>>‘Blaming is especially difficult in
terrorist situations because someone is at fault. In this country, we still
believe that all people are innocent until solid, reliable evidence from our
legal authorities proves otherwise’ — which presumably means we should
wait till the trial and, given that what’s left of Osama is currently doing a
good impression of a few specks of Johnson’s Baby Powder, that’s likely
to be a long time coming.
Instead, the NEA thinks children should ‘explore the problems inherent in
assigning blame to populations or nations of people by looking at
contemporary examples of ethnic conflict, discrimination, and stereotyping
at home and abroad’. <<
Actually, I agree with the NEA on this one. I disagree with the conclusion that teaching children to make informed judgments, and to withhold judgment until they are informed, means, ipso facto, blaming America. That would not be an informed judgment. It is no more rational than blaming all Muslims for 9/11.
I deeply regret the internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII. It was later found to be unconstitutional (internment of Japanese-born residents - not citizens - was found to be constitutional).
The NEA project is, for the most part, admirable. Let's don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
neahin.org |
