Spanish philosopher George Santayana in 1905 famously wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In a 1948 speech to the British House of Commons, Sir Winston Churchill paraphrased Santayana: “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” The aphorism is a chilling warning.
Even more chilling?
Those who do remember the ominous warning or have learned from it — fully aware that “the masses” have not —and as a result count on it working all over again — against an unwitting population or society precisely because it’s true.
As reported by Fox News, a Virginia mom who suffered under Communist Mao Zedong’s intentionally and brutally misnomered Cultural Revolution before immigrating to the U.S., blasted Virginia school board members in a powerful speech at a public meeting on Tuesday over their steadfast support of the controversial critical race theory.
This Virginia mom, who survived Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China, absolutely destroyed teaching critical race theory to our youth. Talk about having a mic drop moment.https://t.co/WYmzlWYBWS
— OutKick (@Outkick) June 10, 2021
Van Fleet, who was able to immigrate to the U.S. when she was 26, slammed the board for teaching kids to loathe America and its history, drawing parallels with Communist China.
“I’ve been very alarmed by what’s going on in our schools. You are now teaching, training our children to be social justice warriors and to loathe our country and our history.
“The Communist regime used the same critical theory to divide people. The only difference is they used class instead of race.”
As Van Fleet continued to describe life under the purge, the “identical traits” between the Cultural Revolution and critical race theory became chillingly apparent.
Watch a brave parent who grew up in Mao’s China point out all of the identical traits b/n the Cultural Revolution and what LCPS, and really every school system, are doing through the use of CRT. pic.twitter.com/zH7XuyBmW6
— The Virginia Project UAC (@TVPUAC) June 9, 2021
When the Cultural Revolution began, Van Fleet told Fox News on Wednesday, one day after speaking to the school board, students and teachers were immediately pitted against one another. She described “big posters” hung in hallways and the school’s cafeteria where students could write criticisms against anyone deemed “ideologically impure.”
“One of the teachers was considered bourgeoisie because she liked to wear pretty clothes. So the students attacked her and spit on her. She was covered with spit… and pretty soon it became violence. [sic]
“We were asked to report if we hear anything about someone saying anything showing that there’s a lack of complete loyalty to Mao. There were people reporting their parents, and their parents ended up in jail.”
“Everything that was considered ‘old,’ feudalist, a vase, Buddhas,” Van Fleet told Fox, “everything was taken out and smashed.”
Interesting. Like statues of Founding Fathers and Civil War heroes? No — wait — wrong country. Never mind.
It Gets Even Closer to Home
Van Fleet, whose son graduated from Loudoun High School in 2015, told Fox:
“We were taught to denounce our heritage, and Red Guards destroyed anything that is not communist…statues, books, and anything else.
“We were also encouraged to report on each other, just like the Student Equity Ambassador program and the bias reporting system.
“This is indeed the American version of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
“The critical race theory has its roots in cultural Marxism. It should have no place in our school.”
“I just want Americans to know that their privilege is to be here living in America, that is just the biggest privilege,” Van Fleet told Fox.
“I do not think a lot of people understand. They are thinking they are doing the right thing, ‘be against racism’ sounds really good. But they are basically breaking the system that is against racism.”
“To me, and to a lot of Chinese,” Van Fleet said, “it is heartbreaking that we escaped communism and now we experience communism here.”
As reported by The Hill on Wednesday, 21 states have either introduced legislation to ban critical race theory or banned it altogether. Among them, the Florida Board of Education is scheduled to vote on Thursday (today) on a proposed rule change that would back the decision by Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban critical race theory in classrooms.
The proposed rule change also says teachers can’t “attempt to indoctrinate students.”
George Santayana in 1905. Xi Van Fleet in 2021. 116 years. The song remains the same.
Related articles:
Parents Who Spoke out Against Critical Race Theory Curriculum Now Being Harassed by Leftist Groups
The Unbearable Whiteness (and Hypocrisy) of Critical Race Theory
NYC Teacher: Yes, ‘Critical Race Theory’ ‘Training’ Is Harmful ‘Indoctrination’ of Our Kids
VA Teacher WRECKS School Board, Critical Race Theory: ‘You DO NOT Speak for US’ (Watch)
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