New in Civitas: "The False Equivalence of Multicultural Day"

"Multicultural Day is a gateway drug to DEI."

Now for something a little more personal. My latest column for Civitas speaks to something every parent has experienced: multicultural day.

Here is the introduction of "The False Equivalence of Multicultural Day."

On paper, the program seems unobjectionable. Students are asked to wear clothes from their ancestral homeland. Students can also prepare posters with pictures and other symbols from that nation. And parents can bring in food from their local cuisines. Students then group together by region: Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. They parade down the hallway, which was festooned with flags from around the globe. At some level, the day was enjoyable. I saw kids smiling as they celebrated the culture that mattered most to them. Parents also cheered when their home country was represented. What could be wrong?

Lots can be wrong.

From the conclusion:

Multicultural Day is a gateway drug to DEI. It acculturates students at the earliest age to focus on differences between races and nationalities rather than on what unites us. Efforts to allow students to represent their own cultures necessarily separate them on that very basis. Shortly after Multicultural Day ended, African American History Month began. Unsurprisingly, there was no representation of Justice Clarence Thomas, one of the most influential black people in American history.

Comments

[windycityattorney]

And just as the gateway drug theory related to cannabis was debunked...

Not sure where to start. My kids' school also has this day. Its optional and after hours. My girls loved learning about their friends' cultures and I enjoyed the free snacks.

I thought it interesting that no less than 15 different countries were represented. Including some I knew less than zero about. So I too learned some interesting facts. Sometimes you gotta just let kids be kids. In elementary school at least, the kids aren't racist pricks unless they learn that shit at home and bring their parents baggage with them.

[Frank Drackman]

Kids aren't race-ist in Elementary Screw-el??? What Private Academy did you go to? They sure as fuck were in Louisiana. The Black Kids were even worse. OK, No-Fuck-Vagina was "Middle" Screw-el, not sure what the 19 yr guys with Full Beards and Prison Tats were doing there.
Want a Foreign Language?
Try "E Pluribus Unum"
It's only on the back of every $1 Bill (it is a little hard to find, it's under the 13 Stars that looks suspiciously like a Star of David (It's OK Lexi Aquafina, it's not really a Star of David, you won't turn to dust and blow away like Dracula)
Remember back in 1993 when Vice President AlGore got E Pluribus Unum totally backwards? He also didn't recognize the Statue of George Washington, but Quayle was supposed to be the Stupid one.
But I'm totally down with learning about African Civilization and Tradition, I've always wanted to be able to throw a Spear.

Frank

[LexAquilia]

What table did the American culture have?

I'm guessing none at a government school.

[DB83]

My goodness. What a miserable existence it must be to object to teaching children about the world and each other. Utterly depressing.

[Frank Drackman]

Because it's turned in to
"I'm a White Guy, there isn't a race we haven't given Incurable STDs to or Enslaved at some point."
and if you're a White JEWISH Guy it's even worse.
"Hi I'm Frank, my Ancestors had your Saviour Executed in a horrible demeaning manner, then for 2,000 years we've specialized in charging you Usurious Interest Rates, Running the Slave Trade, Controlling International Economies, and introducing Communism to the World"

Frank

[MollyGodiva]

Spoken like a true bigot hate-filled MAGA fascist shit.

[Frank Drackman]

Thanks for proving my point.

[Malika la Maize]

Some of the only things wackier than the more wacky applications of “DEI” are anti-DEI applications, as demonstrated here by Josh. There’s nothing wrong with having kids appreciate their respective heritages

[MollyGodiva]

Eliminating multiculturalism is part of fascism. Josh is a fascist.

[Frank Drackman]

2 "Fascists" in 2 minutes? and a "Fascism" to boot?, You're going to wear out your "F", "A", "C", "S", "I" "M", and "T" Keys.
Just for Funz-eeze, can you Define "Fascist" without looking it up"
I'll give my version.
"All Purpose Insult for when you don't have anything of substance to say"
"I usually use "Dickhead", "Bitch", "Cunt", or "Homo", but You do You!!

Frank

[Sarcastr0]

The only interesting part of this tired 'DEI is when nonwhites exist' screed was this:

Justice Clarence Thomas, one of the most influential black people in American history.

Only if you believe in the influence of lone dissents.

While in no way a fan of his legal thinking, I do find Thomas is a fiercly smart man, and his opinions were some of my favorites to read in law school due to their economy and clarity.

But he didn't lead a legal movement, nor is he known for persuading his colleagues.
This is just more indulgence in clownish superlativity.

[Frank Drackman]

My Main Man Clarence has arguably had a greater influence on Amurican Society than Barry Hussein Ebola, who was only 1/2 Black (Why is it "Progressive" to go by the Old South's "One Drop" Rule??)
Borrowing from RFK Sr. Clarence saw Infanticide and tried to stop it, and eventually did. (With the help of 5 other Judges admittedly)
What did Ebola do? "Ebola-Care"?? oh great! another 50 Million Peoples on Medicaid!!!
But I'll give him Credit, those Thousands of Young Amuricans who died freeing Off-Gone-E-Stan from the Tolly-Bon???
Oh wait, Off-Gone-E-Stan is Ruled by the Tolly-Bon???
But He did stand up to the Roosh-un Invasion of Crimea.
Actually he didn't, he drew a Line, then caved like a Pussy, the "Invasion of You-Crane" started in 2014, thanks to Barry.

