#DM7 Article: The Common Core And White Privilege

This is a reposting of my weekly DaTechGuy Article: The Common Core and White Privilege.

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This is a look at the ‘experts’ behind Common Core. First, let’s recap the tactics used by the proponents to silence the opposition to the standards.

Common Core Shutuppery

So, to date, Common Core opposition have been called stupid, sad, misguided, liars, racists, conspiracy theory nuts and more for opposing the fundamentally flawed and experimental standards. Opposition has been mocked by the same people promoting Common Core and parents have been arrested for speaking out at forums and school board meetings. I’ve chronicled some of this here already in The New Tone Of Common Core, but more has transpired since then.

The top education official in the county, Arne Duncan, even insulted “White suburban moms” across the country for opposing Common Core. In NY, Education Commissioner John King brought in the race card and compared Common Core to the Emancipation Proclamation. Citizens in NY have called him out and called for his resignation. In NC, the state Superintendent told a crowd that people who oppose Common Core are “bearing false witness“. By the way, the NC Superintendent is also President-elect of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), which is one of the two D.C. trade organizations responsible for Common Core. Convenient, right?

Even elected officials have disparaged their own constituents. The latest form of ‘shut’ up comes as “politicizing“. I’ve witnessed it myself first hand at the legislature in North Carolina. The legislature, of course, is worried about the pushing of Common Core by the NC Chamber of Commerce. They should be concerned, because according to former legislator Gene Arnold, the NC Chamber plans to blackmail legislators to kill the Common Core replacement bills now in play at the NC General Assembly.

Not one of these proponents of Common Core or any of the entities supporting the Core has actually defended the standards against the complaints being made against them. Instead, they demonize. Opposition to Common Core has endured a long series of shutuppery tactics from ‘experts’.

The Common Core Expert

We’ve also been told ‘experts’ wrote the Common Core and to basically, shut up and sit down.

Let me introduce you to one of the ‘experts’.

Meet Dr. David Pook. Pook is a teacher at a private school in Derryfield, New Hampshire. He has testified in front of the New Hamsphire Legislature; his testimony was characterized as misleading.

Pook wants you to know why he helped author Common Core’s English Language Arts standards. Remember, Common Core only had 5 authors, so Pook is likely over-inflating his role. Dr. Pook says it was “White privilege” that drove him to assist.

Pook claims he helped write the standards. What he really means is he probably commented on the standards when they were finally made available. If he did write anything, that is yet another reason to end Common Core immediately. Pook’s outrageous statement: “As a white male in society I’m given a lot of privilege I didn’t earn’ and as a result I think it’s really important that all kids get an equal opportunity to learn how to read.” Is he saying that minority children don’t learn how to read the same as white children? How is it that white children have a perceived “privilege” over minority children?

The irony? This guy teaches at a $30,000 a year private school that has not implemented Common Core. Maybe he should check his “privilege” at the door. While he’s teaching history, not reading at his private school, he wants public school kids to have to suffer under lower standards. Why? Because this man believes that minority kids aren’t as smart as white kids so the standards have to be lowered in order for them to be able to read. The guy is demented and is part of the insane “White Privilege” far left who hate themselves and are teaching white children to hate themselves. – Examiner.com, 5/20/14 [Emphasis added]

You got that? Shorter: Pook didn’t build that. He didn’t earn that privilege, it was his whiteness that gave it to him. This is who is dictating to us what our kids should be learning.

The video below is of Pook at the above referenced New Hampshire forum. The audio is a little quiet so turn it up or visit Stop Common Core New Hampshire where they have a link to the full debate with stronger sound. Pook’s comments in the full video are at the 1:52:00 mark. Audio only is available at GerardAtLarge.com.The gentleman who precedes Pook at the 1:52:00 mark uses all the standard Pro-Common Core talking points and talks about how the people using it in the classroom love it. He makes no mention of the children suffering under it. Typical.

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A.P. Dillon (Lady Liberty 1885), is a Conservative minded wife and mother living in the Triangle area of North Carolina. A.P. Dillon founded the blog LadyLiberty1885.com in 2009. After the 2012 election, she added an Instapundit style blog called The ConMom Blog. Mrs. Dillon’s writing, in addition to Da Tech Guy’s Magnificent 7, can also be found at StopCommonCoreNC.org, WatchdogWireNC and WizBang. Non-political writing projects include science fiction novellas that are, as of yet, unpublished. Her current writing project is a children’s book series.