A right-wing nonprofit media firm referred to as PragerU is dealing with backlash after a resurfaced video downplayed slavery amid talks that it may grow to be the brand new PBS.
The clip, that includes a cartoon model of Christopher Columbus, suggests the establishment of slavery was “as outdated as time and has taken place in each nook of the world.”
Within the video, Columbus goes additional, stating:
“Being taken as a slave is best than being killed, no? Earlier than you choose, you have to ask your self, ‘What did the tradition and the society of the time deal with as no large deal?’”
This framing, packaged in a colourful cartoon format for youths, is a part of PragerU’s library of “instructional” movies.
Indoctrination in Disguise
The Grio stories that PragerU co-founder Dennis Prager has been blunt about his mission, admitting the objective of the programming is to indoctrinate youngsters into right-wing ideology.
MSNBC provides that PragerU mentioned in its 2022 annual report that it brazenly mentioned it wished to battle it out with PBS and Disney.
“Arming mother and father and educators with the pro-America content material they’re craving — we’re going toe-to-toe with huge youth media corporations like PBS Youngsters and Disney,”
Whereas the movies mimic the model of standard youngsters’s programming, the messaging has drawn heavy criticism. In line with The Grio, earlier PragerU clips have denied Native American historical past, dismissed Indigenous Peoples’ Day as “designed to make People really feel guilt,” denied local weather change, and pushed Islamophobic rhetoric.
Ew.
State and Federal Endorsements
Regardless of the controversy, PragerU has gained official partnerships in states like Alaska, Louisiana, and South Carolina, with The Grio confirming Florida turned the primary state in 2023 to approve PragerU content material for public faculty curricula.
The most important endorsement but has come from the Trump administration. On July 24, President Trump signed a invoice slashing $1.1 billion in funding for the Company for Public Broadcasting — a transfer that threatens PBS, NPR, and greater than 1,500 native stations.
Simply in the future later, PragerU joined forces with the Division of Schooling to unveil a White Home museum exhibit titled “The Street to Liberty.” The exhibit even used AI-generated “commentary” from the Founding Fathers that leaned closely into conservative speaking factors.
Museums Below the Microscope
It is a continuation of Trump’s wider cultural push. Beforehand reported by BOSSIP, his administration has launched a “complete evaluation” of Smithsonian museums — together with the Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past and Tradition — with the said intention to “have a good time American exceptionalism, take away divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural establishments.”
The influence is already being felt. The Nationwide Museum of American Historical past quickly eliminated references to Trump’s two impeachments, whereas Nationwide Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet resigned after Trump claimed he had fired her.
The Greater Image
Let’s be clear: a cartoon Columbus attempting to persuade children that slavery was “no large deal” shouldn’t be solely disgusting — it’s harmful revisionist historical past. With PragerU circling as a potential alternative for PBS and Trump actively reshaping museums, we’re seeing an try and rebrand America’s darkest truths underneath the banner of “exceptionalism.”
If slavery could be disregarded as a minor inconvenience, what else is perhaps “erased” subsequent?
#BanPragerU
The publish This The New PBS?! Viral Youngsters Cartoon Teaches Slavery As ‘No Large Deal’, Firm’s Co-Founder Needs To Indoctrinate Youngsters With Proper-Wing Ideology appeared first on Bossip.
This The New PBS?! Viral Youngsters Cartoon Teaches Slavery As ‘No Large Deal’, Firm’s Co-Founder Needs To Indoctrinate Youngsters With Proper-Wing Ideology
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