Commentary: Texas GOP wages war on thinking
By Leonard Pitts Jr. | McClatchy Newspapers
Some recent headlines from
the alternate universe of modern conservatism:
Rush Limbaugh claims the bad
guy in the new Batman movie was named Bane to remind voters of Mitt Romney's
controversial tenure at Bain Capital.
Michelle Bachmann, citing
zero credible evidence, accuses a Muslim-American aide to Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton of conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio's
crack investigators announce that President Obama's long-form birth certificate
is a fake.
In other words, it's just an
average week down there in Crazy Town. And that lends a certain context to a
tidbit brought to national attention last week by Stephen Colbert of Comedy
Central's "The Colbert Report." Meaning a plank from the 2012
platform of the Republican Party of Texas which, astonishingly enough, reads as
follows: "We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
(values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are
simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which
focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the
student's fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority."
Holy wow. That is, without a
doubt, the most frightening sentence this side of a Stephen King novel.
The Texas GOP has set itself
explicitly against teaching children to be critical thinkers. Never mind the
creeping stupidization of this country, the growing dumbification of our
children, our mounting rejection of, even contempt for, objective fact. Never
mind educators who lament the inability of American children to think, to weigh
conflicting paradigms, analyze competing arguments, to reason, ruminate,
question and reach a thoughtful conclusion. Never mind that this promises the
loss of our ability to compete in an ever more complex and technology-driven
world.
Never mind. The Texas branch
of one of our two major political parties opposes teaching critical thinking
skills or anything that might challenge a child's "fixed beliefs." So
presumably, if a child is of the "fixed belief" that Jesus was the
first president of the United States or that 2+2 = apple trees or that Florida
is an island in an ocean on the moon, educators ought not correct the little
genius lest she (gasp!) change her "fixed belief," thereby
undermining mom and dad.
That's just ... just ...
Holy wow.
For what it's worth, the
Texas GOP says that language was not supposed to be in the platform. Spokesman
Chris Elam says its inclusion "was an oversight on the subcommittee's
part."
If that explanation leaves
you cold, join the club. That such an asinine position was even under
consideration is hardly comforting. And the fact that something so neon stupid
escaped notice of both the subcommittee and the full platform committee
suggests the Texas GOP could use a little critical thinking instruction itself.
Remember when Republicans
were grown-ups? Agree with them or not, you never thought of Bob Dole, George
H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, even Richard Nixon as less than serious, substantive
adults, susceptible like all serious, substantive adults, to logic and reason.
The party has since devolved.
A toxic stew of faith-based politics, biased "news," and echo chamber
punditry has reduced it to an anti-science, anti-reason, anti-intellect
caricature of itself. Thoughtful conservatives — thoughtful Americans — ought to
be alarmed.
How can you have a healthy
democracy when a major party not only tolerates lunacy, but elevates it to
positions of power? In what sane nation does someone like Rush Limbaugh have a
mass audience, Michelle Bachmann an elected office, Joe Arpaio a badge?
Well, the Texas GOP just came
out against critical thinking. That explains a lot.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Leonard Pitts Jr., winner of
the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, is a columnist for the Miami Herald, 1
Herald Plaza, Miami, Fla. 33132. Readers may write to him via email at
lpitts@miamiherald.com. Leonard Pitts will be chatting with readers every
Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. EDT on www.MiamiHerald.com.
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