DeSantis is already losing the battle in Florida let alone the country.

‘Anti-Woke’ Brigade Fails to Oust Superintendent in Fiery Florida School Board Meeting
WAR ON WOKE

Erik Uebelacker
Breaking News Intern

Published May. 31, 2023 12:37PM ET
The Proud Boys, Moms for Liberty and even Shannon Rodriguez—the mom who reported a teacher for showing a Disney film with a gay character to a middle school class—all showed up at a fiery school district board meeting in Brooksville, Florida, on Tuesday night that ended in the early hours of the morning. Book bans and LGBTQ+ student rights took up much of the public discussion as more than 100 speakers addressed the board over several hours. “It feels like a lot of people are speaking for us,” Central High sophomore Amelie Howell told the Tampa Bay Times. “Nobody is asking what we want.” At the center of the firestorm was Superintendent John Stratton, who survived a vote of “no confidence” Tuesday night amid calls for his removal by “anti-woke” crusaders. Florida has banned the second-most books in the country and passed laws like “Don’t Say Gay.”

Read it at Tampa Bay Times

https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-...rnando-school-board-meeting?ref=home?ref=home

 

Trump Admits Republicans Don’t Even Know What ‘Woke’ Means

364
Nikki McCann Ramirez
Thu, June 1, 2023 at 11:40 AM MDT



Donald Trump Republicans Woke Donald Trump Republicans Woke.jpg - Credit: James Devaney/GC Images

During a Thursday campaign event in Iowa, former President Donald Trump admitted what we all know: Republicans have no idea what “woke” actually means.

“I don’t like the term ‘woke,'” Trump said while answering questions from the audience, “because I hear the term ‘woke woke woke’ — it’s just a term they use, half the people can’t define it, they don’t know what it is.”


The former president then rambled about transgender athletes and claimed that if he were the coach of a girl’s basketball team he “would have the greatest team. I’d say ‘Lebron [James], would you like to become a woman?’ And I would go to another four or five guys and say we will be undefeated for many, many years.’ I will go down as the greatest coach in history.”


“It is so crazy — and that is all woke,” Trump said. “I guess they define that as woke, but that’s all woke.”



nikki mccann ramírez
@NikkiMcR
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During a campaign event in Iowa, Trump complains that "half the people" who use the term "woke" can't define it --- and then says that if he got Lebron James and 4 other NBA players to identify as women that would be "woke"












10:46 AM · Jun 1, 2023


364
Nikki McCann Ramirez
Thu, June 1, 2023 at 11:40 AM MDT



Donald Trump Republicans Woke Donald Trump Republicans Woke.jpg - Credit: James Devaney/GC Images
During a Thursday campaign event in Iowa, former President Donald Trump admitted what we all know: Republicans have no idea what “woke” actually means.

“I don’t like the term ‘woke,'” Trump said while answering questions from the audience, “because I hear the term ‘woke woke woke’ — it’s just a term they use, half the people can’t define it, they don’t know what it is.”



The former president then rambled about transgender athletes and claimed that if he were the coach of a girl’s basketball team he “would have the greatest team. I’d say ‘Lebron [James], would you like to become a woman?’ And I would go to another four or five guys and say we will be undefeated for many, many years.’ I will go down as the greatest coach in history.”


“It is so crazy — and that is all woke,” Trump said. “I guess they define that as woke, but that’s all woke.”


For right-wing politicians and pundits, the term “woke” has become an amorphous shorthand for anything deemed too progressive, too inclusive, or too considerate of minorities. It’s intentionally ambiguous because a lack of clarity gives them the freedom to slap the label on literally whatever they want.

Need an example? Earlier this week conservatives urged a boycott against Chick-fil-A, a long-time corporate darling of conservatives who’ve celebrated the fast food chain’s Christian values, for the “woke” crime of having a diversity and inclusion policy.

Trump’s statement, however, is likely a direct response to the anti-”woke” hysteria of his chief 2024 primary opponent Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor has made vanquishing the “woke mind virus” a central tenant of not only his governance of the Sunshine State but of his candidacy for the presidency.

The night he officially announced his entry into the Republican primary, DeSantis appeared on Fox News, where he declared that “the woke mind virus is basically a form of cultural Marxism,” and an “attack on the truth.”

“We have no choice but to wage a war on woke,” DeSantis said.


eSantis also vowed to “destroy Leftism in this country and leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history,” earlier this week.

On Thursday morning, during his own campaign event in New Hampshire, DeSantis asked if anybody was “happy to see this woke mind virus affect all these institutions?” What he means, he did not bother to clarify.


https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/trump-admits-republicans-don-t-174030306.html

 

Oh yeaah thats something to brag about alright. First Trump destroyed the markes it took farmers decades to build with his uselesd fucked up trade wars. Anf then had to by them off with $20 billion in free government hand outs.

