Teachers accused of anti-US bias (1 Viewer)

[Scanorama]

From Sydney Morning Herald:

Teachers accused of anti-US bias
By John Garnaut and Geesche Jacobsen
August 22, 2005

The federal Treasurer has drawn a rebuke from teachers for warning them against spreading anti-Americanism in schools and suggesting it could mutate into anti-Westernism and terrorist attacks against Australia.

Venturing outside his usual economic territory, Peter Costello said many teachers were carrying left-wing ideological baggage from the 1970s.

"If your teacher's carrying that bias it tends to get passed on," he said yesterday. "…Anti-Americanism can easily morph into anti-Westernism. Particularly you've seen that with terrorists. They don't really draw distinctions between Americans or Britons or Australians; they just like to hit anybody who they consider to be part of the West."

Mr Costello's comments to Channel Nine followed a lengthy critique of the US-Australia relationship at the Australian American Leadership Dialogue on Saturday night.

The NSW Teachers Federation condemned Mr Costello's comments as "absolute nonsense". Its senior vice-president, Angelo Gavrielatos, said: "The constant denegration of teachers isn't good for the country."

In his first public speech on foreign policy since becoming Treasurer almost 10 years ago, Mr Costello acknowledged the existence of problems with American power, such as its success in exporting "distasteful" views on sex and violence through the mass media.

"Unfortunately, America has found it much easier to spread its mass culture than to spread its high principles," he said.

Observers said Mr Costello had used the speech to inject nuance into the Australia-US relationship, and contrasted it with comments made by some cabinet colleagues.

Mr Costello said Australia's regional interests would frequently diverge from America's, as he had made clear in his approaches to international trade, to Indonesia during the Asian economic crisis and more recently to China, when the United States was pushing for it to revalue its currency.

"Australia views this [revaluation] issue through the lens of regional economic stability," he said. "The United States views it in the context of bilateral trade."

Mr Costello also contrasted Australia's tolerance of democratic diversity with the utopian values often associated with neoconservatives in the Bush Administration.

"The United States believes it has a 'manifest destiny' to take its view of human rights to the world," he said.

Allan Gyngell, executive director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, said Mr Costello had "defined Australian policy in the tradition of British empiricism rather than American idealism".

Mr Costello said problems with American power and differences in policy were far outweighed by benefits.

"If the world is to have a hegemon, the modern United States is the kind of hegemon we would like to have: democratic, respectful of human rights, with strong and genuine belief in individual liberty," he said.

But Sharon Canty, spokeswoman for the Parents and Citizens Federation, suggested Mr Costello was more interested in media and leadership than policy.

"Evidence of successful education in NSW could be a student's ability to recognise a grab for leadership and media time when they see one," she said.

 

[Scanorama]

Fucking moron, they are in love in America doesnt mean the whole country have to follow the same, after John Boghen, another ridiculous comment from a Lib.

 

[Spikeru]

As much as I hate the Liberal party, I have to admit that Costello (is he actually alive?) is right. Waaaaaaaaay too many teachers are uninformed lefty's who are reliving the aggressive nature of protesting through their students (they learnt in the sixties, back when EVERYONE was doing it). In my mind they and their followers are just as bad as anyone who votes for the Liberal party to 'ensure our countries safety'.

 

[walrusbear]

this is bullshit

a supposed 'leftwing bias' in teaching is only beset by right wing bias everywhere else in society

if teachers can't teach people to be critical of the world around us then we are fucked

 

[transcendent]

I think teaching anti-American policies is great.

 

[tempco]

yes, and we shall all lick bush's anus when he feels itchy.

 

[supercharged]

What a fuckwit, anti-US doesnt mean anti-western. New Zealand, France and Germany are anti-US yet they are part of the western world. Why does being anti-US necessarily mean someone is left wing? I'm sure you could be a right wing nationalist and be just as anti-American.

The only reason why some countries are pro-US is because they want George W Bush to be their sugar daddy and give them some rewards in return for being a bitch.

 

[Comrade nathan]

Remember earlier this year when Howard was saying teachers need to be less political correct and its ok to speak their minds, well this is being less politically correct.

What Howard meant is they should feed government doctrine to students.

Anti-Americanism can easily morph into anti-Westernism. Particularly you've seen that with terrorists. They don't really draw distinctions between Americans or Britons or Australians; they just like to hit anybody who they consider to be part of the West."

All countries which were involved in the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Also the attack on "australians" were as much or more and attack on Indonesians.

Anti-Americanism, anti-west is just anti-imperialism. Politicians are up to their usual tricks of trying to demonise the opposition. The majority of people who are called Anti-American of Anti-west are just anti-imperialist. Their anger is at the US, British, Australian foreign policy.

