Hypocritical Teen Vogue misses blatant similarity in DeSantis ‘agenda’ and AP course syllabus
July 28, 2023
Did slaves benefit from skills taught to them in slavery? There is no correct answer to this question. There is only – in this modern world – a political answer to this question.
The answer is probably that some slaves were taught something that benefited them in life, some weren’t and that slavery was a vile abomination. But our point here is not about slavery. It’s about the modern media.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been, as we know, trying to change aspects of Florida’s education system. He’s also running to be the Republican nominee for president.
One of the modifications to the Florida education system is found in the African-American History syllabus, which had the woke and progressive up in arms. Here’s Teen Vogue on the point:
“Florida public school students may not get that under the new rules approved Wednesday, which require teachers — in a section on slavery — to note that ‘slaves developed skills, which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.’”
The actual quote from the syllabus is here:
“Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
This is an outrage, proof of the vileness of DeSantis, Republicans, the American Right, and a violation of all that is good and holy.
Those with memories longer than that of a mayfly will recall the shouting that occurred when DeSantis – or Florida, Republicans, take your pick – decided that the AP syllabus for African-American History was not what they wanted Florida schools to teach.
The woke and progressive media were outraged because the AP syllabus was designed by historians and scholars. How could mere politicians disagree with their decisions?
However, the AP syllabus also contained a similar piece of information — something that children had to be taught and tested on:
“In addition to agricultural work, enslaved people learned specialized trades and worked as painters, carpenters, tailors, musicians, and healers in the North and South. Once free, American Americans used these skills to provide for themselves and others.”
But this is wholly different. That slaves benefited from skills learned in slavery, told to us by woke and progressive academics in an AP syllabus, is entirely different from a Republican telling us that slaves benefited from skills learned in slavery in a class syllabus. Surely that’s obvious?
That is the problem we want to emphasize because that is how the progressive and woke media is trying to play us. The same thing – the very same thing in class syllabi – is good when advocated by their side, terrible and a blow to the Republic when done by the other side.
The problem with American journalism is that it is no longer journalism; it’s propaganda.