By Robert Kozma
The education system of the United States consistently ranks in the lower portion of education systems present in the modern developed world when compared to countries on a similar platform to the United States. Places like China, Japan, Scandinavia, Western Europe, Australia and Canada continuously boast well-rounded educational platforms that produce students who excel on the international scale in a multitude of categories. The United States, a world power and financial giant of the globe, seemingly inexplicably cannot compete educationally with other countries that are far from achieving the power that our great country exudes on the world. Is it our size? Is it our lack of educational funding? Is it the incompetency of teachers and a failure to focus on what is important? It is most likely a combination of many things, but for sure there is one certainty. Our education system fails to impress because some people are so fucking stupid.
Oklahoma has recently decided to ban the AP US History Exam and consequently the teaching of its material to students who attend Oklahoma schools. Yes, this is the class that we all took in high school. This class did not necessarily boast the greatest curriculum; however, it is crucial to people of all ages to understand and explore the history of the world, especially the history of the country we live in. History classes in general aim to educate on the past and provide insight on how to move forward as a society and as individuals. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, a famous quote that illustrates the importance of accurate historical education. History offers guidance and advice to future generations and paves the way for change and progression.
Oklahoma has decided to ban AP US History because it does not promote American exceptionalism and teaches what America has done wrong. Apparently, they believe students should not know what America has done wrong, because that would be bad. What could be worse than generations of students growing up knowing the truth about history and having a mind of their own? I am disgusted and ashamed that this is actually a reality. There is plenty wrong with America, but I believe that this represents the absolute worst this country has to offer. The ignorance that rages throughout the minds of the bigoted, stubborn and delusional have a disease that needs to be cured. America dropped nuclear weapons on Japan that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and ruined generations of lives. This is wrong. Oklahoma believes that students should be taught that this was perfectly fine, because we are America and can do no wrong. America, fuck yeah. History is not about teaching patriotic exceptionalism, it about providing facts that stimulate growth and individual interpretation. Apparently it is a problem that AP US History informs students that there are in fact other religions besides Christianity. I was unaware that the lord and our savior Jesus Christ prohibited the spread of factual knowledge and promoted brainwashing. This shit falls into the same category as the endless attempts to remove evolutionary theory from science courses to replace it with creationism. Not to get all religious on you, but this crap. The truth, no matter how concerning or displeasing, deserves to heard. Creating a false sense of reality and breeding generations of mindless sheep is not the answer to our problems as a society, and we are doomed as race if people continue to believe that comforting information is the best information.
As it is, our education provides us with little to no real world experience, culture or intellectual stimulation. Do we really want an entire country to become the laughing stock of the world? I hope not. Please people, get your shit together and have some sense. Americans deserve better than this, and I send my sincere apologies to those students in Oklahoma who are being treated like malleable human molds. You should be appalled that people approved of this ban on knowledge. Pretty soon some extremist Bible belt educational board will ban AP Biology because it doesn’t state that the Earth is 6,000 years old. Religion, pride and personal beliefs do not belong in education or government. Wake up people.