new thread: the US Supreme Court is a damn travesty.

[Mesarthim]

It is no longer just an overreaction that the Court has been taken over by right wing christian extremest. this last week and today has proven it to be a reality.

Separation of Church and State?
-Prayer now allowed back in public school
-private, religious schools are now eligible for tax payer funding

LOL, this was and has always been suspect because of how many politicians are corrupted by religion, but these rulings prove there to be very little in the way of these extremest enacting policy.

Right to Privacy? Freedom of Choice?
-see Abortion ruling.

Right now it's in the individual State's hands with many taking a stand to protect it while many others are not. Some will argue that this is better (it's not for the individual who needs one for whatever reason that may be) but in the end they'll probably make it a nation-wide ban and take it out of the State's hands altogether.


They've already hinted at going after Same-Sex Marriage, Contraception, Voting Rights, (and while not explicitly mentioned you know it's just a matter of time) Interracial Marriage. what's next? I didn't think things could get worse than they did during the trumpster fire - but fuck me, somehow we're managing to get there.

[vO)))id]

I feel sorry for your country and its people. It's becoming a sad third world country.

Not that Europe is becoming any better. We're down the slippery slope to a technocratic totalitarian dictatorship.

[Verbal]

when you say prayer allowed in public school, do you mean the schools are allowed to force the kids to pray? teach them the god is real, etc?

or just that some religious kid is allowed pray during break time

[jawn galliano]

among other things, public school teachers are now allowed to 'lead students in prayer' which in practice will grant them the ability to obligate students to pray in a particular way

[Mesarthim]

need to get some other religions involved then jewish, pagan, buddhist, muslim, and satanic teachers to start leading prayer then.

[Paste Human]

So the the parents can't simply have their kids opt out, or better yet home school?

[jawn galliano]

homeschool would probably be an option, provided you're actually in a position to be able to do that. i have my doubts as to whether most families would be able to forego one of their incomes to be able to facilitate that.

[Paste Human]

If kids I grew up with were able to opt out of sex ed and the pledge of allegiance, I'm sure these days they wouldn't be forced to endure school prayer, which I imagine is a virtually non-existent practice. I'm guessing it's more a matter of "this practice is constitutionally allowed to occur" as opposed to "this has to happen." Two very different things.

[Noyka]

Yeah griwing up my parents opted me out of sex ed

Im sure you can opt out if prayer in school, hopefully.

[Mesarthim]

the way things are going, I seriously doubt you'll be able to opt out. if you are, you better believe these kids will be stigmatized.

[Paste Human]

Are you equally as bothered by children being exposed to curriculum that involves topics like homosexuality and transgender issues? To me those seem just as relevant as religion, just maybe not age appropriate in some cases.

[Mesarthim]

much like CRT, neither of those ever have or ever will be taught in school.

[Noyka]

much like CRT, neither of those ever have or ever will be taught in school.

Bullshit they are and gave been to varying degrees depending on the teacher I have witnessed it first hand even in sped

[Noyka]

Some of it is fine teaching what gay is what trans is that is fine but bringing in a teacher’s personal sex life thats a bit much

Teaching isn’t about you or activism its about the kids and preparing them for life. We are failing as a nation to do this.

[Paste Human]

much like CRT, neither of those ever have or ever will be taught in school.

I know for a fact my niece learned about same sex marriage and swapping genders. She's ten and attends a public school. I'm not outraged, and I know her parents weren't, but unless that is somehow the only school in the country that covers these things, yes it does happen. My point was that it's just as much a part of life as religion is. Age appropriateness is where I have doubts.

[Noyka]

My cousin’s 3 year old came home saying he hates black people because they were teachibg about blm. Subjects like that are too advanced for preschool.

Activism on either side shouldn’t be a part of education.

[Paste Human]

Not that I cared, but I grew up with and later became colleagues with several folks who were allotted time in school or on the job for prayer and received accommodation for religious events like fasting. In my experience this occurred in the Midwest of all places, and I would be shocked if these things aren't still happening. Not sure what you're getting at.

[Paste Human]

Yeah you're probably right. I have no idea how I survived all those years of everyone basically minding their own business as long as what needed to get done got done. Who would have guessed I was living through such an atrocity.

[Noyka]

Prayer time is given to Muslims who request it at work and in schools there is a lot of interfaith work even in conservative states. Muslims are often more conservative than christians in their politics and views especially first gen immigrants.

[User]

black metal in every classroom

[Paste Human]

To avoid conflict it will have to be referred to as "people of color metal" and in order to ensure inclusiveness only drag queens will be allowed to apply corpse paint to the children's bodies. It's the only sophisticated way to go about this type of thing.

[User]

i was thinking black metal in every classroom would solve all of america's problems but now i'm not so sure

[Verbal]

whats the pledge of allegiance?

whats CRT?

