This year, at least 102 books have been removed from the shelves of school libraries in Clay County, Florida. Many of these books were pulled at the request of one man: Bruce Friedman. A conservative activist and longtime resident of New York, Friedman moved to Clay County this May.
Republicans have no policies that benefit anyone, so they engage in pointless culture wars that demonize marginalized communities. It's pathetic, abusive, hurtful and the worst thing is, it appears to be working (see the election of Glenn Youngkin in Virginia as Exhibit "A").
Instead of Florida, Friedman should have considered moving to Iran or Afghanistan, where he could appoint himself to the morality police, or better yet, the Taliban. Florida needs another fascist like it needs another hurricane.
Monsters. Each challenge should cost $25. That will slow down Asshollessss
Friedman told Popular Information that, since June 30, he has "investigated between 5 and 10 thousand" books available in Clay County school libraries on "a very cursory level."
Control of information is vital to the establishment and survival of an authoritarian state. None of this is new, it’s just newer to us in this country. Authoritarians know that their ideas will not survive in a marketplace of ideas, so the only solution is to control the marketplace in order to restrict the ideas.
A year ago a financially secure, retired, White guy posted to our neighborhood listserve:
"I am interested in learning more about the CRITICAL RACE THEORY being taught in our middle and high schools. Are there any parents of students who can provide me with any materials? Are there any concerned parents who would like to meet to discuss this issue?"
I replied on the listserve:
"I don't think critical race theory needs to be capitalized except by Fox news, which intends to rally White people to protect ourselves for another few years against talking about how our laws have historically been applied to Black people.
"White people don't talk about our accrued wealth from centuries of slavery. Critical race theory does. Critical race theory talks about how our laws have excluded Black people from voting (as in modern-day Georgia), and from owning property ("red-lining" by banks), and from the GI Bill after WWII, which raised millions of White people into the middle class -- but was not opened to Black people.
"Now that it is clear that rich White people in power simply give all the tax breaks to rich White people, it doesn't work for them to argue "economics" to voters anymore.
"Now with police on tape across the country brutalizing and killing Black people with a heritage of impunity passed down from the lynching years, it doesn't work to argue "crime" to voters anymore.
"Now that hundreds of White people are getting misdemeanors for overrunning and looting the capitol -- some trying to murder capitol security -- it doesn't work to argue "law and order" to voters anymore.
"So rich White people in power turned to an old academic term which White people have never paid attention to before. As such, critical race theory could be redefined and re-labelled as the new, worst-imaginable nightmare from the closet of White fears. And until critical race theory is known for what it is, this strategy should temporarily work on White voters in upcoming elections.
"Thanks for raising a historical issue which needs the present light of day."
I got a ton of private Thank You emails from mostly White neighbors -- they had had no idea what to say.
Otis Madison explained that the end goal of racism by White people is really to control the behavior of other White people.
It's clear to me this guy is suffering from an emotional disorder. Since school boards and librarians aren't equipped to be therapists, systems must be put in place to make it onerous to challenge books. $50-100 per challenge, and the challenge must include a minimum of 250 words documenting, with page and paragraph numbers, the "objectionable" content. Slow that roll down. These folks are mentally ill. There's no other term for it.
Control. It's about control of the (children's) thought process and access to history. That's the RW way! Now look, another raft of RW terror cells in a movement kicked off on Tucker Carlson. How apropos.
Note the hyperbole in No Left Turn's call to action, likening the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ reading material in schools to that of genocide and war. This is the language they are using to attract followers. It's as dangerous as it is absurd.
Call it what it is, an attempt to prove that Clay County can set the model for backward thinking and right wing indoctrination. Why? Because nothing terrifies Republicans more than critical thinking.
So who is bankrolling this churlish troll? What would Friedman do if a book on the Holocaust was removed because the petitioner cited that it "makes white people uncomfortable"?
This is absolutely abhorrent. After the midterms our local school board now has 3 members who campaigned on anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQ platforms. None have any sort of background in education. I'm expecting a similar school library purge, although our county librarians are vehemently against any form of censorship and so far have been able to fend off challenges. I can't believe the man in the article has a 15 year old. He must never listen to anything his son says or pick up any clues from him at all.... "According to Friedman, students should not be "focused on kissing, or petting or anything else in that general territory." Are you kidding me? Yeah, good thing 15 y.o.'s never think about that kind of stuff & are only exposed to it thru award winning literature. FFS.
They are not stopping with books. Community libraries are being re-located away from schools now.
A meeting place or safe place to do homework is gone. After school programs are not funded.
On another front, the military has expanded its Junior ROTC program into (mostly Black and poor) schools, and they are writing their own history books ! See the article "When Military Training is not an Elective," NYT December 11th, front page. Read the whole thing and weep.
