is on record as a plantation and slave owner.” On July 2, 2019 Dan MacGuill wrote an article for Snopes on the matter and concluded there was a missing link that undermined Harris’ own father’s assertion.
Perhaps it’s time for Mr. MacGuill to revisit and clear up the question of VP Harris’ personal connection to this ugly stain in America’s history. Knowing for certain might energize her to actually do something about the very real and current horror of child slavery in America today.
I ran the entire curriculum by a distinguished black historian who is a friend. Not a "conservative" by the way. It was a private communication, so I am not giving his name here. Not only did he see no problem with the offending phrase, and not only was he impressed by how much was covered--he also looked through the REST of the history curriculum and was very pleased and surprised to see much of African American history conveyed in the OTHER history sections too. As he has long believed it should be. I commented on this on your earlier piece Glenn, but it bears repeating because it was buried in the comments. I have not seen this reported by anybody, and you should be aware of it if you didn't read the entire document either (I didn't!). African American history is American history and not all of it should be siloed.
Imagine bringing up who sold the slaves to westerners in the first place. That will quadrangle the woke's head. They likely believe white people stormed the beaches of West Africa and ripped babies from mothers arms.
This is the problem with this Marxist ideology, this oppressed and oppressor view of the world, this delineation of race as the governing factor in social affairs.
It renders the believer incapable of viewing reality and history and society as it is, rather it is broken down into a simple equation that relies quite heavily on scapegoat politics.
The world is complex, but many people are simple, they want a pill to fix everything, not a new routine that is healthy.
The messenger matters. Ron DeSantis is not trustworthy. Glenn and John are in a bubble. We will see how the course is actually taught. Nothing in the prior actions of Ron DeSantisgives any comfort. A lecture about how people should respond to the Florida curriculum is insulting. I want Conservatives to continue to support the FL department of education.
DeSantis just removed a Black female state attorney in an area that had an 18% decrease in crime. Kamala is smiling because DeSantis is proving her overall point. DeSantis and Trump will drive Democrats out to the polls.
As SF resident- I owe an apology to USA. Sorry folks, SF always exports it’s worst to higher office beyond, whether Newsom or Harris.
As Loury/McWhorter demonstrated, there is much to explore in any historical topic including slavery. I am curious about slavery as a national security risk. If an invasion along the southern USA border - including the coastal border in any year prior to 1865, one really could not logically expect slaves to defend with enthusiasm. Curious if England, France or Spain toyed with that possibility. Curious if northerners worried.
I am also curious about unintended consequences of privilege during slavery era. Did slaves incidentally avoid any lifestyle harm that non-slaved became vulnerable to? History is a rich mine with so much potential for learning. Tragic how the woke are denying society such potential enrichment.
I get where you're coming from, gentlemen. But both of you know it's not that simple. Want proof?
Glenn, if you're gonna assume that level of deceit in VP Kamala, will you please do the same with Tim Scott and Byron Donalds? They both chimed in on this issue in a similar way. Does that make them demagogues?
I think it's the nature of US politics in 2023. Let us not forget it used to be a helluva lot worse.
John's strongest point, I believe, was the ratio: i.e., one line out of 190-something. Excellent point, BUT...
This kind of thing happens all of the time, guys. It is almost always the scandalous / controversial line that screams and endures. When has that NOT been true?
Remember when Jessie Jackson said "Hy---town"? What else did he say in that speech? Anybody know? Me either. What was The Bell Curve about? I honestly never read it. But apparently it touched on many other subjects than the one it's notorious for.
Welcome to America.
Last point: "Card-carrying conservative Black Republican".
For some people, the above phrase raises just as many eyebrows as "African-American Studies Department" does with others.
More info about Mr. Allen would help. What KIND of "card-carrying conservative Black Republican"? Candace Owens or Condoleezza Rice? Jessie Lee Peterson or Michael Steele?
In my view, it was a strange (and clumsily worded) entry to place in the *guidelines* of a public school curriculum that could potentially include 7th-graders. That doesn't mean that I am maniacally against teaching the full scope of history. That's an immature accusation.
Politicians posing for points. Shocked! Glenn has it exactly on-point. Vice President Harris was practicing demagoguery, plain of simple. Arguing against historical facts is a wonderful way to derail substantive discussions. Quoting McWhorter from the video, "The document is so effective at communicating the horrors of slavery that I am surprised Ron DeSantis would endorse it." That is beyond classic! I am no lover of any politician, including DeSantis, so I endorse that cheap shot. Kudos!
I wrote and sent a letter to the editor of the WSJ last night about this disingenuous flap about a single sentence in a 300 page curriculum on slavery co authored by black scholars. It probably won't be printed because what I wrote is pretty snarky.
That said, this VP seems to be identifying as a fellow victim. However poorly phrased, the point of the offending sentence holds up on every metric. If you're doing all the work planting and harvesting crops, tanning leather, doing the forging, keeping the horses properly shod, cooking and managing a plantation, etc., you've picked up some skills no one can take from you. This person has diminished everything about the office she so undeservedly holds and she keeps making it worse. Has she no shame?
