The Christian right’s obscene, defining hypocrisy

[SecularMotion]

For the masochists among us who tune into right-wing media, you soon learn that the all-time favorite fear pundits and preachers love to trot out is that “they” are coming for your children.

Whether it’s liberal college professors supposedly turning kids to Marxism or gay people who are accused of recruiting, over and over you hear the claim that the children of conservatives are in serious danger of being talked into everything from voting for Democrats to getting gay-married.

It’s a peculiar thing to obsess over, and not just because it suggests conservatives have an unhealthy unwillingness to allow their children to grow up and think for themselves. It’s because the imagined conspiracies of liberals trying to “indoctrinate” kids are total phantoms. A little digging shows that accusations of indoctrination are usually aimed at attempts to educate orsimply offer support and acceptance. While there are always a few rigid ideologues who are out to recruit, by and large liberals are, well, liberal: More interested in arguing and engaging than trying to mold young people into unthinking automatons.

But I think I know where conservatives get the idea that other people are sneaking around trying to indoctrinate children into unthinking ideologies. It’s because they themselves are totally guilty of it, both in terms of trying to recruit other people’s children and trying to frighten their own children about the dangers of exploring thoughts outside of the ones approved by their own rigid ideologies.

http://www.salon.com/2014/07/25/the_christian_rights_obscene_defining_hypocrisy_partner/

[Htom Sirveaux]

1. They do many things like that.

Attempts to stop racism are racist for merely mentioning race, while they blow the dog whistle as hard as they can. Balancing the budget through government spending to create jobs that can be taxed is fiscally irresponsible, while they blow up the budget with selfish tax cuts for the wealthy. Letting people make their own choices with their bodies or their bedrooms is hedonism, while they preach liberty that somehow includes denying people those choices.

[Fred Sanders]

2. It is freaky religious extremists in America at the heart of this, why is the truth so hard for some

to swallow?

And I disagree with the OP. The ultimate hypocrisy is worshipping the zygote and hating the child.

[libodem]

3. .

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[cbayer]

4. Nope. What some prominent atheists and some members of this board call themselves.

While I agree that it can be used as some sort of smear, it is also a term that has been embraced by some.

But there are lots of posters and cartoons to support what you are saying here, so maybe it's true.


Edited to add: I am curious as to what about this article prompted this particular response.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. I'm militant when it is required for me to be so, in order to protect my rights.

[cbayer]

10. You be militant whenever you want, AC.

I wasn't criticizing you. I was criticizing the post that decries the use of the term militant atheist.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. I was simply adding context as one of the 'militan athiests'.

I am such, when required, as required.

[cbayer]

16. All good crusaders know when they are being called to duty.

:salute:

[mr blur]

14. +1 (nt)

[cbayer]

5. I haven't heard much of her initial premise about others coming to get their children,

except for some things about GLBT issues.

But she is right about the reverse being true. There seems to be a lot more recruiting going on from the religious right than the left.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Surely you have - the idea of left wing educationalists indoctrinating children or young adults

has been around for decades. It's a cliche.

Just from Google News I can find:
His explanation: our classrooms have been taken over by left-wing ideologues whose goal is not to educate children but indoctrinate them
But “indoctrination” might be more like it. High school graduates have already been through the lefty brain mill, but these reading lists are meant to keep them on track before the real brainwashing begins.
left-wing academics who have themselves convinced their calling isn’t to teach, but indoctrinate
One reason colleges are able to indoctrinate students is that students enter college young and unworldly. It is very rare that adult students are convinced to abandon their values and become left-wing

"To Christian Right, tea party and antigovernment activists, the state-driven effort to lift student achievement is actually ‘Obamacore,’ a nefarious, left-wing plot to wrest control of education from local school systems and parents," the report says. "Instead of the ‘death panels’ of Obamacare, the fear is government indoctrination camps."

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/58214837-82/common-core-sltrib-wing.html.csp

[LeftishBrit]

8. And this paranoia has been going on for decades

E.g. in the UK, 1975:

http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/19th-july-1975/11/education

Rhodes Boyson was to become a horrible junior Minister of Education in the Thatcher government.

And see this very interesting article about early and mid-20th century American right-wing educationalists opposing what they considered left-wing educational orthodoxy:

http://iloveyoubutyouregoingtohell.org/2012/07/26/leftist-bias-in-the-academy/

Of course, the Scopes trial was about a teacher supposedly corrupting pupils by teaching evolution!

[pinto]

7. Just the other day, two gays (those rainbow lapel pins were a give away) knocked on my door...

"Have you accepted the gay in your life?" one said. "We have some information for you to read here." said the other. I was handed a pamphlet - "Welcoming Gay Into Your Life".

[cbayer]

11. Actually not a bad idea.

[pinto]

12. LOL. After I posted the same thing crossed my mind.

[cbayer]

13. You could bring a nice cake!