Gopherland Augsburg “U” Catches Lefty Fascistics Club Censors’ Itch

LITERARY OUTRAGES, WITH PUSHBACK FROM THE SANE

by John Hinderaker  at PowerLine:

Here in Minnesota, we are witnessing two instances of the collapse of our educational institutions, both having to do with “controversial” literature. One year ago in Duluth, the public school administration banned both Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird–two indisputably great American novels–from the classroom. Now, sixteen brave Duluth teachers have protested the administration’s decision. My colleague Tom Steward has the story. The teachers’ letter is here. The letter is well worth reading in its entirety, but here are some excerpts:

5. Administrators removed the novels without any teacher input. They failed to ask teachers how they teach the novels and how students receive them.
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8. Administrators hundreds of students’ letters and survey responses protesting the decision.
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English teachers are angry and demoralized. The district is about to spend a lot of money to implement a book that is not engaging and simply makes a lateral move from discussing the historical oppression of African Americans to that of Native Americans, while lacking an engaging story line. [Ed.: Apparently it goes without saying that books assigned to public school students must be about oppression by white Americans.]

Most importantly, students will be adversely affected. Instead of reading the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-loved novel in the country written by the recipient of two presidential medals, they will be required to read something that everyone present on January 10 agreed would not engage them.

But then, we all know that public education is not carried out for the benefit of the students! Leftist narratives uber alles.

It is too soon to tell what will happen in Duluth. Meanwhile, moving to the college level, Minneapolis’s Augsburg University is embroiled in an even dumber controversy. Again, Tom Steward has the facts.

Briefly, an award-winning Augsburg professor named Phillip Adamo has been suspended from teaching at Augsburg because he read to a class a passage from James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time that included the word “nigger.” The Fire Next Time is a formidable production which Scott has praised on this site. Unfortunately, the excerpt from the book that Professor Adamo read to his class contained–wait for it!–the dreaded N-word. Once again, my colleague Tom Steward reports:

Augsburg University’s suspension of a respected history and medieval studies professor who quoted a passage from a James Baldwin book that included the “N-word” in an honors seminar has ignited an intense debate over academic freedom on campus.

Professor Phillip Adamo was suspended in October but the controversy only came to light recently after Augsburg took further steps to sanction him. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has come to Adamo’s defense raising concerns over “the climate for academic freedom at Augsburg” and due process on campus.

It is refreshing to see a mainstream academic group taking a rational position. What needs to be emphasized here is that Professor Adamo simply read a passage of Baldwin’s book in which the African-American author used the word “nigger.” It is deeply ironic that white liberals in academia are now trying to censor one of the seminal black activist authors. Perhaps they just don’t know any better: my opinion of school administrators has fallen about as low as it can get.

Highlights from the AAUP letter:

Professor Adamo’s suspension also raises the concern that it was effected in violation of his academic freedom, as it appears to have been primarily based on classroom speech that was clearly protected by principles of academic freedom.
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Citing On Freedom of Expression, Freedom in the Classroom acknowledges the need to “foster an atmosphere respectful of and welcoming to all persons,” adding, “An instructor may not harass a student nor act on an invidiously discriminatory ground toward a student.” However, Freedom in the Classroom observes that “[i]deas that are germane to a subject under discussion in a classroom cannot be censored because a student” might be offended….

To the extent that the administration’s actions against Professor Adamo are based on his reading from The Fire Next Time in his class, they violate his freedom in the classroom under principles of academic freedom long recognized by this Association and in Augsburg University’s faculty handbook.

Rampant political correctness has pretty much overridden quaint notions of academic freedom in America’s educational institutions. We see the consequences all around us. But it is good to see that here and there, denizens of the academic swamp, who may be liberal but are not completely crazy, are fighting back.