Here's what I wrote since you probably won't see it published:
The growing horror of child sex slavery in America today seems of no interest to media or the current administration. Why is that?
VP Harris seems so deeply concerned about a single poorly worded sentence in a 300 page Florida curriculum on slavery which was co authored by black scholars who strenuously disagree with her assessment of the sentence in question.
Sadly, I am reminded that in 2018 Harris’ Jamaican father, now a retired Stanford professor, inconveniently wrote he was “…descendent of Hamilton Brown who is on record as a plantation and slave owner.” On July 2, 2019 Dan MacGuill wrote an article for Snopes on the matter and concluded there was a missing link that undermined Harris’ own father’s assertion.
Perhaps it’s time for Mr. MacGuill to revisit and clear up the question of VP Harris’ personal connection to this ugly stain in America’s history. Knowing for certain might energize her to actually do something about the very real and current horror of child slavery in America today.
I ran the entire curriculum by a distinguished black historian who is a friend. Not a "conservative" by the way. It was a private communication, so I am not giving his name here. Not only did he see no problem with the offending phrase, and not only was he impressed by how much was covered--he also looked through the REST of the history curriculum and was very pleased and surprised to see much of African American history conveyed in the OTHER history sections too. As he has long believed it should be. I commented on this on your earlier piece Glenn, but it bears repeating because it was buried in the comments. I have not seen this reported by anybody, and you should be aware of it if you didn't read the entire document either (I didn't!). African American history is American history and not all of it should be siloed.
Imagine bringing up who sold the slaves to westerners in the first place. That will quadrangle the woke's head. They likely believe white people stormed the beaches of West Africa and ripped babies from mothers arms.
This is the problem with this Marxist ideology, this oppressed and oppressor view of the world, this delineation of race as the governing factor in social affairs.
It renders the believer incapable of viewing reality and history and society as it is, rather it is broken down into a simple equation that relies quite heavily on scapegoat politics.
The world is complex, but many people are simple, they want a pill to fix everything, not a new routine that is healthy.
The messenger matters. Ron DeSantis is not trustworthy. Glenn and John are in a bubble. We will see how the course is actually taught. Nothing in the prior actions of Ron DeSantisgives any comfort. A lecture about how people should respond to the Florida curriculum is insulting. I want Conservatives to continue to support the FL department of education.
DeSantis just removed a Black female state attorney in an area that had an 18% decrease in crime. Kamala is smiling because DeSantis is proving her overall point. DeSantis and Trump will drive Democrats out to the polls.
As SF resident- I owe an apology to USA. Sorry folks, SF always exports it’s worst to higher office beyond, whether Newsom or Harris.
As Loury/McWhorter demonstrated, there is much to explore in any historical topic including slavery. I am curious about slavery as a national security risk. If an invasion along the southern USA border - including the coastal border in any year prior to 1865, one really could not logically expect slaves to defend with enthusiasm. Curious if England, France or Spain toyed with that possibility. Curious if northerners worried.
I am also curious about unintended consequences of privilege during slavery era. Did slaves incidentally avoid any lifestyle harm that non-slaved became vulnerable to? History is a rich mine with so much potential for learning. Tragic how the woke are denying society such potential enrichment.
I get where you're coming from, gentlemen. But both of you know it's not that simple. Want proof?
Glenn, if you're gonna assume that level of deceit in VP Kamala, will you please do the same with Tim Scott and Byron Donalds? They both chimed in on this issue in a similar way. Does that make them demagogues?
I think it's the nature of US politics in 2023. Let us not forget it used to be a helluva lot worse.
John's strongest point, I believe, was the ratio: i.e., one line out of 190-something. Excellent point, BUT...
This kind of thing happens all of the time, guys. It is almost always the scandalous / controversial line that screams and endures. When has that NOT been true?
Remember when Jessie Jackson said "Hy---town"? What else did he say in that speech? Anybody know? Me either. What was The Bell Curve about? I honestly never read it. But apparently it touched on many other subjects than the one it's notorious for.
Welcome to America.
Last point: "Card-carrying conservative Black Republican".
For some people, the above phrase raises just as many eyebrows as "African-American Studies Department" does with others.
More info about Mr. Allen would help. What KIND of "card-carrying conservative Black Republican"? Candace Owens or Condoleezza Rice? Jessie Lee Peterson or Michael Steele?
In my view, it was a strange (and clumsily worded) entry to place in the *guidelines* of a public school curriculum that could potentially include 7th-graders. That doesn't mean that I am maniacally against teaching the full scope of history. That's an immature accusation.
Politicians posing for points. Shocked! Glenn has it exactly on-point. Vice President Harris was practicing demagoguery, plain of simple. Arguing against historical facts is a wonderful way to derail substantive discussions. Quoting McWhorter from the video, "The document is so effective at communicating the horrors of slavery that I am surprised Ron DeSantis would endorse it." That is beyond classic! I am no lover of any politician, including DeSantis, so I endorse that cheap shot. Kudos!
The notion that Kamala Harris was too busy is laughable, at best. The truth used to be the ultimate defense.