Tabitha Korol’s latest essay confronts the current craze for Social Justice Warfare.
When Justice Isn’t
by Tabitha Korol
A letter written by a local elementary school teacher — I’ll call her “Mrs. Krieg” — was brought to my attention by a mutual acquaintance. In light of the notice that honor classes will be discontinued, she thoughtfully agreed that equity (defined as fairness and impartiality) in the schools should benefit all students. Regrettably, she has been influenced by terminology that has been devalued and redefined to become a tool for social engineering among students. Such revisionism has been applied to Equity, Diversity and Social Justice, and comes at the expense of freedom and true justice.
Honors classes were designed to challenge students academically. The advanced work, faster pace, and higher course-credit weight have provided for smarter, happier, well-rounded children who had the opportunity to flourish according to their capabilities and not misbehave out of boredom. But now, the authorities have determined it best to cancel the honor courses across the country because of a “lack of diversity” — that is, more Caucasian and Asian students were engaged than Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans. Instead of also providing honors classes that meet the interests of the low-energy students — perhaps music, theater, artisanal handicrafts — the Department of Education has decided to close the achievement gap by lowering the bar and expectations and discontinuing all incentives. Mrs. Krieg did not foresee that by eliminating the incentives and opportunities, the resulting “equity” would be mediocrity and the loss of exceptional achievement.
Now the Department of Education will generate equity in boredom, discontent, resentment, truancy and delinquency. Academia is not unaware of these inevitabilities. Their purpose is not an improved education but the decline of achievement and the elimination of the exceptional. Former President Obama expressed a similar derogatory outlook when he denounced high-achieving Americans by saying, “You didn’t build that.”
Diversity in the schools no longer describes a richness of ideas, course studies, or specialty careers, but defines and categorizes the students themselves, by race, religion, ethnicity, financial status, sexual orientation, and however else the students choose to differentiate themselves. As with the term “equity,” the meaning of “diversity” has been corrupted, as it now implies division, divisiveness, and discord, the opposite of E Pluribus Unum — Out of many, One. These differences have led to a totalitarian-style monitoring and bullying — called Speech Control, necessitating “Diversity Officers” with doctoral degrees, credentials in counseling and inclusion techniques, and six-figure salaries reflected in higher tuition costs. The officers’ mere presence confirms the growing disharmony, isolation, discrimination, harassment, and violence that characterize the socialist strategy. These points are significant:
