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July/August 2010
Consider, for example, what happened to Thomas Jefferson. Critics of the SBOE will tell you that the author of the Declaration of Independence has been removed from the curriculum altogether. Now that is a spectacular charge. The complete omission of the third president of the United States, whose face graces Mount Rushmore and the $2 bill, would be a pretty radical move. So, of course, that kicked the Righteous Indignation Industry into high gear in the subsequent screaming match. I’m not referring only to anonymous bloggers, either. When the controversy erupted, gubernatorial candidate Bill White posted a draft email for people to send to Gov. Rick Perry about the board’s vote “to remove Thomas Jefferson from social studies standards.” But that’s not what the board did. Just ask board Chairwoman Gail Lowe. After the firestorm, Lowe issued a statement accusing the media of “inaccurate and irresponsible” reporting. Lowe, with righteous indignation coursing through every artery, pointed out that Jefferson’s name is included in the social studies standards more than anyone but George Washington. Lowe is right. The board did not remove Jefferson from the social studies standards, and to say otherwise is inaccurate and irresponsible. The board removed Jefferson’s name from one list of Enlightenment thinkers who influenced later revolutions. One can argue over whether that was a wise move, but it’s a far cry from saying that Jefferson was omitted from “social studies standards.” In the Righteous Indignation Industry, people much prefer to make the more spectacular charge, even if it’s several degrees south of the truth. It gets more attention. It’s more fun. It also helps in fund-raising. In our hyperventilating, overly partisan world, it seems risky to point out that “the other guys” make a good point now and then. I’m embarrassed by the SBOE, and I am among those who believe it has been taken over by an ideological, narrow-minded bunch of right wingers. But that doesn’t change the fact that Lowe is right about this particular issue. Moreover, critics of the SBOE play right into the board’s hands when they let their righteous indignation get in the way of the truth. It enables Lowe to focus on the one thing the critics got wrong, rather than the many things they got right. There are many people making a living in the Righteous Indignation Industry. They are on the left and the right, on TV and the Internet, publishing books and videos. They rely on glib characterizations, rather than nuanced facts. They don’t speak when shouting will do. They don’t listen for understanding, but rather, for ammunition. They are quick to attack the other guy’s character and motive, not just his argument. They range from high priests of the art, such as Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olbermann, to faceless and small-minded bloggers of left and right alike. Much of what they do can only be understood when one realizes that the primary objective is not to seek the truth, but rather to build support and raise money for the cause they believe in. It would be a good idea if we all took a deep breath and counted to 10 before lashing out at each other. JIM WALSH is editor in chief of Texas School Business. He is also a school attorney with the firm of Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Gallegos and Green PC. He can be reached at jwalsh@wabsa.com. |
Our State Board of Education (SBOE) has received a beating from many parts of the mainstream media over the revisions to our social studies curriculum. Of course, the conservative members of the SBOE love nothing better than to be slashed and burned by The New York Times and CNN. It just proves their point about the “leftist” media. But as is typical in these red vs. blue, right vs. left “shout-a-thons,” the argument has focused on the spectacular rather than the accurate. The big winner, as usual, is the Righteous Indignation Industry.