Under new legislation proposed by Oklahoma Republicans, teachers would be prohibited from punishing a student for turning in a science paper that in no way reflects science.
via Mother Jones
In biology class, public school students can’t generally argue that dinosaurs and people ran around Earth at the same time, at least not without risking a big fat F. But that could soon change for kids in Oklahoma: On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Common Education committee is expected to consider a House bill that would forbid teachers from penalizing students who turn in papers attempting to debunk almost universally accepted scientific theories such as biological evolution and anthropogenic (human-driven) climate change. [...]
Gus Blackwell, the Republican state representative who introduced the bill, insists that his legislation has nothing to do with religion; it simply encourages scientific exploration. “I proposed this bill because there are teachers and students who may be afraid of going against what they see in their textbooks,” says Blackwell, who previously spent 20 years working for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.
The bill, HB1674, would reportedly encourage students to question topics that “cause controversy.”
Let’s be real — the only reason a young student would question the merits of evolution and climate change is if his or her parents told them to, and the only reason their parents would question it is because Fox News and Hate Radio told them to.
The only reason these are “controversial” topics is because word that they should considered as such was passed down through the chain of command from corporations and religious organizations to the conservative think tanks which they fund who then deliver a set of talking points to Fox News and Hate Radio shock jocks.
What we sometimes refer to as the “conservative entertainment complex” is a complex system of grifting and astroturfing that sometimes results in abominable legislation such as this finding its way into our state houses.
Behind every denial of climate change or evolution, there’s someone making a lot of money.