 

BLM
Antifa
Democrats
3rd Wave feminists
Unknowingly Racist or completely racist
Anti capitalist socialists or communists
Pro choice
Anti Gun and or a shocking unknowing of guns
Pro ACAB and a shocking amount of lack of understanding police policy and law
Cancel Culture
Hates Christians and other religions
Satanic or Satanists
Hookup Culture
Predator of Simps
Extremely sensitive over just about anything
Pro Political violence
Globalists
Pro Climate change
Pro Vegan
Obsessed with being as fake as possible
Pro pedophile
Unpatriotic
Irrational fear of white people
Pro segregation
Irrational fear of the MAGA movement
Irrational fear of conspiracy theorists and theories
Against Patriarchy
Against Masculinity
Pro Obeseity
Pro Rainbow Cult
Believes they are perfect
Oblivious to the bigger picture
White Saviors who can't help but speak on behalf of them
Obsessed with wanting to tell everyone they are a victim falsely
Pro pronouns
Tyrannical
Fascist
Supports big government
Pro left Mainstream media

Most folks i call woke cross off 3 or more of the criteria i just listed

 

by them i meant to people of darker skin tones or foreigners or pro BLM
Pro Illegal immigration
And finally
Anti border walls

 

I wonder how many opponents of censorship complain about the fact that the books of Jared Taylor are not sold on Amazon. I wonder how many are concerned that Professor J. Philippe's University disowned him, even though his assertions have never been disproved.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/202...p-for-debate-at-this-canadian-university.html

I wonder how many of these self acclaimed defenders of academic freedom would defend the ability of a high school teacher to assign his students to read Professor Rushton's essay, "Race, Evolution, and Behavior," even if they were not required to agree with it to get a good grade.

*not_secure_link*www.harbornet.com/folks/theedrich/JP_Rushton/Race.htm

 

They are a business, they do not have to carry every book ever published.

Why do you defend white supremacists?

Oh, I forgot who I was talking to...

 

Here ya go.


Utah district bans Bible in elementary and middle schools 'due to vulgarity or violence'

The Bible is read aloud at the Utah Capitol, Monday, Nov. 25, 2013. The Bible has been banned at elementary and middle schools in the Davis School District north of Salt Lake City, after a review committee decided it wasn't age appropriate "due to vulgarity or violence." (Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
697
SAM METZ
Fri, June 2, 2023 at 2:44 PM MDT




SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Good Book is being treated like a bad book in Utah after a parent frustrated by efforts to ban materials from schools convinced a suburban district that some Bible verses were too vulgar or violent for younger children.

And the Book of Mormon could be next.

The 72,000-student Davis School District north of Salt Lake City removed the Bible from its elementary and middle schools while keeping it in high schools after a committee reviewed the scripture in response to a parental complaint. The district has removed other titles, including Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” and John Green’s “Looking for Alaska,” following a 2022 state law requiring districts to include parents in decisions over what constitutes “sensitive material.”

On Friday, a complaint was submitted about the signature scripture of the predominant faith in Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. District spokesperson Chris Williams confirmed that someone filed a review request for the Book of Mormon but would not say what reasons were listed. Citing a school board privacy policy, he also would not say whether it was from the same person who complained about the Bible.


Representatives for the church declined to comment on the challenge. Members of the faith also read the Bible.

Williams said the district doesn’t differentiate between requests to review books and doesn't consider whether complaints may be submitted as satire. The reviews are handled by a committee made up of teachers, parents and administrators in the largely conservative community.

The committee published its decision about the Bible in an online database of review requests and did not elaborate on its reasoning or which passages it found overly violent or vulgar.

The decision comes as conservative parent activists, including state-based chapters of the group Parents United, descend on school boards and statehouses throughout the United States, sowing alarm about how sex and violence are talked about in schools.

Because of the district's privacy policy, it’s unknown who made the request for the Bible to be banned from Davis schools or if they are affiliated with any larger group.

A copy of the complaint obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune through a public records request shows that the parent noted the Bible contains instances of incest, prostitution and rape. The complaint derided a “bad faith process” and said the district was “ceding our children’s education, First Amendment Rights, and library access" to Parents United.

“Utah Parents United left off one of the most sex-ridden books around: The Bible,” the parent’s complaint, dated Dec. 11, said. It later went on to add, “You’ll no doubt find that the Bible (under state law) has ‘no serious values for minors’ because it’s pornographic by our new definition."

