Lonely Rhode Island Republican Tries For 'Don't Say Gay OR Racism' Bill

[niyad]

Lonely Rhode Island Republican Tries For 'Don't Say Gay OR Racism' Bill
Robyn Pennacchia
April 15, 2022 03:31 PM

This week, Republican Rhode Island state Rep. Patricia Morgan introduced what has to be one of the absolute worst bills in the history of the state or anywhere. You may remember Rep. Morgan from the time last December when she announced on Twitter that she blamed "Critical Race Theory" for the the fact that she no longer has anyone she can refer to as her Black friend. Employing a #CRT hashtag, Rep. Morgan wrote, "I had a black friend. I liked her and I think she liked me, too. But now she is hostile and unpleasant. I am sure I didn't do anything to her, except be white. Is that what teachers and our political leaders want for our society? Divide us because of our skin color?" Given that Rep. Morgan is clearly the worst, it seems highly unlikely that the main reason this adult woman became "hostile and unpleasant" to her is because teachers were telling students that racism exists. But apparently she was so very scarred from this experience that, rather than working on becoming a more pleasant person herself, she chose to put forth a completely batshit "Don't Say Gay OR Racism" bill that has absolutely no chance of passing, being that she is only one of nine Republicans in the 75-person General Assembly.

Despite this, it's worth taking a look at some of the more bizarre components of this particular bill:

Racial slurs or terms that describe race, ethnicity, gender or religion in a pejorative context shall not be presented or used in schools. Examples of prohibited terms include "supremacy," "racial guilt," "racial fragility," and other racial slurs or terms used to cast negative opinions on individuals based upon race, ethnicity, gender, or religion.

Imagine thinking that talking about white supremacy and white supremacists is insulting to white people. Where does one even begin with that?

Ideological materials, worksheets, homework, texts or assigned reading, and/or mentored discussions that depict identity groups as oppressors and/or victims shall not be incorporated within the pedagogy or curricula of schools. Provided, historical, factual events shall be taught and presented as historical, factual events, as part of a high quality curricula.

And how exactly does Rep. Morgan imagine one would do that when "historical, factual events" involve certain identity groups acting as oppressors and others being oppressed?

History shall be taught using the standards, customs, and traditions in use at the time of the historical event.

It is hard to imagine that there is any context in which this would not be an entirely absurd idea, not just because it is deeply offensive, but because it would make the progression of history entirely confusing. If Rep. Morgan wants to present horrific things as "acceptable" simply because some people considered them "acceptable" at the time, then how would she explain why people then fought to end them?

"Slavery was totally fine and moral right up until the Civil War ended, at which point it became bad."

"Women were simply not capable of voting until 1919, due to their wandering wombs."

It's worth noting that this would actually make teaching much of the state's history rather awkward. Like most of New England, Rhode Island is not much for going along. It was founded by Roger Williams for the purpose of establishing religious freedom at a time when the "standards, customs and traditions in use at the time" dictated that everyone be a Protestant Christian. There were not witch trials in Rhode Island (though there were many suspected vampires). Hell, the state — frequently called "Rogue Island" — boycotted the Constitutional Convention on the grounds that the Constitution would not have permitted them to print paper money and that it, at the time, did not explicitly protect religious freedom (the good kind where people can be whatever they want, not the bad kind where they get to oppress gay people).

One Twitter user had, I believe, the perfect response to this, writing, "Bold of someone suggesting that we teach that Italians are subhuman when talking about the late 19th century in Rhode Island."

. . . .
https://www.wonkette.com/lonely-rhode-island-republican-tries-for-don-t-say-gay-or-racism-bill

[Docreed2003]

1. Mrs Morgan is a reverse carpet bagger....for lack of a better description

She originally from Ohio and her undergrad was at Mississippi State. Seems like when she moved to RI she brought some of that "Mississippi Charm" to New England with her. She's the herpes of that district in West Warwick. She just won't seem to go away

[niyad]

2. I was going to say that the people of her district have my sympathies. But. . they elected her.

[Aristus]

3. People like Morgan are the reason I've abandoned "People should just accept me exactly

the way I am" as a personal axiom.

By saying that, one is absolving oneself of the responsibility of becoming the kind of person other people find acceptable.

Her "black friend", if she ever actually existed, probably just woke up to what a garbage human being Morgan is.

[niyad]

4. You are absolutely correct.

[Aristus]

5. Hey!

[Raven]

6. "Wandering wombs"???????

[CurtEastPoint]

7. church lady say what?