Controversial Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in the spotlight once more thanks to the Florida Department of Education’s curriculum changes. The contentious change in question requires teachers in Florida to tell students that slavery benefited Black people.
DeSantis’ Weak Defense
The course will teach how slaves supposedly developed “skills” that would advantage them later in life. Defending the decision, DeSantis said: “They’re probably going to show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.”
Rooted in Fact
The far-right governor went on to say that the decision was “rooted in whatever is factual. If you have any questions about it, just ask the Department of Education. But I mean, these were scholars that put this together. This is not anything that was done politically.”
The Stop W.O.K.E. Act
The change in curriculum follows the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, signed into law in 2022 by DeSantis. Its supposed purpose is to “stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory.”
CRT and White Fragility
Critical Race Theory (CRT) examines how race intersects with societal structures. It emphasizes that racism transcends individual bias and is ingrained in institutions, something there is a plethora of evidence in support of. Dismissing it as racist toward White people is often criticized as deflection and White fragility, the latter being the phenomenon in which White people become overly defensive when faced with facts about racism.
An Example of White Fragility
As an example of the aforementioned White fragility, DeSantis has claimed that tax dollars shouldn’t be spent on “teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other.” Moreover, the Stop W.O.K.E. Act extends to the professional world, aiming to “protect” employees from “CRT-inspired indoctrination.”
Kamala Harris’ Criticism
Naturally, people from across the nation are horrified that DeSantis wants children to be taught that slavery benefited Black people. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is Black and Asian, said: “They push forward revisionist history. In the state of Florida, they decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefited from slavery.”
Insulting and Gaslighting
Harris continued: “They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us and we will not stand for it – we who share a collective experience in knowing we must honor history and our duty in the context of legacy.”
An Upside to Slavery
DeSantis’ curriculum change could lose him the Republican primary. Will Hurd, who was also running for president but has since suspended his campaign, said: “Slavery is not a jobs program. Anybody that is implying that there was an upside to slavery is insane.”
Criticism From Black Republicans
Black Republicans have also criticized DeSantis. Diante Johnson, president of the Black Conservative Federation, said: “It raises eyebrows. Ron DeSantis is not the candidate for Black conservatives and that’s what [DeSantis] constantly, constantly exhibits to us.”
Tim Scott’s Criticism
Presidential hopeful and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott criticized DeSantis too. He said: “As a country founded upon freedom, the greatest deprivation of freedom was slavery. There is no silver lining in slavery. What slavery was really about [was] separating families, about mutilating humans. It was just devastating. So, I would hope that every person in our country – and certainly running for president – would appreciate that.”
Ron DeSantis’ Response
In response to the criticism, DeSantis implied that denial of the idea that Black people benefited from slavery is a lie “perpetrated by the left.” He said: “Part of the reason our country has struggled is because D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the left. And to accept the lie that Kamala Harris has been perpetrating even when that has been debunked, that’s not the way you do it.”
John James’ Criticism
Of course, the aforementioned pushback was not received well. Michigan Representative John James said: “There are only five Black Republicans in Congress and you’re attacking two of them. My brother in Christ, if you find yourself in a deep hole, put the shovel down.”
The Internet’s Response
DeSantis has been widely criticized by the general public across social media too. One commenter responded satirically, writing: “Hi! I’m Ron DeSantis and my primary message to you is that thinking slavery was bad is totally woke. Also, I call people groomers because I totally didn’t party with high school girls as their teacher. Vote for me for president.”
Not a Single Benefit
Another person wrote: “Slavery lasted for a couple hundred years. Generations of enslaved people lived [and] died as slaves. They were literally treated as property. They didn’t receive a single benefit. What DeSantis is defending isn’t merely inaccurate. The notion that slaves benefited is an assault on reason. It’s demonstratively untrue. Humans who were born into and died in chains didn’t benefit from those chains!”
Children Are Clever
Others pointed out that children are smarter than far-right Republicans like DeSantis seem to give them credit for. “I absolutely love how stupid the GOP thinks kids are! My daughter is 7 and would obliterate any teacher in front of her class who tried to teach this. I can’t wait for future generations to bury this obsolete group of our species. The GOP can and will get wrecked,” one person said.
The Rise of Christian Nationalism
Some people expressed concerns about Christian nationalism. One such individual said: “Christian nationalists are trying to take over our government. Period. This man is smart. What he is doing is well planned and he is not alone.”
A Florida Insanity Bubble
Another commenter wrote: “[DeSantis] saying this is the perfect encapsulation of who he is as a politician. He and his cronies have probably been running out this ‘benefited from slavery’ gem for years thinking they were brilliant only to find out that humans living outside of his Florida insanity bubble were horrified by it.”
A Degree in History
Others pointed out that DeSantis has a degree in history and, as such, should know better. “It’s even more pathetic because DeSantis has a degree in history. I pray for the normal people who are left in Florida. Stay strong, normies,” one person said.
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