The review committee determined the Bible didn’t qualify under Utah's definition of what's pornographic or indecent, which is why it remains in high schools, Williams said. The committee can make its own decisions under the new 2022 state law and has applied different standards based on students’ ages in response to multiple challenges, he said.

An unnamed party filed an appeal on Wednesday.

The Bible has long found itself on the American Library Association's list of most challenged books and was temporarily pulled off shelves last year in school districts in Texas and Missouri.

Concerns about new policies potentially ensnaring the Bible have routinely arisen in statehouses during debates over efforts to expand book banning procedures. That includes Arkansas — one of the states that enacted a law this year that would subject librarians to criminal penalties for providing “harmful” materials to minors, and creates a new process for the public to request materials be relocated in libraries.

“I don’t want people to be able to say, ’I don’t want the Bible in the library," Arkansas Democratic state Sen. Linda Chesterfield said during a hearing.

Parents who have pushed for more say in their children’s education and the curriculum and materials available in schools have argued that they should control how their children are taught about matters like gender, sexuality and race.

EveryLibrary, a national political action committee, told The Associated Press last month it was tracking at least 121 different proposals introduced in legislatures this year targeting libraries, librarians, educators and access to materials. The number of attempts to ban or restrict books across the U.S. in 2022 was the highest in the 20 years, according to the American Library Association.

“If folks are outraged about the Bible being banned, they should be outraged about all the books that are being censored in our public schools,” said Kasey Meehan, who directs the Freedom to Read program at the writers’ organization PEN America.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/utah-district-bans-bible-elementary-204443967.html

 

I defend intellectual freedom. From the McCarthy Era to the Tet Offensive in the spring of 1968 it was dangerous in the United States to criticize capitalism, advocate socialism, or to say anything good about any Communist country.

The Tet offensive made it safe to evaluate the attitudes that led to the War in Vietnam.

Now it is dangerous to draw connections between gene alleles, intelligence, crime, and race. This makes it somewhat dangerous to criticize affirmative action.

I am not a white supremacist. I have been banned from white supremacist websites for pointing out that the average IQ of an Ashkenazi Jew is 115, and that the average for an East Asian is 106. My own race tips the scale at 100.

Generally speaking, I prefer East Asians to white Gentiles. They are not only more intelligent on the average, they have lower rates of crime and illegitimacy.

 

Federal judge tosses Tennessee's controversial 'anti-drag' law, declares it unconstitutional

32
Micaela A Watts, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sat, June 3, 2023 at 7:09 AM MDT




In a significant win for LGBTQ advocates, a federal judge has tossed out Tennessee's controversial law restricting drag performances, after hearings in which the law's necessity and broad language were questioned.

Judge Thomas Parker issued his ruling just after midnight Friday, writing that, "the Court finds that — despiteTennessee’s compelling interest in protecting the psychological and physical wellbeing of children — the Adult Entertainment Act (“AEA”) is an UNCONSTITUTIONAL (sic) restriction on the freedom of speech."

The bill restricting "male and female impersonators" from performing in public spaces was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee at the start of March. The bill was one of several to come out of the 2023 legislative session that was said to target LGBTQ Tennesseans.




By late March, a Memphis-based theater group, Friends of George's filed suit against the state. The group wrote on its website in March the bill, imperils the lives of "drag performers and seeks to oppress queer culture state-wide."

Defense attorneys for the state focused on why the law was necessary to protect any minors that may be exposed to indecency. But, Parker questioned the necessity of the bill, noting Tennessee already had thorough laws on the books that banned obscenity.

Parker's decision comes hours before Mid-South Pride hosts the yearly Pride festival in Memphis.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/federal-judge-tosses-tennessees-controversial-130946194.html

 

You will notice the woke king of anti woke can't define "woke" either.

And let's look at the utter nonsense DeSantis is spewing with "cultural Marxism,”

Marx·ism

noun
noun: Marxism
the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism.






com·mu·nism

noun
noun: communism
a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

No one on the left is advocating for communism. Its just a buzzword DeSantis and treasonous conservative/America Hating/Republicans can throw out there to their low information voters who don't even know what Marxism and communism is.






Ron DeSantis Asked to Define ‘Woke’ For Reporter After Trump Claims ‘Half The People Can’t Define It’
By Jennifer Bowers BahneyJun 3rd, 2023, 3:26 pm

The Ron DeSantis camp posted a video of the presidential candidate defining the cultural buzzword “woke” just days after Donald Trump said he doesn’t like it anymore and insisted that “half the people can’t define it.”

“[Trump] said he doesn’t like to use the word ‘woke’ because people don’t know what it means,” NBC reporter Dasha Burns said at Saturday’s campaign stop in Iowa. “That’s obviously a big part of your messaging. What do you say to that?”

