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Home Front: Culture Wars
California school assignment; was Holocaust a hoax ?
2014-05-07
[Daily Beest] A California school district asked its eighth-grade language arts students to consider if the Holocaust was a "propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain." The Rial to Unified School District assignment requested an argumentative essay about whether or not the Holocaust "was an actual event in history" or "merely a political scheme." Of the three sources provided for use, one called gas chambers a "hoax" and the entire genocide a "profitable myth." The school district says it will revise the assignment, but that no parents or teachers had complained about it.
Jooos, propaganda tool, political scheme, profitable myth....? Do I sense a theme ?
I note in passing this paragraph from the local news report the story links to, while remarking that the interim superintendent may have had no control over individual assignments:
Interim Superintendent Mohammad Z. Islam was set to talk with administrators to “assure that any references to the holocaust ‘not occurring’ will be stricken on any current or future Argumentative Research assignments,” a statement from district spokeswoman Syeda Jafri read.
Posted by:Besoeker

#17  Interim Superintendent Mohammad Z. Islam.

They're right in there, doing their thing, aren't they. Caught him out this time, but how much is missed?

And Besoeker's got it right, solve it by not mentioning the Holocaust at all, that's the only fair solution.
Posted by: KBK   2014-05-07 20:28  

#16  Don't forget 9/11. You know, that was all Bush's fault.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2014-05-07 16:19  

#15  The first step in removing something from history is to discredit that it ever happened. Sow the seed of doubt. Then eliminate it from view, nothing to see here. This is so typical. So lets do one that Pearl harbor was faked, did it ever happen? Same with MLK killing, he faked it and is now in hiding or some secret jail. But to call into question one of the greatest genocides in the history of modern man is absurd and takes the contempt for Jews to a new level. Let look at slavery. Write a paper that says they were better off being slave in the US. Same deal, some things are not open for this type of crap.
Posted by: 49 Pan   2014-05-07 15:48  

#14  I read elsewhere that this was part of a Common Core assignment.
Posted by: warthogswife   2014-05-07 13:55  

#13  The really stupid thing about this assignment is NO crime in history has been as well documented as the Holocaust BY THE MURDERERS THEMSELVES.

The Nazis kept 13 files in different locations on EVERY PERSON who entered the concentration camp system. Literally 100s of tons of incriminating documents were recovered from the 3rd reich. It took scholars more than 60 years to work their way through the data.

If you are going to argue the holocaust is a hoax, you have to argue someone forged these tens of millions of documents and tons of artifacts. You also have to ask how they did this (and more important why???)

Al
Posted by: Frozen Al   2014-05-07 12:30  

#12  Z = Zombie
Posted by: Omusons Lover of the Hemps8496   2014-05-07 11:42  

#11  Interim Superintendent Mohammad Z. Islam...

Hmmmm. What does the Z stand for?
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2014-05-07 11:37  

#10  You poor SOB, have 'ye a crudgel?

Ship, I've found that a cattle-prod works better. ;^)

In reality speaking German loudly tends to work pretty well too. A forceful "Setzen Sie sich, bitte" or "Ruhe bitte" works wonders.

Seriously though, I like it. Now I'm not teaching in an urban environment, rather, an upper/upper- middle class system (two middle & high) schools.

I like 6th & 7th grade best. You can deal with them on mostly an adult level AND they actually listen. The young uns can't handle that and when they get to high school you have all the impact of a piece of furniture. 8th graders start developing their high school attitudes by December and it's down hill from there.
Posted by: AlanC   2014-05-07 11:30  

#9  You think they could have assigned the topic - Man Made Global Warming a Hoax? Nah.
Posted by: P2kontheroad   2014-05-07 11:25  

#8  To Whom It May Concern at the Rial School District:

My son Johann Josef Mengele will not be able to turn in his paper on "Was the Holocaust a Hoax" because his two adorable German Shepards, Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler,(die dumme Hunde)took exception to the actual paper, tore it to shreds and ate it. (Sie sind jetzt Papier scheissen.)

Please be assured that Johann can recite the contents of the paper by heart.(ausvendig) Please have Johann recite it to you, if it will help him pass his class. He is a very smart boy. (Kein Zweifel, er ist klüger als du)

Please be aware that Johann will be leaving school early this year as we will be traveling to Argentina, to visit his grandmother Marta Mengela, widow of our dear departed Joseph.

Sincerely Jules Mengela

Posted by: Omusons Lover of the Hemps8496   2014-05-07 09:33  

#7   I substitute teach in middle school.

You poor SOB, have 'ye a crudgel?

ProTip: Hide a tire-iron in your umbrella. Or if that won't get past the metal detectors a Pappy 2-iron of discipline. There are some that will take an edge.

Posted by: Shipman   2014-05-07 08:29  

#6  I substitute teach in middle school. This assignment is totally inappropriate for 8th grade. The kids that age are not mature enough to consider this kind of monstrosity in anything like an intelligent, thoughtful, moral manner.

This is pure propaganda from the get go. This is set up so the "teacher" can paint it as Juice are evil and go on from there.
Posted by: AlanC   2014-05-07 07:45  

#5  Why not two assignments?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2014-05-07 06:23  

#4  I'm not sure I see the problem. At least not unless the essays were to be graded on the basis that the Holocaust WAS a hoax. It is not clear to me the significance of the 'three sources provided for use' - those clearly bias the assignment, especially if they are the only sources allowed, but even just as the only suggested options.
Still, I do like the concept of asking students to question generally-accepted truth - how about global warming?
Posted by: Glenmore   2014-05-07 05:52  

#3  If the goal was to analyze propaganda then any issue of NY times would of sufficed for examination.
Posted by: Airandee   2014-05-07 05:37  

#2  Interim Superintendent Mohammad Z. Islam was set to talk with administrators to "assure that any references to the holocaust 'not occurring' will be stricken on any current or future Argumentative Research assignments

In fact, there'll not be any discussion or acknowledgement of the Holocaust at all! There, that fixes it.
Posted by: Besoeker   2014-05-07 05:09  

#1  Yea, well, it is Obamarika.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2014-05-07 03:20  

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