Posted on 05/13/2005 6:13:11 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Rush Limbaugh said on his nationally syndicated radio show that Evanston Township High School students "don't know anything about World War II" and "they've probably never heard the name Adolf Hitler" because they're so focused on a multicultural curriculum.
Some Evanston kids want to show Limbaugh what they know. They want to debate him on American history.
"I think [a debate] would be great because then we'd prove him wrong and open up his opinion a little bit," Sarah Loeb, an ETHS sophomore, said Thursday.
'Balkanizing this country'
Limbaugh's comments came after he read a Christian Science Monitor article Tuesday that profiled global studies courses required at ETHS. Limbaugh railed against multicultural education generally and singled out the North Shore school.
"What multiculturalists is, is balkanizing this country," Limbaugh said Tuesday. "People are coming here from various parts of the world and they're bringing their cultures with them and the multiculturalists are saying 'your culture is better than the American culture. The American culture is discriminatory, it's racist, sexist, bigot, homophobic.' "
Limbaugh's producer did not return a call on whether Limbaugh would agree to a debate.
"Maybe he might be a little intimidated because I don't know his basis for saying we don't know anything," Sarah said. "But I think he might be interested if he wants to live up to his reputation and back up his ideas so he doesn't look stupid."
All ETHS sophomores choose among several "global perspectives" courses covering the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Asia and Russia. In the Middle East class, for example, students adopt a new identity for the semester -- a Syrian baker or a medical student in Qatar -- and try to view what's transpiring in the region from that perspective.
In 2003, ETHS won an excellence in international education award from the Asia Society and the Goldman Sachs Foundation. ETHS offers seven languages, including Japanese and Hebrew, and has several clubs with an international flavor, including Model United Nations and Amnesty International. Students and staff also point out that the school requires yearlong courses in U.S. history and Western civilization.
"It's funny to me that someone would say we don't know about World War II -- we live in a large Jewish community," said Jane Biliter, a senior. Each year, the school hosts activities for Holocaust Remembrance Week. "Until 10th grade, all we did was U.S. and European history. It's just so false that what he says is funny."
School officials haven't decided how -- or if -- they intend to respond to Limbaugh.
Tests show he's wrong
"It struck me as incomprehensible that somebody would think multiculturalism antithetical to American values," Supt. Allan Alson said. "I was stunned that he had such certainty that our kids were not knowledgeable about basic American history when in fact our student do extremely well" on standardized tests in that area. "It's a shame he lets his conclusions determine his evidence."
Aaron Becker, who teaches the Middle East class, said his students also are considering sending Limbaugh essays they've written on American history.
"This is a perfect teachable moment," Becker said. "Kids are angry and want to respond by showing they know a lot, that it's not a zero-sum game, that you can learn about more than one history."
Becker said the kids will decide how best to respond.
"It's not even worth responding to," said Aaron Hamilton, a senior. "He has nothing to say about my education and my future. He's just a guy talking on the radio."
one hand tied behind his back. In a recliner. Holding an adult beverage and making smoke rings with his Hoya. Agreeing to having his questions asked in the form of ancient greek pig-latin yiddish mime text. And spotting them 99 points out of 100. But please, Rush. Say yes. This is probably the first real Life's Lesson they will have been taught. Gawd knows it's long overdue.
From the CS Monitor article LINKED in Post #5.
***....It's not surprising that the school has strong participation in Model United Nations, or that, long after their sophomore "global perspectives" year, some students talk about getting daily updates from The New York Times and BBC World News......***
Yes, Sarah's statement is pretty inane. Rush might be a little intimidated because of what she doesn't know.
"Was he quoting the CSM article?"
I don't right no articles!
BTW, Rush would win with half his brain tied behind his back.
"...then we'd prove him wrong and open up his opinion a little bit," Sarah Loeb, an ETHS sophomore...Yeah, right. More sophomores willing to educate the rest of us -- that's what the world needs.
I note for the record. That in the article not one student was able to tell us who Hitler was.
This makes Rush's point. They are learning about other global cultures but not US history.
Globalist crap for the the one-world future.
A preferred debate would be between their so-called "teachers" at that or any American Public School!
Man they seem to know a lot about history, all except American History!~}
Ahhh...TRUE....first, Determine "the grounds" (Sun Tzu)/Rules/Benchmarks of the debate.
The debate would quickly deteriorate into a barrage of dates and locations. As you know, history knowledge is most easily demonstrated by one's ability to recall events and the dates when they occurred - they are also the most easily verifiable. Any news report would be allotted three-minutes, tops, and the newsreader would assess points won by tallying easily verifiable knowledge.
Rush would easily win in expository form by uttering not a single umm, ahh, ya know, like or totally, but he would never be able to compete with tag-team regurgitation. PC kids are especially good at delivering the answer they have been programmed to deliver.
"This is a perfect teachable moment," Becker said. "Kids are angryPerhaps you could start by teaching them that nobody gives a damn about their feelings.
and want to respond by showing they know a lot,Perhaps you could teach them that nobody gives a damn about what they think, either, until they know even more.
that it's not a zero-sum game,That what is not a zero-sum game? It would be nice if you could start teaching kids that the economy is not a zero-sum game. Once they understand this, there will be considerably fewer left-wing sophomores for starters.
that you can learn about more than one history."Just like you've taught them that there is more than one truth, eh?
What? No Marine Expeditionary Force? No SEAL Teams? Those groups all have an international flavor.
You might be surprised. I saw Rush go head to head with Phil Donahue, and that commie Russian news caster, that used to appear with Phil all the time, and they had Rush on defense most of the show.
Little $hitheads.
The good news is that the liberal elite will probably not have the brains or discipline to retain power past the middle of this century. The bad news is that advocates of traditional morality lack a separate hierarchy of colleges, foundations, and media sufficient to replace the old elite.
Oh how stupid! Yeah this really teaches them about history.
Just to test them out, since they are from a large Jewish community, I would ask them if they knew what a Kapo is? Then I would go into simple dates - DDay, bombing of Pearl Harbor, etc. Then I would ask them about the Soviet-Nazi pact and what the impact was. Then I would ask them about military leaders, than world leaders.
Name the major powers involved and which side they were on. (Germany, Italy, Japan, USSR, USA, Great Britain, France)
In fact name the two sides. (Axis powers, Allied Forces)
Name the major powers leaders for most of the war. (Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Stalin, FDR, Churchill, De Gaulle for the Free French after France fell).
Now a slightly tougher question....which side did the following countries fight on or were neutral? Brazil (allies), Spain (neutral), Ireland (neutral), Switzerland (neutral), Canada (allies), Australia (allies), India (allies), China (allies)?
How many recent high school students could answer these simple questions?
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