Replies

Mr Cole is correct in that most teachers aren't grooming. He is also correct that the underlying problem is an educational-industrial complex that no longer educates but indoctrinates - "the indoctrinators are spreading a belief system.."

While he completely misses the WHY (in loco parentisis a good starting place), Mr Cole also seems to get off chastising the "MAGAs" (that alone tells me a great deal about Mr Cole) who are falling for a trap that only his genius can see:

And that’s exactly what the left hopes will happen. Make a mainstream movement appear fringy and cultish, with its own vocabulary and doctrine. The left wants you to ensure that parents no longer say, “I’m here to protest this lesson plan, which I’ll read from,” but instead say, “I’m here to fight the cabal of pedo groomers,” so they look like loons.

Go ahead, masterminds—walk straight into that trap.

You’ll blow an easy win.

Wow...what a way to win friends and influence people.

An alternative to Mr Cole's disdain for winning simplicity, is found from Nicole Russel.

Most conservatives are not using the word “groomer” to be inflammatory or provocative. Many use the word because it’s the most accurate term people know that describes the root of the problem conservatives have with these discussions in the first place.

Conservatives—and likely even some Democrats—think it’s wrong for adults to have discussions with young children revolving around sex and gender, whether it’s explicitly sexual content, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender, or gender identity—especially without parental permission or participation.

In fact, conservatives think it’s so egregious, they can’t see how it’s even up for debate, let alone a phenomenon that needs a law to protect against it.

...

Of course, how we use language is important: We make that claim regularly. But language is also imperfect. “Grooming” might not have been the best word to describe the latest culture shift, but it’s the closest one conservatives could find to identify their fears and frustration with what’s going on.

I'm a huge Zappa fan. I got into him in the early 80s, when he had largely a cult following. He's an amazing composer, wrote incredible technical pieces and biting lyrics, and his guitar playing second-to-none. Then everyone became a fan when he released "Valley Girl." Many fans felt anger - "why is a stupid pop song getting Frank more airplay than Packard Goose or The Gumbo Variations?" But what these fan failed to see, was that very often "regular" people need an easy point-of-entry. It's why Jesus spoke in parables. The richness of truth and understanding comes later.

Groomer is a de facto parable. Parents and grandparents who rarely cared about educational content now have their interest piqued (after 2 years of culling inside information during Zoom classes). Homeschooling as the means of educating children has risen from 6% to 11% (and that's probably an underestimation). THAT is the reason for the meltdown over "groomer"...it's working, Jim.

Mr Cole would prefer we got there more intellectually, and is unhappy the "MAGAs" are running the show and thinks they're stupid and will lose the game I'm simply happy people are awakening to the statist lurch in schools for decades, and have more faith in the first 100 people in the phone book than the faculty at Harvard.