“Look, we know what woke is, it’s a form of cultural Marxism,” DeSantis answered. “It’s about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it’s basically a war on the truth. And as that has infected institutions, and it has corrupted institutions. So, you’ve got to be willing to fight the woke, we’ve done that in Florida, and we proudly consider ourselves the state where woke goes to die.”


The DeSantis War Room retweeted the video Saturday, saying, “Asked to define WOKE, @RonDeSantis does not miss a beat:

‘It’s a form of Cultural Marxism… It’s a war on the truth.'”




Trump made his statement on the word earlier in the week in Iowa.

“I don’t like the term ‘woke,’ because I hear the term ‘woke woke woke’ … it’s just a term they use, half the people can’t define it, they don’t know what it is.”

DeSantis has said he’s running for president to eradicate “woke ideology” in the United States. When asked by a Fox News host why it was the right time for him to run for president, DeSantis answered:

“Because everyone knows if I’m the nominee, I will beat Biden and I will serve two terms and I will be able to destroy leftism in this country and leave woke ideology on the dustbin of history.”

DeSantis’ wife Casey was spotted Saturday wearing a “WHERE WOKE GOES TO DIE” leather jacket in Iowa’s 90-degree heat. The design featured an outline of the state of Florida and a snapping alligator. Some on Twitter compared the spirit of the jacket to Melania Trump‘s infamous, “I REALLY DON’T CARE DO YOU?” jacket.


https://www.mediaite.com/politics/r...-trump-claims-half-the-people-cant-define-it/

 

'Woke' fried chicken? Fast food chain at center of US culture wars

2.4k
Inès BEL AIBA
Sat, June 3, 2023 at 12:32 PM MDT·3 min read



Chick-fil-A is an American fast food brand beloved for its fried chicken sandwiches and milkshakes

The "Lord's chicken" no more: US fast food chain Chick-fil-A -- beloved among Americans for its sandwiches, nuggets and milkshakes -- found itself on the receiving end of right-wing ire this week, accused of succumbing to "woke" ideology.

After conservative customers realized the company employs a "diversity, equity and inclusion" representative, it has joined the ranks of other seemingly innocuous brands now facing calls for boycotts, such as mega supermarket Target and Bud Light beer.

Until recently, conservatives had seen the restaurant as one of their own, with its website explaining that its locations are closed on Sundays so the Baptist founder "and his employees could set aside one day to rest and worship if they choose."


And in 2012, it was progressives who spurned Chick-fil-A's offerings for supporting anti-gay marriage efforts.

But the tables have turned, as right-wing influencers complain on social media about a statement from its vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion who says the company is committed "to ensuring mutual respect, understanding and dignity everywhere we do business."

Though that position has already been filled for a few years, angry social media commentators seem to have only just noticed this week.

"Disappointing. Et tu Chick-fil-A?" asked former Trump-era Justice Department official Jeff Clark on Twitter, quoting Julius Caesar's realization in Latin that his friend Brutus was among his killers.

And contributor to conservative organization Turning Point USA, Morgonn McMichael, accused the chain in a viral video of deciding to "bow down to the woke lords."

"Chick-fil-A you are no longer the Lord's chicken. You're actually the woke chicken, and I'm really upset about it as a Christian woman," she says.

McMichael and her friend then complain about having to visit a rival chain instead -- even though they do not seem as enthused about the fried poultry options at the new place.

McMichael later claimed the video "was only about 30 percent serious."

- 'Toxic' -

Chick-fil-A is only the latest US company to take center stage in the "culture wars" -- the often sudden and intense controversies over issues like LGBTQ rights, guns and education, many of which involve everyday aspects of American life.

Giant supermarket chain Target last week announced it would remove some LGBTQ pride merchandise from its shelves after receiving intense backlash from conservative media personalities -- and even facing threats against employees.

The company had launched a line of items marking June's LGBTQ Pride Month, including rainbow-adorned T-shirts, party decorations and cooking supplies.

Earlier this year, it was iconic American beer Bud Light in the anti-woke spotlight, for partnering with a popular transgender social media influencer.

Many social media users now say they've totally given up the brand, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, has vowed to never drink Bud Light again, loathe to support anything "woke" -- a somewhat amorphous term used by conservatives to describe progressive cultural values.

The slogan "Go woke, go broke" has circulated on social media to encourage such boycotts.

"The goal is to make 'pride' toxic for brands," conservative commentator Matt Walsh said on Twitter.

"If they decide to shove this garbage in our face, they should know that they'll pay a price. It won't be worth whatever they think they'll gain," he added. "First Bud Light and now Target. Our campaign is making progress. Let's keep it going.

