Regarding the March 18 commentary that encouraged the teaching of dissent to students, I have two teenagers in an Edmonds District high school. At least one teacher has given classes while wearing Black Lives Matter shirts, one told their students that questions from students of color will be addressed before white students, and students have been told that police indiscriminately kill people of color. They are told people of color can’t succeed in the U.S. because of racism. No “dissent” from other teachers. It appears modern teaching consists of creating perpetual victim status rather than a truly educational environment designed to help kids succeed.
A school video released on Martin Luther King Day features teachers calling for the racist and “militant” national anthem to be changed. It also appears that history is lost: Our nation was founded in armed revolt against abusive, foreign rule. Our anthem was taken from a poem about a pivotal battle in the conflict for our existence. Still, no dissenting opinions included.
Many teachers promote our right of free speech (except hate speech) as protected, but firearm ownership is not. Guns are evil, not the kids who murder. Kids are taught what to think, not how to think, and there is enormous social pressure to conform to this groupthink. That is not what the First Amendment guarantees us; we have the right to speak out, to express ourselves, even if we are alone in an opinion. And to dissent or not.
The author of the commentary doesn’t appear to understand this; to her it appears it’s about the correct dissent, not the freedom to decide for yourself.
Brian Post
Mountlake Terrace
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