Nexton9News and Kyle Clark look to racism first, even if it's not there. What’s more important in a teacher, ability or proper ideology? A counterexample to the idea that Ag exploits its help.
Nexton9News and Kyle Clark look to racism first, more prosaic explanations second.
The video linked first below is from Mr. Clark's Next TV show. While Mr. Clark never quite gets to accusing the Michelin restaurant ratings of being racist, he does everything but.
That is, anyone with a functioning brain can put two and two together as to what he's driving at: the Michelin Restaurant guide snubbed Aurora because of its diversity. Because of race.
I've written in the past, however, about the necessary distinction between a disparity and discrimination and I thought this might make a good object lesson.
Because, according to the NY Times article linked second below, the fact that Michelin didn't rate restaurants in Aurora has more to do with the fact that Aurora's tourism board didn't pay up to Michelin.
The only color that matters here, in other words, was green. See the screenshot I attached.
To be fair to both Mr. Clark and his news team, the NY Times article came out on Sept 12th while his story aired on Aug 22nd.
But I have yet to see him revisit the story to share this update. I did reach out to the station to inform them of this, but as of this writing, there's been no revision or update.
Second time in recent memory that this has happened--with the first being a straight up factual error that has still yet to be corrected.
I'm leaning more and more to the idea that Next is not so much a news show as it is social media via video, and also to the idea that, despite his statements to the contrary, Mr. Clark really doesn't subscribe to the basic tenets of journalism.
Related:
Speaking of mistakes that don't get a followup, can we please (PLEASE) dispense with the idea that Jared Polis did anything more than just vote for measures that lowered CO's income tax.
In both John Stossel's discussion (Stossel calls it a debate but I can't go that far) and the op ed below we get the same old chestnut over and over: Polis lowered taxes. See the screenshot with the op ed.
No.
No.
And ...
No.
Two citizens (the same on both, Mr. Jerry Sonnenberg and Mr. Jon Caldara) NOT politicians and NOT Jared Polis, wrote the initiatives, gathered signatures, and then persuaded voters to support these ideas.
Jared Polis did not gather signatures. He did not propose either measure. He didn't really even speak about either. I also don't think he contributed any money.
His "help[ing] to pass Proposition 116" was that he likely voted for it like hundreds of thousands of other Coloradans.
His "back[ing] of Proposition 121" was the same. He likely voted yes.
This is the reality. This is what happened.
https://www.ocregister.com/2023/09/20/gavin-newsom-should-follow-jared-polis-lead-and-be-a-tax-cutting-democratic-governor/
What’s more important in a teacher, ability or proper ideology?
Golly, maybe it's just me, but as a teacher myself, I think one of the first things I'd try to assess if I were hiring teachers is competency in the subject matter. After that I'd look at classroom experience and/or evidence of the ability to learn and be taught same.
What I don't think I'd look for is ideology--and here I mean that I don't care if a teacher candidate agreed with me.
I say this because when it comes to what makes a successful teacher, the first two I mentioned above are orders of magnitude more important than their ideology. All other things being equal, if you are a good teacher, I don't care what you think about systemic racism or other such.
This is because effective teachers make all students improve. They can make them clear more than one year's progress in a single school year.
And that is what we should all be wanting.
I guess, that is, unless you intend to work at DPS where "right thinking" is seemingly more or at least as important as someone's bona fides as an educator.
This emphasis is reflected in the scores at DPS. Kids of all colors are not doing well there.
This isn't the whole picture of course, but if you pay attention to incidentals instead of the main points of what make effective teachers, you're going to end up with teachers who might have good intentions but will not be as helpful to students.
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2023/09/14/report-denver-public-schools-left-wing-political-litmus-test-teachers/
I wanted to offer the op ed below as pushback to the idea that farms and ranches exploit their help.
There has been a lot written about farmworkers' struggles and there has been a lot of attention about same in the state's capitol.
I do not want to belittle that. I am also not going to claim that every employer is a saint.
There is room for balance here, however. There is room for counterpoint. You won't often see that in our media. As someone who's testified and followed bills in the Assembly, I can also tell you that the Democrats running this state often turn a deaf ear to the stories of the producers.
To that end I present the story below by Rachel Gabel. It's about a remarkable woman and her remarkable life.
In a larger sense, though, it paints a fuller picture of the relationship of mutual respect between producers and the people who work bringing food to your table.
Worth a read.
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/migrant-workers-the-peach-queen-and-ag-labor-gabel/article_f72dc034-5438-11ee-b8dc-d7539828b9e0.html