Never in my life have I come across someone with opinions such as these.
I've only confronted these opinions in history books and in documentaries, and in the occassional contemporary news story.
But now, I am reading of these opinions--that blacks are intellectually inferior to whites, that slavery was a good thing--held by a (currently suspended) teacher in South Carolina. And I am reading the remarks of people defending his views.
And all I knew to do was to share them with you.
The story is entitled
Reading, Writing and Race.. It is published on a South Carolina television station's website, and a friend of mine--a native of South Carolina--e-mailed it to me about ten minutes ago.
Please take a deep breath, and then continue.
(I'm saying that as much for me as for you, the reader).
Inside the walls of Brookland-Cayce High School, you expect students to be treated equally. But a viewer tip led News19 online where a teacher's comments left us asking questions.
"These sorts of things are going to upset people, but the truth can be very upsetting," said Brookland-Cayce High School teacher Winston McCuen.
That truth, at least according to McCuen, is that black people are inferior to whites.
"Intellectually, yes they are," said McCuen. "This has been confirmed over and over, and this is a generalization. Again, there are some blacks who are more intelligent than individual whites. But as a rule, that is true. I-Q tests prove it over, and over and over."
News19's J.R. Berry asked McCuen, "Do you think slavery in America was a good thing? "Yes," said McCuen. "In America there was a rational assessment saying listen, if we give these people freedom right as they are and you have to go back to see how they were, you can't assume they were like us."
J.R. asked, "How were they?" "They were coming out of the jungles," said McCuen. "They had been enslaving each other for centuries in Africa, and in terms of being used to rule of law, they knew none of that."
My first reaction, as someone who majored in history with an emphasis on the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement, as someone who has worked for the NAACP, was that this man was merely an ignorant radical unaware of anything other than his bias and hate.
His opinions are unsubstantiated, and taken nearly verbatim from the propaganda spewed by the hate-mongerers of antiquated America. There are inevitably going to be people of this ilk in the world.
But in our classrooms?
Unacceptable.
WLTX News asked him of this potential problem.
"I'm a Latin teacher, so I'm not teaching politics or history," said McCuen. "I'm just teaching Latin."
"We got off subject one day and he mentioned that slavery happened and he mentioned the Vice-President around Andrew Jackson's time, and that's how we got off on slavery," said 9th-grader Candace Carol. The Vice-President she was referring to is John C. Calhoun; someone Winston McCuen admires.
"John C. Calhoun: the greatest South Carolinian in terms of political understanding and wisdom," said McCuen. "And he argued that the institution of slavery was a positive good, and he called it a great good and it was good."
The David Horowitz movement against liberal educators aside, this odious teacher does not belong in a classroom. A person devoid of reason ought not be entrusted with the minds of young people, regardless of the subject matter with which he is supposed to teach.
I understand that it could be beneficial for students to be exposed to this absurdity so as to help them understand that, alas, there are myriad people in this country with views as belligerent and unsubstantiated as this teacher's. However, I believe that is better learned outside of the classroom.
Or rather, I certainly wouldn't want someone whose ideas would qualify him for the KKK to be permitted to speak to my children, let alone to teach them. Call me overprotective--so be it. It's how I feel.
How this man feels is unquestionable.
And if someone were to go to this man, and hope to engage in meaningful conversation with him, perhaps help him to open his mind from the darkness, help him evade these racist beliefs--what would he say?
"But if they call it racist, I just say it's true and you've got to deal with that. I have a responsibility to speak the truth; I believe it is."
J.R. asked, "So if you have black students in your class, do you look down on them?" "No, "said McCuen. "I try to do the best I can with every student I've got."
J.R. asked, "But you just said they were inferior?" "You try to actualize whatever potential is there," said McCuen.
The school district has suspended Mr. McCuen barring an investigation.
But people posting on the news station's website have come to his support. And this hurts me perhaps most of all.
His views are nothing more than his views. The only reason there is a problem with his views is because they are "unpopular" right now. I listen to views that are contrary to mine everyday, on the news, radio, employer and so on. Do I make a big deal out of it every time I hear something I don't like? NO. What is really ridiculous is, the ONLY reason this guy is getting his word out is because the people, that don't want him to have influence, are making a big deal about it.
A factual statment about IQ scores over a large range of individuals is not, per se, racist, but a lot of folks look at this and react with anger. They are inferring something that is not implied by the original statement. What is important to realize is that high scores on IQ tests are an excellent measurement of one's ability to score high on IQ tests....but not necessarily intelligence. Cultural bias is one reason, a suspect relationship between test-taking skills and "real" intelligence (whatever that means) is another. This doesn't mean that McCuen is right, just that the people who take personal, individual offense here are misunderstanding something.
I don't agree with his viewpoints (particularly the slavery thing.....a whole separate topic, and he may not even realize how badly his perspective is culturally slanted towards "Western" thinking). I do agree he has the right to them, and I wonder if those who self-righteously demand that people like him not be allowed to teach our children would react as vehemently to those who portray our government as a terrorist state or legitimize homosexual marriage as they teach.
Mr. McCuen bases his arguments and beliefs on facts. He does not seem to be malicious or intentionally provocative. The only reason to fire or ban him from teaching would be because he does not conform to politically correct doctrine. How fearful his opponents seem to be of any challenge to their orthodoxy! They can't handle the truth.
So, would anyone think he was a racist if he said Blacks were better at Basketball than whites?? Take a look at the NBA...it's obvious.
He didn't say ALL whites were smarter than ALL Blacks.
What he said was in general whites score higher than blacks do on IQ tests.
This is a fact just as he stated.
His slavery views however are definitely up for debate though.
On a side note, why is this teacher so offensive and yet the same people have no problem with homosexuals teaching our kids their distorted values??
PC strikes again.
Winston McCuen has a valid point and he has every right to it without being denied a living.
He is not calling our President a liar,
he is not trying to undermine our security and in fact our very form of government as the leftist politicians and media are doing.
He stated very clearly that his view is a generalization (sic) and not held individually,
so why should that exclude him from doing his job?
And on...and on...and on.
The Superintendent of the school district can be reached at bbolen@echalk.lex2.org. I hope you will join me in e-mailing him and respectfully requesting that Mr. McCuen's suspension be made permanent, so that no classrooms are stained by Mr. McCuen's toxic and ignorant views ever again.
My lovely friend MaryScott O'Connor has written a comment that has jarred me from my attempt at calm. This man is supposed to be a teacher, and the "facts" he cites are not only baseless in general, they are baseless in this interview. Further, the fact that he claims his opinion as "right" and worthy of standing alongside the opinions of people that actually know what they're talking about is utterly outrageous. So he ought to be fired as a teacher not simply because of his despicable beliefs, but because his critical thinking skills are worth shit, as MaryScott might say.
Please recommend this diary so we can get the national media's attention and get this man out of the classroom, and hopefully have a national conversation about the commonality of opinions such as those of Mr. McCuen, why they persist, and how to open people's minds to the truth, and not to the utter filth that pollutes too many of our fellow citizen's minds.