We’re A Nation Of Superficial Knowledge

I want to address a topic that is currently recirculating on social media. In April of 2019, Snopes fact checked a Christian conservative website and the attention they garnered over California (not at all surprised it was California) public school curriculum that taught pedophilia and pederasty as part of the unit on historical perspectives of gender relations and sexual orientations for ninth grade sexual education. There is a video of assistant superintendent Kelle Torres answering a question on the matter.

Yates: Answer me why you’re teaching pedophilia in school, to ninth-graders.
Torres: Teaching what?
Yates: Pedophilia. Pederastery [sic]. Right here.
Torres: Pederastery [sic]… this is done because we are talking about historical perspectives of how gender relations and different types of sexual orientations have existed in history. So this is something —
Unidentified voice: So sex between a man and a boy is a sexual orientation?
Torres: — something that’s occurred in history and this is really important for us to include.”

I’m sure you will be SHOCKED, like fingers in an electrical outlet shocked…you showed for Dr. Seuss story-time at the library only to find it was changed to drag-queen twerking lessons shocked…the people who preach peace, love and tolerance think you should be confronted on the streets and forced out of civilized society kind of shocked…you will be shocked to find that Snopes rated this claim as false.

Were schools teaching pedophilia as a sexual orientation? According to this exchange, and the video clip Snopes included on their website, I would vote yes. Snopes says, nah, you’re bugging.

Why? According to Snopes, “The BOUSD (Brea Olinda Unified School District) presentation, which is outdated anyway, did not endorse pederasty or present it approvingly, nor did it describe pederasty or pedophilia as a discrete sexual orientation. Similarly, BOUSD official Torres did not state, in her videotaped exchange with Yates, that pederasty was its own sexual orientation, or that BOUSD endorsed or approved of pederasty or pedophilia or taught students that sexual activity between men and boys was acceptable in any way.”

Now color me crazy, but I’m pretty sure this is a black and white issue that Snopes just painted with gold lamé in this word salad. Did the curriculum condone pedophilia? Well from this exchange I can’t really tell. But for an ideology that is intent on telling us not only that slavery existed, but what was in the minds of the people involved on both sides and what their perceived motivations were according to the lens we’d like to view them with today, it seems it wouldn’t hurt to sprinkle a little context on pedophilia and and tell the ninth grade students that it’s a big no-no.  Did the curriculum label pedophilia as it’s OWN sexual orientation, no. Did they classify it as falling under types of homosexuality? Yes, they did.

In addition to this short transcript of the exchange, Snopes included the video in their article. Watch it, just in case you’d like to see for yourself that they’re full of shit. They worked so hard to fact-check this topic that they sounded emotional and irrational with their defense. They also sounded unbothered, like they knew most people wouldn’t bother looking past the headline for more information.

Most individuals have realized that we’re a nation of headline-educated fools. Social media memes and “stories” can now influence societal trends and change lives. But anyone who’s “learning” the news through headlines doesn’t know anything at all.

Don’t let that be you! Don’t embarrass us conservatives by arguing over an article you didn’t even read.

Read those articles, check your own sources, be a formidable participant in political discussions. If you’re relying heavily on the journalists of today to do their jobs, I’ve got a new climate change theory to sell you. But you’ll have to pay me a few millions in taxes before I agree to share the knowledge.

Every disadvantage on the left is an opportunity for those of us on the right. So, take the opportunities, educate yourself and start asking questions. Don’t let someone accuse you of being the bigoted “insult du jour”. Make them explain the fact-check they’re using to prove their point, and when they can’t, ask they how they can have an opinion at all when they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Why are we always on the defensive? It’s time to learn some offense. Far too many Americans are hiding behind slogans and flashy headlines to make them sound informed. Don’t be that guy. Be the one who knows enough to call them on their bull.