Dear you,
Participating in Florida's raging education debates is a total mind fuck. Governor DeSantis' antics (the latest being a purge of New College in Sarasota, installing a "conservative" ruler there) cannot be described with an elevated vocabulary. What he is doing is vulgar. Beneath vulgar. First, some context, some stats on Florida's education level:
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2017-2021 89.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2017-2021 31.5%
Essentially, the state's citizenry functions on a 12th grade level. This can vary by county; case in point, Leon County (home to Florida State and the capitol) has a majority of college grads. Overall, our colleges and universities are highly rated, even if our "general population" is not. But these little slices of smart bother our governor. Enlightened, critical thinkers tend not to bend a knee to autocrats. For anyone who thought his early attacks were simply meant to defend the "innocence" of very young (K through third grade) students, I am sure you've caught on. This little war on intelligence has no limits.
For example, the book purge in all public schools as noted in this excerpt from a Duval County news outlet:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Reports of empty classroom libraries and an extensive review of a book about hall-of-fame baseball player Roberto Clemente have put Duval County Public Schools in the hot seat with the Florida Department of Education.
The 40-page picture book has been prevented from going on library shelves for months, as the district reviews it to ensure it complies with new state curriculum laws.
“This is absurd,” said Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz in an exclusive interview with Action News Jax.
Roberto Clemente Jr. said the book is about his dad's upbringing, his time with the Pirates, and humanitarian work. Part of the book discusses the racism Roberto Clemente was subjected to."
Even DeSantis found targeting this specific book ridiculous, but the reactionary panic seen in Duval County was/is caused by him.
Of course the shelves were stripped; the DeSantis edict (HR 1467) puts educators in jeopardy, criminal jeopardy.
As reported, in the National Review: "In mid January, in response to the new state law [HR 1467], leaders of the Manatee County school district, south of Tampa, sent guidance to their teachers and staff about their classroom libraries. Kevin Chapman, the district's chief of staff, told National Review their intent was to direct teachers to temporarily remove any unvetted books from their classroom libraries until they could be approved by a trained media specialist. And there was urgency, he claimed, based on an existing law that said "if there was an inappropriate book found in a school, that person or persons could be charged with a third-degree felony."
That "existing law" mentioned in the National Review excerpt states Florida adults face felony charges if they provide access to “Any book, pamphlet, magazine or printed matter that contains explicit and detailed descriptions or narrative accounts of sexual excitement, or sexual conduct that is harmful to minors.”
Sexual excitement. This includes nudity. See Vitruvian man above. I suppose teaching Leonardo da Vinci could cost you your freedom in not really free Florida. The Christo-fascists are really messing with our minds, literally. They want absolute liberty to do as they choose and think as they think, but if others choose or think in ways contrary to them, look out. Why? Back to my lifelong and not so original diagnosis that these control freaks have very afflicted, dirty minds. And they probably hate themselves, loathing their bodies and nature in general. What do they see when they look at The Vitruvian Man? Do they see the artist's love of proportion? His view that the human body is an analogy for the universe itself? Probably not. I think they do a "groin check" and gasp at how that might upset little Liza, or, worse, possibly excite little Larry. The conservatives say Woke Progressives are the fun-killers in one breath and in the next, say we are out of control hedonists. Many in their ranks would react suspiciously to praise for someone being a polymath (like Leonardo himself). Keep them stupid; train them to be compliant workers in a consumer society; avoid "exciting" their spirits. The overarching mission is simple: kill their wild and wonderful souls.
Well, dear Florida, it is time for us to choose, da Vinci or DeSantis?
2023, and I am actually posing a question like that. Who would choose ignorance over enlightenment? Millions would.
Like I said, total mind-fuck.
#Resist
Love,
Still here, Joyce
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