Rep. Carbaugh has introduced HB 1629 which mandates anti-commie propaganda in high school history classes. As an initial matter, I am pretty consistently against the state micromanaging school curriculum. I assume that most legislators were students at one time or another. But, it’s pretty evident that they weren’t the best students. Also, having attended school doesn’t make you competent on education matters any more than listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin allows me to shred on the guitar.
But, that aside, the bill starts out pretty innocuous: “The governing body of each school corporation shall provide instruction regarding the history of communism as a part of a history course for students enrolled in grades 9 through 12.” Well, o.k. It’s a rich topic. Full of ups and downs, twists and turns. It responded to some pretty grim truths about capitalism and resulted in some pretty grim truths of its own. The personalities involved are fascinating. The role of communism at home and abroad, positive and negative, in the ebb and flow of social movements over the last 150 years or so is a useful angle for learning about the world and ourselves.
But, obviously, that kind of intellectual pursuit isn’t what Rep. Carbaugh has in mind. He puts his thumb on the scale, telling educators how they’re supposed to approach the subject. It must include instruction on the following:
(1) The history of communism and domestic communist movements in the United States, including tactics used by communist groups during the movements.
(2) An overview of the atrocities committed in foreign countries under the guidance of communism.
(3) A comparative analysis of political ideologies, including communism, Marxism, and totalitarianism, and how these ideologies conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States.(4) The increasing threat of communism in the United States and to allies of the United States, including the events of the Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China and other mass killings from communist regimes.
(5) The economic, industrial, and political events that have preceded and proceeded communist revolutions.
(6) The harmful repercussions of communist policies in Cuba and Latin America, as well as the societal impact, burden, and threat to the United States the policies pose.
(7) The effect of communism in Europe, with a focus on Soviet labor camps and human right abuses.
(8) Oppressive effects of communism in Asia, including a history of the People’s Republic of China’s ongoing authoritarian practices.
(9) A comparative analysis of the threats posed by political adversaries to the Unites States.
In short, it requires a cartoonish view of the history of both communism and the United States. And don’t get me wrong here. I don’t mind kids learning about the warts. There are plenty. But history is never that simple. And it short changes kids to think, in the past, the issues were a simple matter of good versus evil. They’ll look around at the mess of nuance and contradictions in their lives and feel completely detached from history. What relevance could a simple past have to a complex present?
Bad bill. Hope it goes nowhere.
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