Frank

[David Nieporent]

I assume he's just hoping that Clarence Thomas will accept the attorneys he's sponsoring for bar admission.

[Frank Drackman]

Editorial Page Washington Post January 10, 1994
"Gore said Milwaukee's ethnic melting pot shows that America "can be E Pluribus Unum -- out of one, many."
No Al, that's the Soviet Union. We're out of many, one.
A mind is a terrible thing to lose. Is there something about being vice president that does this?"

Frank

[Sid]

In the Child Development Lab School at U-Tenn back about 2002, a fellow graduate student was upset with her supervisor. In the 3 year old classroom, she was conducting a weekly thematic unit on "Family". Each child in the class brought in a photo of their family. No limits. Just a simple assignment for each family. Bring in a photo of the people in your home. For extra fun, each child could also bring a photo of a recent family gathering. The photos were displayed on a board and during circle time each child took a moment to identify each family member. It was wonderful until...

The ultra-liberal doctoral candidate supervisor went into the room at night and removed the photos of each child's family and replaced them with a nuclear family photo with different races. There was an intact African-American family with father, mother, and two children. There was an Asian family and of note there was a daughter in the photo. There was a Latino family, an American Indian family, etc...

As a former child care director and fellow doctoral candidate, I was asked to serve on the conflict resolution team that the department formed. While the tenured faculty gazed at the tops of their shoes, it fell to me to explain to the would-be social justice warrior that not only had she missed the point of 3 year olds discussing their families, but she had missed every Liberal talking point along the way. Every family does not have a mother and a father living in the home. In that actual class, there were two families that had only same-sex parents. She had omitted 3 families with live-in grandmothers. Only one child in the classroom was an only child. Two children in the classroom were biracial. She visually erased all diversity in the classroom in her attempt to teach the children that everyone was equal.

[bernard11]

Gateway drug?? WTF??

Josh has lost his mind, or else decided that demonstrating his anti-DEI bona fides will advance his career in MAGA.

It acculturates students at the earliest age to focus on differences between races and nationalities rather than on what unites us. Efforts to allow students to represent their own cultures necessarily separate them on that very basis.

What nonsense. The fact is that, no matter how much Josh hates it, there are a lot of cultures in the world, and lots of them are represented in the US. I'd say encouraging children to learn more about others is a good thing.

[Voodoo]

Blackman's thesis is so shallow, and so desperate for a reason to be aggrieved. These kinds of multicultural events do not "focus on differences between races and nationalities" at all, as Blackman whines. Rather, they highlight the very thing that "unites us" -- that we all (or nearly all) descend from different cultures and form this incredible thing that is the USA. And they remind everyone that that kid in your class, who maybe brings the funny lunch or doesn't listen to the same mainstream pop music you do, has a whole different home life than you do, and that does not make him any less American.

It is literally a uniting event, and the whole underlying premise of it (whether spoken or unspoken), is "we are all American." Methinks no kids come out feeling separated, but perhaps an oversensitive adult reaching for content for an article might.

[MollyGodiva]

This is a disgusting piece and harps back to the days when Indian children were forbidden to keep any of their Indian cultures in government run/mandated schools. It was an act of cultural genocide. This post also demonstrates clearly that the anti-DEI campaign has nothing to do with anti-discrimination. (DEI is non-discrimination).

[Frank Drackman]

In the Schools Defense, those Pale-Skin Scalps do get pretty Rank if they're not tanned properly.

[Katall]

Of course, that means no yamulkas in schools, right? If we are going to have one culture, that means one religion, right?

Seriously, without cultural differences, we are worse off. Without Scottish influence, we would not have bourbon. Without French influence, we would not have baguettes. Without German influence, we would not have lagers.

People need to know where they come from, as it informs them of what they have where they are.

[Frank Drackman]

It's "Yarmulkes" and I only wear mine at Sin O' Gogue, with today's Environment it's like wearing a Bullseye.
And without Africans we wouldn't have........
Watermelon!!!!
No joke, that's where Watermelon originated.

Frank

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are good things. So good.

[Frank Drackman]

Too bad it's more accurately "Division, Envy, and Isolation"

[ReaderY]

It may be a good idea. It may be a bad idea. But it doesn’t strike me as being worth getting upset enough to poop in ones pants over.

That said, I could see potential for conflict. I find myself curious, for example, about what would happen if some Jewish children showed up at one of these events presenting Israel as their ancestral homeland.

[gVOR08]

Probably nothing would happen, as long as the Israeli kids didn't try to throw out any kid dressed as an Arab.

[gVOR08]

The president elected by conservatives gave a SOTU calling Democrats crazy, claiming immigrants are looting the country, and claiming his opponents can't win without cheating, while pushing a bill designed to suppress voting. Liberals support Multicultural Day. And Blackman thinks it's liberals who are divisive. Go figure.

[Voodoo]

"Multicultural Day is a gateway drug to DEI." The author worked really hard to find a thesis, and an avenue to reveal some kind of hidden truth, and this is the best he could up with. This is so embarrassing.