With the 2024 election campaign looming, the culture wars don't seem poised to run out of steam any time soon, and their next targets may be just as unpredictable as their last.

"If you would've told me a year ago that a meal of Chick-fil-A washed down by Bud Light would trigger the (conservatives) I would've asked what you were smoking," independent journalist Aaron Rupar observed.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/woke-fried-chicken-fast-food-183235016.html

 

The alt-right economy is failing. Here’s the real performance of anti-woke entrepreneurs

William B. Plowman - NBC/Getty Images
314
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian
Mon, June 5, 2023 at 10:05 AM MDT




In commenting on Bob Iger’s defense of Disney's values and brand in the face of threats from Florida Governor DeSantis, Nike CEO John Donahoe said, “I think Bob’s doing a great job at this. If it’s core to who you are and your values, then you stand up for your values.”



That spirit has been rewarded by the free market. Across many fronts, we have shown in quantitative analysis of business performance that doing good for society is not at the expense of doing well for shareholders, with clear examples ranging from Russian business exits to public engagement on voting rights.

Yet still, grandstanding political ideologues are using opportunistic attacks on iconic U.S. enterprises to showcase their own nascent anti-ESG businesses, and reportedly build a “parallel economy” catering to conservative constituencies. But far from flourishing, an objective review of the facts suggests these anti-wokester jokesters are financially foundering.


One little-known index fund provider, the American Conservative Values ETF (ACVF), recently received a flurry of media attention for boycotting Target over what they described as its “pandering to the woke agenda,” confidently declaring that their boycott of Target will ensure “Target stock’s long-term performance will suffer.”

Target stock is down, but in reality, the fund’s total holdings of Target amount to just $100,000–equivalent to the revenue that Target nets every 20 seconds. In fact, ACVF’s total assets under management are a rather measly $40 million–and many of their other “boycotted” companies–including iconic All-American enterprises such as Apple, Microsoft, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Disney, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, and JPMorgan–have performed quite well since being targeted by ACVF. Delta is up 10% this year, American is up 15% this year, Microsoft and Apple are both up over 40% this year and Salesforce is up 60%. Thanks in part to missing out on these top-performing stocks, ACVF is underperforming the S&P 500 by over 2% this year through June 1. No wonder even politically conservative investors stay away from these anti-woke ETFs.

View this interactive chart on Fortune.com

ACVF’s struggles rather pale in comparison to those of its much larger and better-known rival, presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s Strive Asset Management. We have contacted both firms about our findings by phone and email, but their representatives directed us to figures published on their respective websites, which we checked–and double-checked.

The business models of both Strive and ACVF are similar: They construct exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, for mom-and-pop retail investors to passively track a basket of stocks, matching rather than trying to beat the broader market. Unlike hedge funds, these ETF providers do not care if the stocks go up, down, or sideways–rather, they get their money from fees charged on anyone who has their money in a Strive ETF. Most ETFs are very low-fee products–but the anti-woke ETFs come at a premium. BlackRock ETFs, for example, usually charge around 0.03% fees. Strive’s fees are comparatively higher at up to 0.41%–but nothing compared to ACVF’s 0.75% fee.

To survive over the long run, these nascent ETF providers need to continually attract new money from mom-and-pop investors. And that is exactly what it appears they are struggling to do. All the evidence, out in the open, shows that Strive has had a hard time attracting additional investor inflows beyond its original anchor investors after the launch of its ETFs last year. Its assets under management appear to have stagnated despite Ramaswamy’s loud media presence.

View this interactive chart on Fortune.com

For example, its largest flagship ETF, the Strive US Energy ETF (DRLL), has almost exactly the same amount of assets under management (AUM) as of June 1, $320 million, that it did when it was launched in August/September 2022, and its AUM is down nearly 25% from the start of this year.

Fully half of Strive’s eight current ETF products–including the Strive 1000 Growth ETF, the Strive 1000 Value ETF, the Strive 1000 Dividend Growth ETF, and the Strive Small-Cap ETF–have less than $12 million assets under management each, which is microscopic relative to the industry standard–and less than the average compensation of a single major CEO at most companies.

View this interactive chart on Fortune.com

Thus it is hardly surprising that some of the most admired CEOs are flippantly swatting away Strive’s attempts at “activism.” Ramaswamy has become the court jester of corporate governance. The mere mention of his name brings anything from smirks to outright gales of laughter amongst some corporate audiences.

