Father pulls daughter out of school.

[Rockstar]

A New York father pulls his daughter out of Brearley with a message to the whole school. Is the dam starting to break?

https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/you...ad-this-letter

I was planning to publish a roundup today of the many thoughtful responses to Paul Rossi’s essay. I’m going to save that post for Sunday, because I was just sent this letter that has my jaw on the floor. It was written by a Brearley parent named Andrew Gutmann.


If you don’t know about Brearley, it’s a private all-girls school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It costs $54,000 a year and prospective families apparently have to take an “anti-racism pledge” to be considered for admission. (In the course of my reporting for this piece I spoke to a few Brearley parents.)


Gutmann chose to pull his daughter, who has been in the school since kindergarten, and sent this missive to all 600 or so families in the school earlier this week. Among the lines:

If Brearley’s administration was truly concerned about so-called “equity,” it would be discussing the cessation of admissions preferences for legacies, siblings, and those families with especially deep pockets. If the administration was genuinely serious about “diversity,” it would not insist on the indoctrination of its students, and their families, to a single mindset, most reminiscent of the Chinese Cultural Revolution...

[Skybird]

True in different forms and contexts in so many other places, countries and situations, too.


That letter has lots of gunpowder in it, so much is certain.

[Platapus]

Pulling a kid from an expensive private school


First. World. Problems.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Pulling a kid from an expensive private school


First. World. Problems.

Public schools will worse for his daughter. However, with that kind of money to drop for private school I would think a private tutor can be hired on.

[3catcircus]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Public schools will worse for his daughter. However, with that kind of money to drop for private school I would think a private tutor can be hired on.

With that scratch, I'd just as soon start up my own private school with traditional values. And I'd offer it at a discount compared to my woke competition.

[August]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Public schools will worse for his daughter. However, with that kind of money to drop for private school I would think a private tutor can be hired on.

Yeah and that might actually be a better option given that while there are probably other private schools for a guy like that to chose from they may not be any different than that one.

[MaDef]

In CRT, race is a social construct, enforced by those in power (white men), and predetermines someone’s role and ability in society.

What Jackass came up with that cockamamie idea?

[3catcircus]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Pulling a kid from an expensive private school


First. World. Problems.

Well, it's also a 3rd world problem. And a middle class problem.

When you indoctrinate a generation of woke idiots who don't have the critical thinking skills to work a fast food job and you put them in charge because of their privilege, it hurts everyone. We've already got that now - how many elite private school wunderkind have infected the ranks of industry C-suites, executive-level positions in government, and tenured professorships? We don't need any more.

[Catfish]

So, pledging to be against racism is indoctrination on students.

For a bit of solace, most private schools and such are still right-wing, racist and not "infected by high school wunderkinds". The politically right is right where the money is, and the rich know this very well. Thinking and especially critical thinking is by all means not the right wing's forte.

[3catcircus]

Originally Posted by Catfish

So, pledging to be against racism is indoctrination on students.

For a bit of solace, most private schools and such are still right-wing, racist and not "infected by high school wunderkinds". The politically right is right where the money is, and the rich know this very well. Thinking and especially critical thinking is by all means not the right wing's forte.

You really have *no* idea what you are talking about if you are referring to schools in the US. The elite private schools in NY and LA are infested with leftists - both faculty/staff and parents.

And let's stop with the "racism." The word is discounted to now mean only "your ideas are not in accordance with leftist party doctrine.". Anyone who doesn't toe the social marxist party line is labeled a racist.

The rest of us are done with their bullsh!t.

[u crank]

Originally Posted by Catfish

So, pledging to be against racism is indoctrination on students.

Yes. It is part of the Critical Race Theory that is presented as the singular lens through which one ought to see the world. In CRT, race is a social construct, enforced by those in power (white men), and predetermines someone’s role and ability in society. It begins from the assumption that racism is an ordinary part of every aspect of life in our societies. It looks for racism in every situation and interaction. It is as illiberal an idea as you could have. It creates the idea that certain groups of people are doomed to be perpetual victims. It is pure poison.

Why not take a pledge to not be a serial killer? Or not to cheat on your taxes? Or be a rapist?

Asking people to take such a pledge makes an assumption that shouldn't be made.

[August]

Originally Posted by Catfish

So, pledging to be against racism is indoctrination on students.

You may not admit it but it certainly is indoctrination, along with any other social pledge forced upon students, like not taking drugs or having sex or being "green" or "woke" or voting for a particular party, whatever it is, because you know that they all come with a mandatory class with tests and grades that can last hours, days or even the entire school year. That is indoctrination no matter which way you look at it.

For a bit of solace, most private schools and such are still right-wing, racist and not "infected by high school wunderkinds". The politically right is right where the money is, and the rich know this very well.

What do you know about what most private schools are like, especially here in America? Are you in possession of some kind of evidence to back your specious statement? FWIW at the private school campus' that I have worked on as a contractor these past 40 years, and there are a lot of them around here, the left is more that well represented. In fact they are the majority of the administration and faculty at all of these fine institutions, just as they are the majority in the public schools and universities that I have done work at as well. So forgive me but i'm having a bit of a difficult time believing you there.

Thinking and especially critical thinking is by all means not the right wing's forte.

Well, I believe it's much more true that the left wing consists of thuggish losers whose only serious thinking is confined to plotting increasingly evil ways to steal from others because they are too stupid and lazy to figure out how to earn it themselves. So there you go. Hyperbole broadside returned!

[August]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Pulling a kid from an expensive private school


First. World. Problems.

So what, less valid? What World you living in?

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Pulling a kid from an expensive private school


First. World. Problems.

true... but also false

We sent the stepdaughter to a private school for a little over a year. found it surprisingly affordable. Especially since parents were able to volunteer to perform school maintenance, groundskeeping, donate food to the cafeteria and even perform cafeteria duties etc. in order to receive a reduction in tuition costs. My wife and I, for example, received a tuition break by going to the school after hours on certain days and restocking bathroom tissue, hand soap, hand towels and replacing the air filters in each building's air conditioning system.

My observations were that while there were some kids from affluent families... most of them came from working class families who really had to stretch their dollar to provide what they considered to be the best possible education for their kid.

Im here to tell you, you'd think it might be a bit humiliating for a kid to walk into the cafeteria and see his mom cooking behind the counter with other moms... but since the ingredients and the cooking were mostly provided by an all volunteer force who brought recipes from home... those kids ate like absolute royalty.