 

Note:  It was the Jewish crowd in Minneapolis’ St. Louis Park suburb  in the 1950s that banned Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” from its city’s school system and city libraries.    And it wasn’t because of his memorable comment to all America:  “THE COLDEST WINTER I EVER SPENT WAS  SUMMER IN DULUTH.”  (ghr)

Literary Outrages, With Pushback From the Sane

Leftism: High on BuzzLies; Low on Truth!

Leftism: High on Buzzwords, Low on Thought

by  Bruce Walker  at American Thinker:

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The left does not need to argue with conservatives and other normal people.  This is because the left has co-opted language so that clear thinking is impossible.  Buzzwords preclude whole serious thought and channel virtually all cognition along predictable and entirely theoretical, rather than empirical, lines.

While leftists can “think” only along these lines, the real danger is that conservatives accept these buzzwords as well, so conservatives also have shackled minds that rely, almost entirely, upon an entire vocabulary created by leftist totalitarianism.  A few words and phrases help show how this works.

“Homophobia” is a rickety neologism intended to encompass virtually every variety of analysis of that leftist insistence that homosexuality and its offspring “transgender” and so forth have no problems.  In fact, there are at least three different and usually conflicting approaches to this issue.

Judaism and Christianity in their historic forms consider homosexuality a sin.  Darwinists, who disagree with Judaism and Christianity in almost every respect, find homosexuality, which dramatically diminishes natural procreation, to be an evolutionary dead end.  Psychologists, decades ago, considered homosexuality a disorder.   Why, then, lump all these reactions into a single “homophobia” label?  It prevents any real serious analysis or reflection.

Along similar lines, the “ideological spectrum,” the idea that political thought can be categorized based on a geometrical model that does not exist and has never really existed, infects virtually everything in political discussion.  Even conservatives swallow whole the profoundly silly idea that political positions can be explained by identifying a position as lying along an “ideological spectrum.”

Even more idiotic are those words historically used to calibrate points along the nonexistent ideological spectrum: reactionary, conservative, liberal, progressive, radical, and revolutionary.  A sober study of politics is impossible when using these baby words.  Thomas Jefferson was simultaneously revolutionary, reactionary, progressive, radical, liberal, and conservative.

As we approach the 2020 election and see that more and more potential and declared Democrat candidates are women, get ready for the dull, dreary, lifeless leftist malediction “sexist!” to be forced more and more into political debate.  What was the original argument behind feminism and sexism?  Both sexes were oppressed by being forced into roles that…blah, blah, blah.  This original argument meant that ending sexism liberated both sexes.

Feminists never really believed in or wanted equality.  That would have meant that men would be given equal standing in child custody cases.  Women would have the same duty to support a household that men had.  Women would not be believed in court simply because a teary-eyed woman evoked more sympathy than an unemotional man.  We were all going to be equal in every sense.

But, to paraphrase Orwell in Animal Farm, the real guiding idea was this: “Both sexes are equal, but one is more equal than the other.”  This showed up early in symbolic changes.  So hurricanes could no longer be named after women, which is also why we speak today of “Father Nature.”  (Oh, wait – we don’t!)

Every billboard dealing with domestic violence shows a woman, never a man, as the victim.  The “Violence Against Women Act” might as well be called the “Violence Against Aryans Act” because most victims of violence are men, not women.  Although women now live longer than men (until 1950, men lived longer), nevertheless, demands for more money to “women’s health” was angrily demanded.

The laws that were passed a century ago in the “Progressive Era” at the insistence of feminists to protect women and children, laws prohibiting factories and mine-owners from employing women and children in the most dangerous jobs, now, magically, became discrimination against women.

Whines from spoiled, rich dopes like Hillary that men earn more money than women are exactly like the similar screeches by Nazis of higher Jewish income – the idea that income was related to effort or skill is summarily dismissed in both cases.  The fact that women own more and spend more than men is never mentioned.

As with feminism, all leftist buzzwords and pseudo-ideologies are irrational and immoral.  The purpose is to retain some appearance of thought while, in fact, destroying free minds and independent thinking.  The key to defeating this misology is to directly challenge the language and assumptions upon which it rests its rickety foundation.  That requires us to discard the lexicon shoved upon us and to show moral courage.  If we fail in this, our slide into the abyss can only be slowed but never stopped.