[Verbal]

also, i think teaching any religion as if is true is one of the worst things to teach a child. they should be taught to question things and ask why, not blindly accept because someone said so

[zim]

every day in kindergarten through 5th grade started with the pledge of allegiance. every class had an american flag at the end of the chalkboard and you walk stand up, face it, place your hand on your heart and do the pledge along with the principle on the intercom.

i don't recall that being a thing in middle/high school but in middle school we started the day with a news show for kids that showed all kinds of war and political footage and the commercials were always for things like poptarts and anti-drug psa's

[User]

they should be taught to question things and ask why, not blindly accept because someone said so

they should definitely question why they should do that and not live a happy indoctrinated life in a harmonious society

[zim]

If kids I grew up with were able to opt out of sex ed and the pledge of allegiance, I'm sure these days they wouldn't be forced to endure school prayer, which I imagine is a virtually non-existent practice. I'm guessing it's more a matter of "this practice is constitutionally allowed to occur" as opposed to "this has to happen." Two very different things.

the teachers in my school would get pissy with you if you didn't participate in the pledge, i don't remember getting in trouble for it but they would call you out in front of the entire class and act like you did something wrong

[User]

wankers

[jawn galliano]

pledge was every morning every day from kindergarten clear thru to the 12th grade. i was an edgy little fella and stopped doing it in probably the 7th grade, occasionally resulted in a talking-to but never anything of consequence

whats the pledge of allegiance?

"i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all"

[Mesarthim]

If kids I grew up with were able to opt out of sex ed and the pledge of allegiance, I'm sure these days they wouldn't be forced to endure school prayer, which I imagine is a virtually non-existent practice. I'm guessing it's more a matter of "this practice is constitutionally allowed to occur" as opposed to "this has to happen." Two very different things.

the teachers in my school would get pissy with you if you didn't participate in the pledge, i don't remember getting in trouble for it but they would call you out in front of the entire class and act like you did something wrong

I stopped standing for the pledge after we invaded Iraq - I got a good talking to by the teachers and staff but never got in real trouble. luckily I graduated that year so I didn't have to deal with that bullshit for that long.

[Mesarthim]

Muslims are often more conservative than christians in their politics and views especially first gen immigrants.

I point this out to some of my hardcore christian family members and they always get really pissy about it every time it's brought up.

[Mesarthim]

much like CRT, neither of those ever have or ever will be taught in school.

I know for a fact my niece learned about same sex marriage and swapping genders. She's ten and attends a public school. I'm not outraged, and I know her parents weren't, but unless that is somehow the only school in the country that covers these things, yes it does happen. My point was that it's just as much a part of life as religion is. Age appropriateness is where I have doubts.

My cousin’s 3 year old came home saying he hates black people because they were teachibg about blm. Subjects like that are too advanced for preschool.

Activism on either side shouldn’t be a part of education.

maybe not preschool but I don't think talking about whats happening in real life, possibly in their neighborhoods and communities should be avoided all together. that teacher clearly just sucks at their job if that was what the kid took way from that. but perhaps somethings are more appropriate for certain ages to be taught - but again I don't think we should avoid talking or teaching about them altogether (which is what a lot of people want).

[Verbal]

pledge was every morning every day from kindergarten clear thru to the 12th grade. i was an edgy little fella and stopped doing it in probably the 7th grade, occasionally resulted in a talking-to but never anything of consequence

whats the pledge of allegiance?

"i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all"

did you just make that up? it certainly is consistent with the caricature-like view i think non-americans have of americans. but you could be tricking me

[zim]

it's the real deal but it also has a specific rhythm to it

i pledge allegiance... to the flag... of the united states of america...... and to the republic... for which it stands... one nation... under god... indivisible... with liberty and justice for all

[jawn galliano]

yeah you gotta deliver it with that weirdo cadence to really get the full effect, but that is the real deal

[Noyka]

Its like a cult

[jawn galliano]

i can only ever hear it in my mind voiced by a chorus of rapt children, it is a very strange phenomenon all-around

[Paste Human]

yeah you gotta deliver it with that weirdo cadence to really get the full effect, but that is the real deal

Yep. I still have that zombie like monotone group chant sound tattooed to my brain after all these years. Here's a classic theatrical representation for Verbal in order to verify that this ritual does exist:

[Verbal]

fucking hell

[Methuselah Honeysuckle]

If kids I grew up with were able to opt out of sex ed and the pledge of allegiance, I'm sure these days they wouldn't be forced to endure school prayer, which I imagine is a virtually non-existent practice. I'm guessing it's more a matter of "this practice is constitutionally allowed to occur" as opposed to "this has to happen." Two very different things.

the teachers in my school would get pissy with you if you didn't participate in the pledge, i don't remember getting in trouble for it but they would call you out in front of the entire class and act like you did something wrong

"Drop the God shit and I'll do it" was always my response from like 5th grade and up

[Noyka]

Yeah the under god part isn’t cool

Im a christian and am uncomfortable with it being firced on people who do not believe

[Verbal]

no one likes stepping in god shit

[User]

australia's census data just released yesterday was awesome, we are up to 39% of the population listing "no religion"

[Ninny]

[jawn galliano]

america is also increasingly irreligious, though only a hair over 20%ish i believe. many people see this as a sign of hope for the future, which i assume is because they imagine that the characteristics of the population are transmitted through the structures of an ostensible representative democracy and into the governing machinery of the country

but the entire judicial system is now controlled by opus dei, who have swiftly used their power to bring america's legal system in line with the wishes of the catholic church (whose constituents comprise a similarly-sized bloc of the population)

and as we're seeing, liberal politicians are a-ok with this outcome!

it is a time for despair in america. i hope australia's irreligiosity has more of an impact than ours has had

[Verbal]

people may believe in religions less, but they still believe all kinds of bullshit. i cant imagine that irrationality among the population has reduced

[jawn galliano]

yes, the atheists, agnostics, self-styled rationalists, and people who just plain don't think about religion at all, are also all irrational

[Noyka]

People believe ancient aliens is real

[Verbal]

i think the term agnostic is worse than useless

[jawn galliano]

People believe ancient aliens is real

ancient aliens IS real! it's an ongoing television series