Slavery wasn't so bad, says book published by OR Republican for Congress

[SpartanDem]

Improbably, the smackingly racist writing of 19th Century British author George Alfred Henty -- whose boys adventure novels had kind words for slavery, described Africans as having the intelligence of ten-year old children, and featured a comedic description of a slave being tortured with red hot irons (see quotes, below) -- may become an issue this year in an Oregon congressional race.

Backed by the Koch brothers-funded group Americans For Prosperity in his insurgent bid to defeat longtime incumbent Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio and represent Oregon's Fourth District in Congress, Republican Art Robinson doesn't just recommend G.A. Henty's boys novels, and he goes beyond merely including them in his homeschooling curriculum - Robinson prints and sells hardcover paper editions of all the 99 novels of G.A. Henty, whose zesty, militaristic tales of plucky boyish adventure celebrate British colonialism, depict darker-skinned peoples as stupid, savage and childlike, and romanticize slavery.

This report examines Arthur B. Robinson's homeschooling curriculum, especially its racist content, and Robinson's extensive and intimate ties to the theocratic Christian Reconstructionism movement, which helped develop the Robinson Curriculum.

........
So, what's in the Robinson Curriculum? Let's first look at what's not in it: the last 100 years. Students raised on the Robinson Curriculum will be heavily insulated from historical and cultural knowledge of the 20th Century, including its wars and atrocities but also its struggles for justice and human equality. Instead, those students will be served a literary fare rich in the racist, sexist, imperialist attitudes that prevailed in the 19th Century and earlier.

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2012/9/18/115343/926/Front_Page/Slavery_wasn_t_so_bad_says_book_published_by_OR_Republican_for_Congress




This is a pretty long article, but well worth the read if you're into understanding more about far right Christianity,

[Kablooie]

1. Talk about wanting to go backwards...

So they want to teach their kids the cultural ideals of the 1880s are what we aspire to?

I guess they really do yearn for the robber barons to return.

[Luminous Animal]

3. The robber barons have returned. We are living in the greatest economic divide

since the robber baron era.

[Angry Dragon]

2. This election has really brought the loonies out

[freshwest]

5. We have a choice to make in this moment. Their past strangling our future, or not.

It really could go either way. The good guys don't always win as I was reminded by someone how the anti-fascists lost in the much romanticized Spanish Civil War and they lived under it for generations. There are millions who would profit from this while others lost everything.

[Blue_Tires]

16. Actually, '10 started it, and they've only gotten bolder since then

[XemaSab]

4. These people bear watching

[Lilyeye]

6. A woman the other day said that slavery wasn't that bad

and that the majority of slaves were treated well.I am rarely stunned by their stupidity, but that one really threw me. I guess she got her ridiculous conclusions from this book or something similar.

[raccoon]

17. Wish you'd asked her if she'd like to be a slave.

These people are going to make my head explode!

[BlueMTexpat]

7. Why on earth would any state - and especially Oregon -

allow such a homeschooling curriculum to be considered acceptable?

[HiPointDem]

9. Why especially oregon? plenty of hard core religious wingnuts in oregon, it's not all yuppies

and wineries. mostly not, in fact.

[AnneD]

8. At least with slavery.....

We had 100% employment. The wealthy have always been job creators. Wealth trickled down to the slaves, they had food to eat and a roof over their heads. There was no homelessness. but is it really necessary when discussing GOP talking points.

[Zalatix]

14. You nailed the Right so perfectly I had to do a double-take even with the sarcasm smiley.

[davidpdx]

10. Thankfully he has no chance of winning

Robinson may get more votes then the normal run of the mill Republican this time around because they've cut Josephine Country into his district now. Talk about an ass backwards place.

[gollygee]

11. This looks like a homeschool curriculum?

I know some liberal people who homeschool for various reasons, but a lot of very conservative people seem to do it specifically to keep their kids from learning a multicultural view of history and real science, so this doesn't really surprise me.

Sigh.

[central scrutinizer]

12. I live in this district

Robinson is a paranoid lunatic. He accused Oregon State University of discriminating against his spawn, some of whom were graduate students there, because they favored DeFazio. The charges were shown to be nonsense. He is well funded because this district appears to be rural and "should" be red. Most of Robinson's money comes from out of Oregon.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. They should also include viewing the film "Tobacco Road"

in order to give students a fuller appreciation of the happy white American poor!

[Blue_Tires]

19. ok...I want that Elly Mae girl for myself

[tanyev]

15. Gosh gee whiz, they got free passage to the USA.

They could have never afforded to do that on their own.

[Blue_Tires]

20. Not only that, they worked the jobs 'ordinary' Americans didn't want to do

[LovePeacock]

18. The slave masters were just good ol' fashioned job creators.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. Here is a link to Rachel Maddow's epic interview with Robinson during the '10 election

She just sits there and he just explodes with insanity....I recommend sending $$ to Peter DeFazio if Robinson makes you cringe, and he will.