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https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/02/leftism_high_on_buzzwords_low_on_thought.html

Obama’s Orwellian Speak and Read, February 28, 2015!

*When Liberals were on their way to feminize fascism….. Why Don’t Liberals Just Say What They Mean? A handy translation table from Liberal P.C. Doublespeak and code words to plain English
When they say…	They really mean…
multiculturalism, diversity, fairness, equity, inclusion, inclusiveness, opportunity, empowerment	racial quotas, discrimination against whites, special rights and preferential treatment for protected minorities, the exclusion of white males
multicultural, inclusive	the exclusion of heterosexual male caucasians.
diverse	whites and Christians absent
get the word out	sign up everyone in the lower class for lifetime dependence on the government
invest in the future	redistribution of wealth, spending borrowed money
community initiatives	handouts and services for minorities only
vulnerable, disadvantaged	poor
community organizer	agitator, troublemaker, radical, anarchist
“Prominent” Democrats “Greedy” Republicans	unusually wealthy people
Justice-involved youth	Juvenile delinquent
community, grassroots	low-income citizens, “victimized” minorities, small parasitic organizations
federal family	Big Brother
gun reform	gun control
community education	spreading propaganda
alliance	liberal organization
affirmative action, minority enterprise development, minority business development, disadvantaged business utilization, equal opportunity, diversity programs	racial quotas, discrimination against whites, minority hiring quotas, lowered standards
rainforest	jungle
kinetic operations	war
human trafficking	21st-century slavery
carbon	carbon dioxide
wetland	swamp
the founders	the Founding Fathers
ancestors	forefathers
terrorists	Islamist Muslim terrorists
revenue measure, deficit reduction, raising revenues, balanced approach, revenue enhancements, balancing, progressive revenue, contribution, inflow, Shared Responsibility Payment, shared responsibility penalty	taxes
transfer station, landfill	city dump
troubled inner-city youth at-risk teen	gang leader, juvenile felon, thug, dope dealer, pimp, hoodlum, mugger
sex trade worker	prostitute, whore, stripper, slut, tramp, hooker, hussy, harlot
sexual minorities	sexual deviates, perverts
hard of seeing, visually challenged, people with blindness, visually impaired, visually limited, sightless	the blind (There is no shame in blindness, so why not just say “blind”?)
activists, advocates, advocacy group	troublemakers
progressive	liberal, radical, leftist
vegan	vegetarian, Earth worshipper
fiancee	this month’s roommate
graphic novel	comic book
“It was an honest mistake.”	“We got caught.”
urban	black
“worked courageously”	was arrested while picketing
Aleut, Inuit	Eskimo
Native Americans	Indians.  (Native Hawaiians are native Americans, but they’re never called “Native Americans”.)
undocumented workers, foreign-born population, Americans in waiting, migrants, out of status, migrant workers, economic-driven immigrants, DACA recipients, “Dreamers”	illegal immigrants, illegal aliens
comprehensive immigration reform	amnesty for illegal immigrants
reproductive rights, choice, reproductive choice, reproductive freedom, reproductive health care, reproductive access, fetal rights, women’s rights	abortion, fetal homicide
pregnancy prevention	childbirth prevention
sexually active	promiscuous
edgy, irreverent, pushing the envelope, cutting edge, hip, bold, smart, sophisticated, offbeat	compliments used to describe vulgar, offensive, profane, brazen, blasphemous or obscene entertainment venues, TV programs, movies or Hollywood personalities
client, homeless, residentially challenged, street person, disadvantaged, disenfranchised	bum, hobo, derelict, vagrant, drunkard, beggar, drifter, tramp, vagabond, panhandler
food insecure households	those who are too lazy to work
under-served communities	those who are next in line for a handout
urban sprawl	progress, growth, prosperity, suburbs, commuters
targeted spending	buying votes
left behind	anything that escapes the scrutiny, control, and taxation of the federal government
light pollution	Such an abundance of affordable electric energy that many homes, highways and places of business are brightly illuminated at night.  Seemingly impossible in Communist countries.
