Straight to the monthly subject, then

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

Alabama textbooks to keep disclaimer calling evolution ‘controversial’

Well, well, well. This is Alabama, so, no surprise. Still, one'd think that any state which finds itself in a downward spiral at #30 on the 50 state educational ladder, with only a C+ rating, would strive to move up in the education of its students, not attempt to slide even further down the ladder of educational success in the teachings of its students.

I honestly cannot comprehend the logic behind Alabama's decision to teach its students a religious theory, which science has proven to be false. It has always been my understanding that the American public school system was meant to educate students and assist them in achieving a higher degree of world and scientific knowledge. Not to confuse, dumb down and instruct and/or teach them falsehoods, using religious beliefs as a basis, completely ignoring proven scientific facts in the process.

The question is, is it any wonder why the southern states of supposedly the greatest nation on Earth are looked upon as being an intellectual backwater, systematically indoctrinated, under-educated, lacking in factual common knowledge and socially unacceptable in its religious and racial ethnicity bias? Being born in one of those states must have become something of a liability at this point.

Comments

[ponitacupcake.livejournal.com]

It's really bullshit and they are doing it for politics.

"Alabama: At Least We're Not Mississippi."

The South has a terrible reputation but there are a lot of stupid people and bigots in the Midwest. I'm afraid education is pretty terrible in most of this country. I actually got a decent education and I try to surround myself with smart friends but I'm amazed at some of the dumbasses I meet. And we're talking white, upper-middle-class people too and they know *nothing* and don't care either.

[oportet.livejournal.com]

The logic behind the decision - it's an elected position. Whether you're running for State Board of Education, President, Governor, or County Coroner - voting against God, even indirectly - will eventually end up costing you votes (I know that didn't really answer the question - it just deflected the 'why?' from the BOE to the voters)

I went to private and public school here - and the quality of education in the public school system is definitely lacking - but not because of a push to include religion, that's just what makes the headlines. Then again, if the people in charge focused on what was causing us to be ranked #30 (honestly, I wouldn't have guessed we were that high), instead of things like this - improvements could be made easily.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

The only people it's not a liability for are the richest people in those states. For everyone else, it's why I sincerely want to see some Iraq style democratization done over a widespread area of the South. Couldn't fuck up Louisiana any worse than its own leaders, so called, have.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

One thing that never fails to amaze me is how the detractors of evolution somehow never understand that evolution does NOT try to explain the origin of life - the same way the big bang theory does not try to explain the reason for the creation of the universe.