Posted on 04/26/2021 4:05:55 AM PDT by Kaslin
A couple of weeks ago, I had an hour-long interview with a reporter from The American Prospect about PragerU’s program for families, PragerU Resources for Educators and Parents (PREP). Our discussion was genuinely enjoyable, despite our differing opinions about our nation and world. The reporter brought up issues, I offered my take and corrected some projected narratives, and she respectfully and kindly responded with more questions.
When I hung up the phone, I thought, “This is how folks on opposite sides should talk about issues together.” I even sent her a thank you note saying how much I enjoyed our conversation — because I really did. I hoped the journalism tenets of accuracy and objectivity would result in an unbiased report of our conversation.
How naive of me.
Nearly two weeks later, two pieces with altered quotes were published online. The headlines are both amusing and alarming: “The Right Curriculum? How PragerU Infiltrates Schools” and “PragerU's Newest Target: Kindergarten.”
I will admit I am taking this a bit personally, not because I happen to be the mom-on-camera who “exhorts” children to never cut up an American flag after launching “right-wing propaganda” at them, but because I have taught my children that honest and civil conversation with most anyone on an opposite side of an issue is always productive towards achieving unity.
The problem here is not that this reporter and I have fundamentally different value systems. The problem is that the liberal media have no room for free thought — ironic, since they have long championed tolerance.
Consider this statement from one of the articles: “...seemingly innocuous PragerU videos are a gateway to explicit right-wing content.”
Conservative educational content is likened to a gateway drug that must be avoided at all costs. Because if a child — or an adult, for that matter — watches one PragerU video, then look out! They have opened Pandora’s box.
When there are no rational answers, progressives fall back on the old strategy of attacking the messenger. They do not like our efforts to take back the microphone from the liberal mainstream media via our wildly popular, short videos which explain the rationale behind conservative ideas. Now, they are especially enraged, as we have launched several new children’s video series and resources for parents and educators who wish to celebrate American values with their kindergartners through high schoolers.
Evidently, if you cannot recognize how threatening a mom sitting criss-cross-applesauce in socks, reading a book about how special it is to become a United States citizen with a costumed-character dog next to her is, then you need to wake up.
Rather than advocating for children to think for themselves and to make their own decisions, progressives want children to take what they are being taught at school and simply regurgitate it without question.
Serves me right for believing respectful discourse can bring people closer together.
I am not sure who decided that political correctness (or as some call it, “tolerance”) should be the unofficial rule of law, but it seems that the majority of people living in the United States desire to maintain their First Amendment rights of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.
For example, CATO Institute’s 2017 “The State of Free Speech and Tolerance in America” survey found “Nearly three-fourths (71%) of Americans believe that political correctness has done more to silence important discussions our society needs to have” and “58% of Americans believe the political climate today prevents them from saying things they believe.” And a 2019 Gallup/Knight Foundation poll revealed “Close to 7 in 10 college students (68%) regard citizens’ free speech rights as being ‘extremely important’ to democracy. Nearly the same percentage (69%) believe an inclusive society that is welcoming to diverse groups is ‘extremely important.’”
The exchange of ideas and opinions should not scare anyone because each of us, at the end of the day, gets to choose what we think and believe and why. That should not prevent us from listening to one another or challenging each other. And, by the way, a diversity of thought and belief is essential for a nation that desires to thrive.
We are blessed to live in a society that values vigorous, healthy debate and freedom of thought — that was why my great-grandparents fled to America in the early 20th century. Or at least we did. I am not so sure we are that same country anymore. Our only hope? Ourselves. Those of us committed to protecting America’s future are here, unafraid and with courage, to stand up, speak truth and prevent the Left from ruining America forever.
They fear them because they’re reaching the young. My grandson was watching their videos on tiktok before they censored them.
Whoever this Jill person is, she is an idiot and a moron. It is not surprising she works for Prager.
In 2021, anyone on our side (allegedly) who talks to the media for any reason is an idiot and a moron. Ask yourself, how is it possible that she was surprised at the result?
She calls herself naïve. Why is she exonerating herself with that flattering word?
If Jill were honest, she would be admitting her stupidity, and asking forgiveness from our side for actively cooperating with the enemy.
But Prager benefits mightily from the “stupidity.” He makes big, big money from cooperating with the enemy. And our side falls for the manipulative fallacy that Prager must be ok, and he must be given money, because our enemy tricked him and bore false witness against him.
See the twofer? Prager gets money, and the reason he is getting money is that he gave the enemy ammunition to use against US.
Prager and his people may in fact be stupid idiots and morons. They act that way constantly always in ways which benefits the enemy. In which case they are grifters and worse than useless. But it is reasonable to believe they are more than grifters, given their behavior.
But folks on our side buy the show, one of many reasons why the enemy won conclusively.
The author makes up for her naivete by showing how evil the media has become.
Naive is hardly a flattering term.
I wonder if Dennis Prager ever apologized to Bob Grant before he died.
When my daughter was a Junior in HS, she came home one night and just ripped the family about global warming, our carbon footprint, our wasteful food practices, our use of energy and on and on. I asked where she had gotten her information and she said that it was from her history teacher (?).
The next day was a Friday and she was running late as usual. She came to me said, “We gotta go, I have to go to school.” I told her that I had been thinking about what she had said the previous evening and told her that I was going to work from home that day in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. She said, “But Dad, I have a Bio test today, we have to go.” I told her that saving the planet was more important than her Bio test. She was livid, and called some friends to see if she could get a ride. No luck. She stayed home that Friday.
I suggested she spend the weekend doing some research on global warming and energy use and see if what her teacher seemed right. She did and spent two days writing a paper for her history teacher that debunked human caused global warming. It was not an assignment but she gave it to the teacher anyway. It came back with a note at the top that said, “I'll have to think about this.”
I seem to remember that she was able to take her Bio test on Monday, but the perspective and discernment she gained was more valuable than anything.
You make a lot of unsubstantiated accusations there. Care to back them up with some facts?
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