resource extraction	Drilling for oil Cutting down trees Mining, especially for coal Fracking
raping the earth	Drilling for oil, Cutting down a tree, Hunting, Fishing, Burning wood, Mining, Eating a steak, Buying a large automobile or minivan, Wearing anything made of fur or leather
suboptimal outcome negative gain deferred success	academic failure  F you flunked
This is a time to put politics aside	YOU put YOUR politics aside, and we will politicize the crisis du jour
When they mention…	They’re talking about…
sustainable economy the greater good part of something larger shared responsibility access democracy living wage laws economic justice affordable housing giving back to the community everyone shared in that success this will require common effort earnings inequality power to the people democracy the struggle wealth concentration	socialism Marxism redistribution of wealth
sustainable development, environmental rights, corporate pressure tactics, corporate social responsibility	anti-development, anti-industry, anti-property, anti-technology environmentalism
greed, privilege	private economic success
income inequality, speaking truth to power, disenfranchised	The Democrat platform: expanding the government
balanced solution	increased government power
dark money	contributions to conservative causes
extended family dynamics	fatherlessness
raising awareness, make a difference	raising money
glaucoma	legalizing marijuana
fairness	higher taxes for the middle class, redistribution of wealth
separation of church and state	the prohibition of Christianity
unlawful migration, gray employment, informal workers	illegal aliens
solidarity, empowerment, join the struggle	anti-capitalism, collectivism, socialism, anarchy
judgmental, extremist, hate speech, venom, bigotry, prejudice, the religious right, religious extremists	religious objections to homosexuality, religious objections to abortion, any favorable discussion of conservatism
for the children, it takes a village, for our future, Goals 2000, Agenda 21, socialization, School to Work, Life-Long Learning, outcome-based education, behavior modification, leave no child behind, children at risk	cradle-to-grave socialism, indoctrination disguised as education, collectivist group-think instead of individual achievement, conformity instead of individualism
social responsibility	high taxes
cultural proficiency	amnesty for illegal aliens affirmative action special rights for selected minorities
giving back to the community	taxing the rich guilt-tripping a lottery winner, corporate executive, or overpaid athlete
human rights	Marxism, socialism
mainstreaming, inclusiveness, under-represented	special rights and privileges for minorities and homosexuals
community medical services	condoms, needle exchanges, abortion on demand
gender reassignment	sex change operations
meaningful coverage universal health care	socialized medicine
visibility, mobilizing, creative confrontation	picketing
direct action	violent eco-terrorism
equality, equal rights	better-than-equal rights preferential treatment
watchdog	lobbyist
assault weapons, gun reform, gun violence solutions, gun shows, violence prevention, cop-killer bullets, senseless gun violence, saner gun policies	gun control, banning all gun ownership disarming the law-abiding populace
infrastructure, community development	increased spending, dependence on big government
Women’s health choices	killing an inconvenient baby
world class, global citizenship, global village, Olympics, United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Charter for Global Democracy, International Court of Justice	world-wide standards, world government, world-wide socialism
tolerance, inclusion, acceptance, open-mindedness, understanding	approval and endorsement of perverse, deviant lifestyles

Liberals speak in politically correct code so people won’t realize that they are promoting socialism, marxism, abortion, dumbed-down schools, and every imaginable form of deviant behavior and sexual perversion. Bible-based traditional values are what created and what have preserved our nation. Leftists cannot afford to say what they mean without obfuscation.

PLEASE visit akdart.com/libspeak below!!!

Be sure to visit the Home page.       Document location http://akdart.com/libspeak.html Updated April 16, 2018.©2018 by Andrew K. Dart