One hopes that Strive is not on a path to fail as badly as some of Ramaswamy’s previous ventures, such as Axovant, a Ramaswamy-founded company whose stock price plunged from $200 to 40 cents, or Campus Venture Networks, Ramaswamy’s much-hyped undergraduate startup which, despite his self-aggrandizement, he apparently sold for just a few thousand dollars, if his tax returns are correct. Even one of Strive’s biggest financial backers, Bill Ackman, is apparently embarrassed and rushing to disavow Ramaswamy. Meanwhile, Strive is reduced to seeking “consulting contract” handouts from friendly politicos. Perhaps this helps explain why Ramaswamy is running his longshot Presidential campaign: Nothing turns around sagging business fortunes quite like a new burst of free publicity!

It is not only in high finance that these “parallel economy” startups are flailing. Attempts to build a new alt-right media ecosystem are similarly landing with a thud.

Perhaps most infamously, Donald Trump’s much-hyped Truth Social alt-platform has imploded in value, with its SPAC packaging (ticker DWAC) shares falling from $95 to $13 even as the former president flails away on this otherwise quiet platform. Alt-right social media rivals such as Gab and GabPay are struggling to gain traction, begging for donations through crowdsourced funding, while provocateur Alex Jones and his Infowars declared bankruptcy after a record $1 billion verdict for the Sandy Hook families. More prominently, One America News has now been dropped by every major cable operator, partially driven by low audiences, while its behemoth rival Fox’s struggles are just beginning after the record $787.5 million Dominion settlement–with its board reportedly becoming weary of deviating too far from the mainstream.

Efforts to expand the alt-right parallel economy across digital services and even physical goods are running straight into the ground as well. Virtually all major retailers from Bed Bath & Beyond to Walmart to Kohl’s to Costco have cut ties with Mike Lindell’s MyPillow, which just months ago closed its last in-person retail mall store while losing $100 million, according to Lindell himself. Former Trump personnel director Johnny McEntee’s project–an alt-right dating site, “The Right Stuff”–has been lambasted even by its core constituency, with its mostly men frustrated by the lack of women users, and its seed funding from Peter Thiel is reportedly scheduled to run out in the next few months.

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail; and the exertions of some anti-woke activists in extrapolating politicized rhetoric into the economy can stretch into caricature. Strangely, the struggles of the nation’s regional banks, such as SVB, Signature, and First Republic, were superstitiously blamed on “wokeism” and the facts–that these less diversified banks were unprepared for the Fed’s interest rate hikes and that larger, equally “woke” banks were better insulated from these interest rate swings–were ignored. This month, even the conservative New York Post was bewildered by the sudden ire this month of anti-wokesters targeting the privately owned, very spiritual, Christian values-guided restaurant chain Chick-fil-A because, years ago, they promoted a longstanding internal HR executive to oversee diversity and equal opportunity.

Despite positioning themselves as reverent guardians of free markets against government and social overreach, many anti-wokester jokesters seem to have forgotten the most basic requirement of capitalism: to make a profit. Ironically, the free market delivers the most condemning verdict of all. The favorite “woke” targets of anti-ESG activists continue to soar to record economic heights, effortlessly shrugging off anti-woke attacks.

Clearly, despite all the hype and drama, there is little financial threat to mainstream business posed by the anti-woke economy. It’s not a genuine parallel economy–these are scattered cases of ideological grifters and struggling entrepreneurs. Their real talent seems to lie in fast-talking media platforms into giving them an undeserved platform to unfairly target iconic pillars of U.S. enterprise. But as these anti-wokester jokesters struggle to gain financial traction, the numbers will continue to disprove their claims.


https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/alt-economy-failing-real-performance-160518591.html

 

Well of course treasonous conservative/America Hating/Republicans can't allow students to learn about their Constitutional Rights. They might want to exercise them.


This Teacher Taught Her Students About Their Constitutional Rights. Less Than Two Months Later, Her Role Was Terminated.
4.8k

BuzzFeed
Mon, June 5, 2023 at 7:23 PM MDT·5 min read


Earlier this year, Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) teacher Sophia DeLoretto-Chudy said she was pulled into a "check-in meeting" with school administration over a list of concerns. Most notably among them: "We've noticed an intentional attempt in teaching your students about their legal and constitutional rights."
@soph4president
you’d think I was teaching way out west but this is downtown Austin… #TeachingTexas

♬ original sound - Sophie Marie
TikTok: @soph4president / Via tiktok.com

In response to this, Sophia made a TikTok video documenting the administration's notes on her teaching, as well as the events that would later play out — including her subsequently being placed on leave and terminated.
Over 3.2 million people have viewed Sophia's now-viral video and tens of thousands followed her account in hopes of keeping up with this quickly turning story.


So what happened? Well, in line with Texas Senate Bill 1828, which mandates that all state schools hold a Holocaust Remembrance Week to teach history surrounding genocide, Hitler's dangerous rise to power, and concentration camps, Sophia conducted a lesson on Hitler's use of education. "My students learned about recognizing propaganda and why Hitler went into schools to teach nazi ideology and nationalism," she told BuzzFeed.

