Florida Senate Passes GOP-Backed Ban On Teaching Students To 'Feel Guilt' For History!

The Florida Senate voted Thursday to ban public schools and private businesses from teaching people to feel guilty for historical events committed by people of their race, addressing a top priority of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis,” (CNN).

Now, let me ask the question: What does this mean? I thought that people develop feelings of guilt and so on based on their human consciences and consciousness. However, does this mean that we cannot teach the truth about what actually happened in the US racial history? Now if they’re saying that teaching about how white people enslaved and discriminated against Black and Brown People is tantamount to teaching people to “feel guilt” for historical events, then it would mean that teachers can no longer teach the truth about the past. It would mean that they can teach about the nice part or a diluted version that continues to stroke the white races’ egos over another race; A race that still bears the scars of their past while exposed to a story (advocated by this law if that’s the meaning) that minimizes said scars so as to satisfy the children of the white races’ guilt and save them from the pain that their forefathers caused that the children of slaves still bear.?

What are people saying about Florida’s decision to pass this ban?

1. If you identify with your racist ancestors, then that is a problem you have brought into the school building. It's not something that was caused by how a teacher presented an appropriately designed and delivered anti-racist curriculum, regardless of whether it came up in history, biology, english, or any other subject. However, because these kinds of laws are dangerously unable to distinguish between erroneous thinking brought to the table, and erroneous teaching, the best answer here is that everybody should leave Florida immediately.?I believe there is plenty of room in the Dakotas, for example. Bring layers.

2. What an ignorant and racist mindset.?These are kids and are easily influenced by what a teacher says to them.

3. Really? Because any time I mention current events in class to draw a parallel with what we're learning in history, I have a kid that complains about Biden and how he has dementia. I have never done a lesson over Biden. I don't give any of the kids my personal opinion over Biden or any other president. So, where do you think he got that from? Because it wasn't me. After class, IF I do mention current events, I check with my mentor and ask if there were any issues with what I said. She hasn't had an issue. The kid is like 12 or 13 btw.

4.?White male public school teacher here who taught African American History in Florida this year. This law sucks. Sue me, I am a teacher in Florida, I don’t have any assets. I start the class with a simple thought experiment, based around a simple question, “Should German students learn about the Holocaust?” We don’t inherit the sins of our fathers. If you are white and look around in AAH and don’t see any amazing people that make your proud, that modeled how to stand up to help with there fellow man, and are aren’t paying attention. While my class isn’t focused on white men and white women, there are lots of great white people to admire in the course, John Brown, and General Sherman are some of my personal favorites, but others too like Rabbi Heschel and his allies who marched along side MLK.

5.?German students are required to learn about the Holocaust and also required to visit the death camps. At least that was part of their history curriculum 6 years ago.

6.?As are Israeli students.

7.?It isn't that people are teaching things so that others feel guilty.?There may be a person or two with some sick sense of things.?But some kid may feel guilt by learning things about their culture or heritage or ancestors.?That is tough and they should be helped to work through that. Dumb question, has anyone actually read the bill? Face value, why would we teach anyone to feel guilty about their ancestors? Is that part of the curriculum anywhere?Deeper level, this is just another conservative culture war victory by crybullies that doesn't actually change anything at all.

8.?This is the opposite of empathy.?Empathy lights up our brains with connections and stimulation.?Brains that don't feel empathy become stimulation-seekers for life:?addictions, drama, etc.?When children learn empathy, they don't tend to un-learn it because it feels SO right, so healthy, so powerful to care about others. This "right to no guilt" shit is literal society-poison.?This damages EVERYONE.?Even the kids they are trying to protect from "guilt". If you can feel proud to be an American for all the good things, you can feel guilty for all the shitty things.

9. Jesus Florida. Take it down a notch. It’s obscene how much damage one state can do to its people. Fast forward to 5 years from now when Florida graduation rates have plummeted, schools are off for random days of the week due to the teacher shortage, and colleges are not accepting Florida grads anymore due to their lack of knowledge and poor testing scores. What’s next for the Florida gop? I assume the anti trans bills and anti abortion legislation are probably next on the docket. When is the bill to force mandatory religious education electives in public schools? Seriously. What is going to stop these maniacs? My only comfort is knowing it is currently restricted to Florida only.

10. They passed the anti trans bill yesterday that bars teachers from discussing gender and sexuality in the classroom... They passed the abortion ban last week. The GOP, a government so small it can squeeze past a cervix!

11. I’m sure some of these things will end up in the Supreme Court. I’m just hoping that some blue states start passing copycat laws but targeting conservative ideas.

12. The kids should be reassured by their parents that they aren't responsible for what their ancestors did and that there are good and bad people in every race.?There were white abolitionists and civil rights movement activists. They can be good people and learn from what people of the past did.

13. I went to school in the Deep South. We got to learn about how the Civil War was really about “States Rights” and slavery wasn’t as bad as Hollywood made it out to be. That was cool and all. But now when children have access to infinite information and can see that all that was a bunch of bullshit, they’re just gonna ban any talk entirely. It’s sickening to see the depths of lies these people are willing to go to.

14. They're just following Texas' nonsense.

15. One of my students told me their black art teacher pointed at their table of 4 white girls and told them "they're the table with the most privilege".

16. I know it's out of context but I seen the class, there's literally a table right by his desk with 4 white males

17. I recently boarded a plane with a bunch of students from Florida. All I have to say — atrocious behavior, I also noticed a sense of entitlement from those kids. Now I know the root of the problem.

18. “The easiest way to get around this as a teacher is adding a disclaimer/discussion at the beginning of the lesson that lets students know they are not responsible for the past but are responsible for the future. That can relieve that feeling of guilt while simultaneously empowering them to create change in our society that won’t systematically discriminate against people of color. (Again, reiterate that they are not responsible for building the systems they were born into.) You could even add the kicker that none of us asked to be born, but now that we are here and see injustice everywhere it is our duty to do something about it. What do you think, would this hold up in the court of law?” (See Comment Here)

My Reply Here:?Good point. Further, instead of finding ways to prevent guilt feelings, why not explore methods that ensure each student can create a future that does not repeat the past. Isn’t that the BEST way to prevent or respond to feelings of guilt? For passing this bill would seem as an attempt to forget the past so as to cover guilt that has not yet been resolved since talking about the past still breathes guilt among the legacies or children of the past. Further, how can we lead into the future with a brighter and better prospect without learning from mistakes and ills of the past!

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Credits: Rev.?Renaldo C. McKenzie is the contributor of this article, and our sources are reliable except when we make comments leading from the news.?Renaldo is an academic, doctoral candidate at Georgetown University, graduate at University of Pennsylvania and is the Author of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty And Resistance.