It has always been said, “It’s the thought that counts.” But not today. Any offense against the tenets of wokeness, even if well-meaning, must be met with the transgressor’s unrelenting destruction.
The latest example is a Montessori preschool in Newton, Massachusetts, in which “a classroom full of toddlers painted black faces on paper plates and held them up to their own faces to celebrate Black History Month,” reports the Associated Press.
The February 8 exercise, at ICKids Newton, drew community outrage from certain quarters, inspiring not just an apology this past Sunday but the firing of the offending teacher and the school’s closure. In fact, according to a post at the institution’s Facebook page, there are no definite plans to reopen.
Whether the teacher will also be drawn and quartered — and her body parts scattered to the far reaches of the realm — and if the school will be razed and the ground salted was not reported. But, certainly, a message needs to be sent.
The school also has vowed that if it does reopen, greater “diversity” training will be instituted.
“To celebrate ‘black history month’, a teacher in Toddler’s classroom at ICKids planned and carried out an activity that involved black mask/black face,” the school wrote in its groveling Facebook apology. It then mentioned that the teacher apologized to an offended parent.
ICKids said its director was away at the time. Upon being made aware of what had transpired, however, the school eliminated the activity and “reprimanded” the teacher.
“We apologize to every and anyone this might have offended,” facility management also wrote, before mentioning that the teacher had been terminated.
The school further stated that it has shut down due to protests at the facility. “In closing we would like to end by saying we have had a multicultural diverse staff and families ranging from African American, Spanish, to Asian to this indeed was not our intent,” ICKids then stated. “In the event that we reopen our doors all staff will be trained in Diversity….”
Striking is how poorly the “educator”-composed apology is written. But, as I pointed out recently in a piece about our time’s declining writing standards, this results partially from focusing on political correctness at the expense of actual correctness.
Speaking of the former, the New York Post reported on the loudest voices complaining about what ICKids had already apologized for, writing:
“This is unacceptable and don’t really understand the concept of this project,” Nadirah Pierce told the station. “The apology received was empty and then to go onto Facebook and see that apology was disheartening. I hope this is a lesson to possibly really prepare to do projects on cultures before doing them to avoid a hurtful gesture to a group of people.”
Bridget Ray-Canada, a founding member of the Newton Coalition of Black Residents, said the teacher’s lesson “degraded” the students.
“She hurt the black community,” Ray-Canada told CBS Boston. “For people to claim ignorance, I think it’s unacceptable in 2022.”
Perhaps most striking about this event is that a teacher living in 2022 didn’t know that such an activity would cause problems. Yet deep thinkers may take issue with a more troubling aspect of the story: that “Black History Month” even exists.
That is to say, history should not be compiled on quota. Insisting on a given amount of “black history,” “women’s history,” “Hispanic history,” etc., is much like saying that Supreme Court seats should be allotted based on race, ethnicity, and sex: It means the focus isn’t on getting the best.
In history’s case, “the best” means compiling history based on what’s truly notable. This, of course, means that some black people will occupy history books — but they won’t be there because they’re black any more than Michael Jordan is considered a basketball legend because he’s black.
As for the hapless ICKids teacher, it’s extremely improbable that she had any ill intent. In fact, she’s likely a liberal who was toeing her school’s politically correct line as best she knew how. This brings us to something very dark about wokeness (and leftism in general):
Forgiveness is not just absent — it appears anathema.
Even when someone commits a true moral violation (this excludes transgressions against wokedom), the goal should be to inspire repentance, recognition of Truth, self-improvement, and reconciliation. Yet the woke Left seeks only blood. This signifies evil.
Related to this is superficiality. A mark of maturity and wisdom is understanding why, to use an example, Jesus said in Matthew that adultery was not just about actions. Even a man who lusts after a woman internally “hath already committed adultery with her in his heart,” He said. Intent really does matter.
Yet the woke, atavistic Left is profoundly Pharisaic. Everything is about going through the motions, performing the requisite rituals, about value-signaling. You don’t have to be sincere, just insistent. You can buzz around in private jets, for instance, so long as you pay homage to the false gods of Greentopianism.
Ironic here is that leftists, when justifying their chosen sins and pretending to understand Christianity, will say, “Judge not, that you may not be judged.” But they’d do well to note the rest of that biblical injunction. “For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged,” it warns, “and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Iniquitous and unforgiving is no way to go through life, son.