Students made parallels to signs of nationalism they were familiar with, including the US practice of having students recite the pledge of allegiance every morning in schools.

As a part of the lesson, students also learned about rights US citizens have today in comparison to restrictions placed on those in 1940s Germany. And this led some to practice protesting, Sophia explained. "The issue my admin had wasn't with the lesson plan, but with my students' decision to protest the pledge of allegiance by sitting and not reciting it with the rest of the school," she said. "They have loved learning about their first amendment protection of freedom of speech and have been excited by protest movements all throughout the year."

However, it's important to note that Texas in particular has a law mandating every single student to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and the Texas state flag daily.

According to Sophia, her students' protest was seen as "indoctrination" by administration. "My vice principal said she was concerned I was 'indoctrinating' my students," the 27-year-old said. "She didn't believe that they were smart enough to make the decision to protest the pledge on their own and that they didn't 'fully understand a decision that big.'"
This was not the first time Sophia butted heads with admin. Previously, she said the school discouraged teachers from speaking on basic women's health. "During human physiology week...I was not allowed to tell my students that I also have a period because I have a uterus."

Then, on April 27, Sophia said the head of HR recommended she be put on leave and that her contract not be renewed for the next school year.
In a letter Sophia sent to BuzzFeed that is addressed by the school district's Chief Human Capital Officer, recommendations for her termination were based on the following:

"Use of a computer, school mail, or any other means of communication that is harassing, offensive, or disruptive to the school operations; and any activity, school-connected or otherwise, that, because of publicity given it, orknowledge of it among students, faculty, and community, impairs or diminishes the employee’s effectiveness in the District."


Sophia DeLoretto-Chudy
In Sophia's eyes, she says her termination is the result of "embarrass[ing] my administrator in a TikTok."
In a statement sent to parents, Sophia said the administration, "Clarified that the reason I was pulled from the classroom had nothing to do with the list of concerns I received from [admin], not a parent complaint from our campus, nor anything to do with the subject matter I was teaching, or how I was dressed. I was pulled from teaching and investigated strictly because of the TikTok that went viral overnight."

BuzzFeed reached out to Austin ISD for comment. We'll update you if or when they respond.


Janos Varga / Getty Images/iStockphoto
This incident comes amidst much controversy surrounding the state of Texas and laws passed that restrict fact-based education.
For one, educators statewide are encouraged to share "opposing views" when teaching about the Holocaust. And, according to the Texas Tribune, Texas has banned more books than any other state — most of which include works with POC or LGBT+ characters and stories at their center.


Maryvalery / Getty Images/iStockphoto
Meanwhile, schools across the nation are experiencing a shortage of educators as the professionals fight for better pay and more respect within the classroom. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 300,000 public school educators quit their jobs between February 2020 and May 2022, and 77% of teachers in Texas say they've seriously considered quitting.
Sophia's now-former school district Austin ISD has more than 250 openings, nonprofit Raise Your Hand Texas reports.

Though Sophia is heartbroken over the events, she acknowledged that she understands her path forward and plans to "put more of my focus" on work in the nonprofit space, "motivating young voters," and helping her community where she can.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teacher-reprimanded-admin-said-were-012341713.html

 

Wait. This teacher is probationary?
That wasn't mentioned in earlier articles.
A probationary employee, even a union or probationary GOVERNMENT employee can be terminated for any or no reason at all.
If this probationary employee thinks publicizing her plight in this way will save her job, she's mistaken.
But it will seal her fate for future employment, won't it?

 

Exactly what are the Republicans afraid of?

 

Afraid that our education system is failing our youth, and has been for many years.
When was it you attended school again?

 

"Austin has long been considered the lone blue dot in the middle of a sea of Texas red when it comes to politics. And now our fair city ranks as one of the top spots for liberals to live in the country: No. 2 in the United States and No. 1 in Texas."
From here:
https://austin.culturemap.com/news/city-life/09-12-16-best-american-cities-liberals/#:~:text=Austin has long been considered,1 in Texas.

So, in a school district in a liberal stronghold in a mostly conservative state, you're presuming that Republicans fired her?

 

Has 'Klanned Karenhood' Infiltrated Your Kid's School? Here's How to Respond
1.9k

Jill Robi
Thu, June 8, 2023 at 3:25 PM MDT·5 min read




This recently-named extremist group is threatening our kids' educations. Here's what parents can do.


Nationwide, the retelling and teaching of history accurately has always been a struggle. But oddly enough, the rise of social media led to informative posts and threads that give insight into the history we sorely missed in school. A good deal of these posts typically reference Black history, a history that is quick to be whitewashed, or eliminated from the books.

