Dear Michael Eric Dyson
It's been a while since I've seen a debate both this funny and this indicative of the shift in the eyes of the man from outright 'I hate niggers, spics and Japs' racism, to 'we have to keep these people uninformed so they don't know their history' racism. Professor Dyson, you were up at odds against 'the Man' incarnate. From the moment this discussion on Arizona's decision to ban ethnic studies started, it was obvious that you were up against not just the Arizona school superintendent, but a mindset that seeks to keep children in line with the ideal image of America: the land of opportunity and dreams. Michael, you and I both know that the US of A is not as rosy and dreamy as Arizona would like us to believe. You and I both know of the struggle that all ethnic groups have trudged through for the past two centuries in this country. We know the ills of not knowing your history, not knowing the true legacy of a country and what happens when racism takes the form of 'liberal', yet ignorant whites.
The superintendent used this policy of stopping racial separation (not segregation) in schools, as if teaching children different cultures would cause rifts. He tried to use the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. to justify that cockamamie idea, saying that people should be judged by the content of their character. Professor Dyson, you made the greatest point though: you can't twist words to make them fit your agenda, no matter who says them. You made him sweat. You made him repeat the same phrase about 6 times over the course of the interview, stumbling over his words and feeling like the idiot he truly is. It's even crazier because the guy made the use of Che Guevara's likeness into a bad thing, saying that kids were inciting anarchy and promoting communism. Professor Dyson, you were alive during the latter parts of the Red Scare. This type of rhetoric is eerily similar, though now, it's kids being admonished because they take an active interest in the way that the government is run.
Professor Dyson, you brought the superintendent's (note, I still haven't called that twit by his names) plans of running for office to the light, also indicative of a government that is content with the ignorant status quo as long as they stay in office. If this wasn't 'the Man's' coming out party, then I don't know what is. As a matter of fact, I hope that every American can see this video to understand how bass-ackwards we are trying to teach our children at the expense of history that is relevant. I'm tired of seeing history taught from the perspectives of the oppressors. All that does is enforce an underlying air of inferiority, no matter how much Arizona schools want to push that the opposite espouses inferiority. If America is at the brink of racial and cultural upheaval, Arizona is at the forefront, and for good reason. If we had more minds like you, Mr. Dyson, I'm sure that the struggle for understanding will end sooner rather than later...