Republicans have no policies that benefit anyone, so they engage in pointless culture wars that demonize marginalized communities. It's pathetic, abusive, hurtful and the worst thing is, it appears to be working (see the election of Glenn Youngkin in Virginia as Exhibit "A").
Instead of Florida, Friedman should have considered moving to Iran or Afghanistan, where he could appoint himself to the morality police, or better yet, the Taliban. Florida needs another fascist like it needs another hurricane.
Monsters. Each challenge should cost $25. That will slow down Asshollessss
Friedman told Popular Information that, since June 30, he has "investigated between 5 and 10 thousand" books available in Clay County school libraries on "a very cursory level."
Fight fire with fire. A progressive should challenge the Bible and every remotely conservative book in the library. The policy will change.
Control of information is vital to the establishment and survival of an authoritarian state. None of this is new, it’s just newer to us in this country. Authoritarians know that their ideas will not survive in a marketplace of ideas, so the only solution is to control the marketplace in order to restrict the ideas.
Perhaps challenging any books that glorify the Confederacy ? Christianity?
A year ago a financially secure, retired, White guy posted to our neighborhood listserve:
"I am interested in learning more about the CRITICAL RACE THEORY being taught in our middle and high schools. Are there any parents of students who can provide me with any materials? Are there any concerned parents who would like to meet to discuss this issue?"
I replied on the listserve:
"I don't think critical race theory needs to be capitalized except by Fox news, which intends to rally White people to protect ourselves for another few years against talking about how our laws have historically been applied to Black people.
"White people don't talk about our accrued wealth from centuries of slavery. Critical race theory does. Critical race theory talks about how our laws have excluded Black people from voting (as in modern-day Georgia), and from owning property ("red-lining" by banks), and from the GI Bill after WWII, which raised millions of White people into the middle class -- but was not opened to Black people.
"Now that it is clear that rich White people in power simply give all the tax breaks to rich White people, it doesn't work for them to argue "economics" to voters anymore.
"Now with police on tape across the country brutalizing and killing Black people with a heritage of impunity passed down from the lynching years, it doesn't work to argue "crime" to voters anymore.
"Now that hundreds of White people are getting misdemeanors for overrunning and looting the capitol -- some trying to murder capitol security -- it doesn't work to argue "law and order" to voters anymore.
"So rich White people in power turned to an old academic term which White people have never paid attention to before. As such, critical race theory could be redefined and re-labelled as the new, worst-imaginable nightmare from the closet of White fears. And until critical race theory is known for what it is, this strategy should temporarily work on White voters in upcoming elections.
"Thanks for raising a historical issue which needs the present light of day."
I got a ton of private Thank You emails from mostly White neighbors -- they had had no idea what to say.
Otis Madison explained that the end goal of racism by White people is really to control the behavior of other White people.
It's clear to me this guy is suffering from an emotional disorder. Since school boards and librarians aren't equipped to be therapists, systems must be put in place to make it onerous to challenge books. $50-100 per challenge, and the challenge must include a minimum of 250 words documenting, with page and paragraph numbers, the "objectionable" content. Slow that roll down. These folks are mentally ill. There's no other term for it.
This is insane, and quite frightening that one man can work the system in such a way to impose his beliefs on so many.
Control. It's about control of the (children's) thought process and access to history. That's the RW way! Now look, another raft of RW terror cells in a movement kicked off on Tucker Carlson. How apropos.
Note the hyperbole in No Left Turn's call to action, likening the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ reading material in schools to that of genocide and war. This is the language they are using to attract followers. It's as dangerous as it is absurd.
Call it what it is, an attempt to prove that Clay County can set the model for backward thinking and right wing indoctrination. Why? Because nothing terrifies Republicans more than critical thinking.
So who is bankrolling this churlish troll? What would Friedman do if a book on the Holocaust was removed because the petitioner cited that it "makes white people uncomfortable"?
"Friedman is the president and founder of the Florida chapter of No Left Turn in Education, a right-wing educational group."
Please call these organizations what they are: extremist. Not "right wing". The latter label normalizes extremism.
This is absolutely abhorrent. After the midterms our local school board now has 3 members who campaigned on anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQ platforms. None have any sort of background in education. I'm expecting a similar school library purge, although our county librarians are vehemently against any form of censorship and so far have been able to fend off challenges. I can't believe the man in the article has a 15 year old. He must never listen to anything his son says or pick up any clues from him at all.... "According to Friedman, students should not be "focused on kissing, or petting or anything else in that general territory." Are you kidding me? Yeah, good thing 15 y.o.'s never think about that kind of stuff & are only exposed to it thru award winning literature. FFS.
They are not stopping with books. Community libraries are being re-located away from schools now.
A meeting place or safe place to do homework is gone. After school programs are not funded.
On another front, the military has expanded its Junior ROTC program into (mostly Black and poor) schools, and they are writing their own history books ! See the article "When Military Training is not an Elective," NYT December 11th, front page. Read the whole thing and weep.