Read the full article on Nebraska Examiner
Three thoughts …
Racism used to have some juice. It meant something. It moved the needle. Bigotry — in individuals, groups or countries — was booed, banned and boycotted.
Today? Apparently not so much.
After the president reposted a repugnant video with a racist trope of former President Obama and his wife, Michelle, the reaction was swift, even from the president’s party. Good on Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts being one of the first to call for an apology from the White House. Although the president’s post was taken down, no mea culpa was forthcoming. Nebraska U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer also was among those complaining about the video.
Predictably, a number of online responses were troubling. Some wondered what the fuss was all about. Others seemed to dismiss the racist swill because the video was, in their opinion, “hilarious.” Most disturbing, however, was White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, who defended the post with this: “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Wait, what? Racism doesn’t matter to Americans?
Regular readers know that sometimes when I open my mouth, the 1960’s come out. These astute observers might think I’m about to play the whippersnapper card because Leavitt is 28, and, like many of you, I have several pairs of shoes older than that.
No ageism here. As far as I can tell, her job consists of belittling the White House press corps while providing the administration’s version of the “truth.” That view of the world includes a full-frontal assault to undo any reference to the country’s original sin. Hence the abolition of DEI, a campaign to remove the study of slavery from our schools, diminishing MLK Jr. Day and more.
Her response disregards the nation’s history, dismisses its palette of cultures and insists that millions of Americans would not react to the video with disgust. The post was odious enough. Her callous and demeaning response made it worse.
Racism and bigotry still count for a large swath of Americans. So whatever age the White House’s press secretary happens to be, if she diminishes the despicable, she should hear about it.
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While reading Paul Hammel’s piece in the Nebraska Examiner on the state’s continuing drop in childhood vaccination rates, the shibboleth “everything old is new again” came to mind … as in measles, which is making a comeback. Lancaster County has recorded its first case in 36 years. (Insert wince here.)
Local and state health officials point to a change in the federal government’s position on vaccines as part of the drag on rates. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has eliminated a number of recommendations for childhood vaccines and, as Hammel’s story points out, has argued that personal liberties and freedom supersede community health when it comes to campaigns for widespread inoculations.
Not to go all Hobbes (or Locke or Rousseau) on you, but what about the concept of a “social contract,” where, generally, individuals give up some liberties so that society might function better? We pay taxes for safety and security. We have speed limits. We serve on juries.
Sometimes the pursuit of an ordered society asks us to obey simple rules such as how many items we take to the self-checkout and who goes first at a four-way stop. Among the “mannered” behaviors is covering our mouths when we cough so as not to spread whatever crud is at work.
Which leads us back to something far more serious: vaccinations. Why not be a signator of the social contract? As rates drop, incidents of diseases we thought were relics have new life. Some of them, ironically, can bring death.
* * *
Seems Nebraska’s governor gave “Club America,” a high school extracurricular affiliated with Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the state’s official imprimatur when he announced plans to establish a club in every high school. About the same time the Nebraska Legislature, trying to address teacher shortages, was discussing whether prospective teachers needed a class in human relations.
Consensus among senators was a cautious no. Of course, local districts that raise teacher salaries surely help fill vacancies.
Perhaps the new clubs in Nebraska could also help with teacher shortages by foregoing a high school version of the “Professor Watchlist,” TPUSA’s roster of academic persona non grata on college campuses. Pedagogues earn a spot on the list if, based on a student’s assessment, they run afoul of TPUSA political, cultural or social views of the world.
One wonders? If the new high school clubs do choose to keep a list, would those be official state documents?
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