Seriously how can you call someone who is living in the US an anti-american, they hate america because they question its motives?

I encourage people to use the term anti-imperialist.

 

[Jonathan A]

From Sydney Morning Herald:

Mr Costello is absolutely right. Our Syllabus is based on the idea that Australian culture is wrong, the syllabus on the Vietnam War is geared up against the USA. The assumption is we are too 'americanised'. Too often we overlook the importance of the US in protecting our country in the Second World War.

I had to sit through history lessons with my teacher bagging both the UK and USA. I found it quite concerning that my teacher spent most of his time at Uni protesting against Vietnam, rather than learning to become a teacher. I don't mind criticism for what I believe or support, it is part of my career path. However what I don't approve is teachers using an assumption as a premise to support their left wing claims and impose that on students. Let students make up their own minds about what they think of the US.

I agree we can't shut out people from reality and I will be the first to support educating people from the media's assumptions and dogma, but to 'combat' this, we simply don't go learn lefty-dogma. It must be fair observations of the political process.

 

[Generator]

"Unfortunately, America has found it much easier to spread its mass culture than to spread its high principles," he said.

Given that critical thought and political independence are meant to be two such principles, it seems as though Costello is kind of blind as to their application when such principles are used in a manner contrary to the views of today's Liberal Party.

Sure, some teachers may hold views that aren't favourable towards the current US administration, but that doesn't mean that they are necessarily against the US and the principles for which it supposedly stands. It would be nice if some people recognised that the two are not one and the same, but that may be asking for too much.

 

[Rorix]

Sure, some teachers may hold views that aren't favourable towards the current US administration, but that doesn't mean that they are necessarily against the US and the principles for which it supposedly stands. It would be nice if some people recognised that the two are not one and the same, but that may be asking for too much.

But is it really a teacher's place to pass on that belief and possibly present biased factual situations etc. to students who might not know any better?

 

[Generator]

But is it really a teacher's place to pass on that belief and possibly present biased factual situations etc. to students who might not know any better?

Hmmm. I would say yes, provided that the view is 'justified' and presented as just that, a view. There's no harm in sparking a debate in order to promote critical thought and discussion within the class room. Of course, I'm assuming that it's a class room conducive to such open discussions, so it isn't necessarily a yes in all instances.

 

[azzie]

i hate to point this out but the left-leaning ideological bias etc that teachers may have to American policy does not mean that they hate Australia or our way of life, but its saying something if American foreign policy is synonymous with the Australian way of life.
hey, they brought it upon themselves!

 

[supercharged]

I would like to point out that Australia and America are SEPERATE countries. Australia is not yet the offical 51st state of the United States, so someone can burn the American flag yet wave the Australian flag.

And how are the history books geared against the US in the Vietnam war? What, should the Vietnam war instead be remember as a success for the US?

 

[transcendent]

I believe teachers should present the views from both sides. That of what one country has done and that of what the other country has done. The teacher should encourage debate from a moderate point of view to be held in class so that the student themselves choose which sides they wish to side and argue. The teacher should present his opinion with reasons as to why he believes the views he does. This is, in my opinion, the best way to approach this situation.

 

[ogmzergrush]

I believe teachers should present the views from both sides. That of what one country has done and that of what the other country has done. The teacher should encourage debate from a moderate point of view to be held in class so that the student themselves choose which sides they wish to side and argue. The teacher should present his opinion with reasons as to why he believes the views he does. This is, in my opinion, the best way to approach this situation.

What will female teachers do?

 

[Serius]

i dont have much to say on this topic, teachers should just be all like

America!!! Fuck yeah!

http://www.loveit-or-leaveit.com/flash/americafuckyeah.html

 

[Xayma]

I think it's a bit far to be continually pressing the anti american issue. I'm not against free debate but the teachers should at least introduce pro american sides.

I'm sure alot of people here would be jumping at them if they started doing Anti-China, Anti-Middle Eastern instead of Anti-American.

 

[supercharged]

Too often we overlook the importance of the US in protecting our country in the Second World War.

WTF the US never did shit in protecting Australia. The Japanese advance was bogged down and stopped in PNG. They never made to Australia because Australian troops and PNG pro-Australia locals fought them off. NOT AMERICANS.

LOL you think the japs landed on the Australian mainland and American soldiers fought them off?

 

[Spikeru]

I think it's fair that teachers force their idea's onto the students learning from them. Why break a trend? They have been doing it for hundreds of years (the original All Quiet on the Western Front is a good example). To be honest I don't really care what my teachers think and never have, it's my parents that have influenced me.

What worries me is that many teachers are also historians. If they are injecting their own politics into the worlds history they might as well be throwing the truth onto the flames of left-wing facism (or activism).

In short, teachers can do whatever the hell they want. Historians should know to present a well balanced view.