Many of us learned about the Tulsa race massacre, the story of Robert Smalls, the atrocities of King Leopold, Juneteenth, and more, online. From artists to inventors to war veterans, there’s a dearth of history that has been omitted from education. As recent as 2015, a Texas history book referred to enslaved Africans as “workers'' and “immigrants.”


In recent years, parents have become more involved in the education of children. While on paper, this sounds like a very good thing. Scratch the surface, and it is clear that in many instances, their intervention is actually detrimental. They push their beliefs (not facts or science) into classrooms across the country.

With Moms for Liberty, their beliefs include, but are not limited to, anti-Blackness, far-right extremism, and anti-education, all under the thinly veiled guise of “parents’ rights.” Dubbed the “Klanned Karenhood” on social media, the group, founded by two Floridian, former school board members in 2021, has spearheaded a culture war to eliminate both Black literature and Black history from classrooms as well as libraries.

Such actions and disruptions affect the learning capabilities of all children. It deprives them of truth, with the elimination of history, and of integral POVs that will allow for growth and empathy. More than that, it devalues Black students and diminishes their self-worth and self-esteem. It is pointedly saying, “You don't matter.”

“I’m deeply concerned about systematically removing diversity, equity, and inclusion from public schools,” said Iesha Mulla. A Black mother of two children, she is a parenting expert and founder of Parental Questions. “The lack of support for different cultures, backgrounds, races, and beliefs can lead to an unequal playing field throughout education. This greatly impacts our students’ ability to succeed in life due to the limited access to resources that would help them navigate educational systems more efficiently.”

The situation has devolved to the discomfort of one causing the elimination of learning tools and processes. How do these actions help children and students learn and grow? What is the true agenda behind groups like Moms for Liberty or politicians like Ron DeSantis? What is to be gained from not only forced ignorance but the elimination of the culture and history of a people integral to the fabric of the US?

Dr. William Horne, teacher, and co-founder of The Activist History Review, has spoken out on this topic on social media. “Florida just banned everything I teach at the university level. If legislators bothered to take my class, they’d learn that backlash events like this always coincide with white supremacist vigilante and state violence.” In addition to his professional opinion, he has spoken to his students, who have also expressed their distress at the changes. “They often say they feel like they’ve been lied to, well, because they have. They don’t want to learn racist mythology -- they want to understand the world as it actually exists.”

“We must do everything we can to ensure all children have the same opportunity for success regardless of their background or cultural differences,” Mulla added. “To combat the push for far-right extremist rhetoric, it is important to emphasize equity and inclusion in public school systems.”

Dr. Christopher Kelly, a professor and director of an educational leadership program, has a philosophy that leadership is “a very collaborative and inclusive process.” Collaboration and inclusivity should for all intents and purposes be a bedrock of public education. Instead, we are being left with whitewashing with a white supremacist brush.

“The most recent attacks and systematic removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the K-12 education system and higher education, through vigorous efforts to bar AP African American studies and critical race theory (CRT) should be referred to as the modern attempt to whitewash our American history and education,” Dr. Kelly said.

“The term ‘whitewash’ or ‘whitewashing,' in this particular context, refers to the intentionality of the political attacks that attempt to conceal the history (book banning and curriculum eliminations) of those white Americans being identified as culprits (i.e., murderers, rapists, kidnappers, thieves), and further being responsible for a host of various other atrocities regarding the positionality of the black race in America as it pertains to African American history and education.”

“There’s a reason they don’t want us to know this stuff,” Dr. Horne tweeted. “They don’t want us to know that they’re doing it right now -- at this very moment -- expanding the power and violence of the racial state.”

“These political attack efforts are further galvanized by attempting to defund programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Dr. Kelly said. “Rest assured, these political attacks are strategic in nature, not only towards higher education but in the K-12 educational realm as well. This is due to the extent that CRT is now presently cited as the basis of most diversity and inclusion efforts regardless of how much CRT actually informed those programs. Consequently, making CRT the ‘bullseye target’ of the political attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

But what can be done to combat the push for far-right extremist rhetoric? What recourse do parents, particularly Black parents, have for such a situation?

“Black parents can advocate for increased school diversity education, including anti-bias training and cultural competency initiatives,” Mulla said. “They can partner with public school system experts to ensure their ideas are correctly implemented. This may involve working with other parents within the community to ensure that all students are aware of the importance of acceptance and respect for different backgrounds and viewpoints.”

“By addressing these issues head-on, we can help create a safe space where every student is welcome regardless of race or religion.”

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Read the original article on Parents.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/klanned-karenhood-infiltrated-kids-school-212536956.html