Tuesday, March 06, 2007
"Catholic" Schools in the US
This comes from an all-girls Catholic highschool in Milwaukee. It goes to show how far Catholic schools have fallen in the US. Is there any talk about God, defending the truth, objective morality, educating women about the Catholic faith, etc.? No, but they want you to be sure that they are "DIVERSE." It's funny and embarrassing at the same time...but I can't stop laughing when I read this! Oprah Winfrey couldn't have done better herself. This is meaningless fluff at its best! Enjoy (and weep!)
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"A LIVING AFGHAN?!"
ReplyDeleteWhere in the hell did they come up with that metaphor?
Not to mention that the whole thing reads as if it was written by either a grammar school student or a baby boomer who smoked too much marijuana in his youth . . . causing irreparable harm to his brain.
It is hard to criticize students for being unable to write or speak correctly when adults are producing such rubbish.
N.B.: I'm staying away from the diversity issue because it simply frustrates me too much. My post entitled "On Multiculturalism" somes up my feelings on the subject nicely, I think.
I don't know Jason, you're too harsh. I think the gal who wrote this gem has got a future in writing...comedy that is. I swear, whenever I read or even think about the "living afghan" thing, I start laughing! I can just imagine some aging hippie writing that one and being so darn proud of it..."This is stroke of brilliance, Jane Fonda would be so proud!"
ReplyDeleteI think you're right though about the diversity issue. It's one that makes me sick to my stomach. The word "diversity" is used for two reasons, I think:
- As a red herring for special privilages to a select group of so-called victims carrying a chip on their shoulder, for whatever reason.
- Or as a sort of euphemism to drown out any assertion of objective truth. "Diversity" and "tolerance" exclude any kind of moral judgment.
both of you guys are being too harsh. who cares if the writing isn't up to your high standard!? the point is that diversity is an important part of christianity too. the ad you showed comes from the heart and that is more than can be said for your rude posts!
ReplyDeleteWe were hoping to use a little humor to make a serious point. The mission statement is pretty silly, let's be honest. But it's good that you voiced your concern (TK), thanks for the thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we mean though when we talk about diversity? I think it's fair to say that the Catholic Church, with her 1 billion + members, is a diverse institution. It seems a bit superfluous for St. Joan Antita to go on and on about how diverse it is and frankly, it doesn't tell me anything substantive about what the school believes the purpose of an education really is. Diversity for diversity's sake is meaningless. It should be taken as a given that Catholic schools don't discriminate based on race. How small (and honestly, offensive) it is for St. Joan Antita to preach ad nauseam like this about their "diveristy." I think we can and should move beyond that.
What Jason and I are discussing here is another type of "diversity" that has emerged within the context of political correctness run amok in contemporary society. This brand of diversity is not healthy. The "Celebrate Diversity" crowd often excludes, in the name of tolerance, any serious discussion about man's ability to reason his way to the truth; the truth about who he is, the truth about where he is going, and the truth about what path he should follow to reach his destination, etc. Traditionally, Catholic institutions of learning were formed with the goal of helping students discover the answers to these questions. This ability to reason implies that the person can reach conclusions about the rightness and wrongness of his actions, and how to conform his action to this truth. When we say, "celebrate our differences," what are we talking about? Humans share a common nature. It is precisely because Christianity, and the Catholic Church in particular, affirm the existence of a universal human nature that we believe all people are created for the same end: Christ. To ignore questions like these in favor of sentimentalized diversity-talk is, to put it bluntly, quite narrow. Hope this helps...
anything to add, Jason?
isnt it just as "superfluous" for a church school to talk about being religious?! in a lot of places there is a lot of tension between people of color and the whites who run these church schools. by opening up to minorities this school is doing a great service to people of color and the historically prejudice filled catholic church.
ReplyDeletei think you guys are drawing your conclusions too quickly just because they don't write as well as you do. maybe your arguments about diversity wouold get support at a GOP meeting, but in the reall world things are more complex than you would let on.
I agree with you James.
ReplyDeleteAnd sure TK, maybe we are assuming too much on the documents face, BUT the fact is that this kind of rhetoric is part of a larger chorus that asks Catholics to rejoice in things that do not matter.
Additionally, I think TK's comment on the Church's history is just wrong--read Catholic social teaching before you claim something like that. And I do not understand what Republicans have to do with anything here.
Thanks again for your thoughts TK. I think this is an important discussion and it's nice to have a "diversity" of opinions here.
ReplyDeleteThe "historically prejudiced Catholic Church"...? I think, before making such a serious charge, a bit of proof is in order. Jason is right that such statements run contary to historical fact, and border on ad hominen...I live in Rome and, frankly, think I am quite well exposed to the "real world" with which you imply I am so out of touch. Here, I experience the universality of the Church every day. My friends from Latin America, India and the Ivory Coast (the list could go on and on) would, more likely than not, disagree with the claim that the Church is "historically prejudiced" racially. And I went to Catholic schools in the US and never noticed this racial tension you seem to imply is so present. Is the world perfect? No, but let's be realistic.
I think a lot of the race rhetoric in the US is stoked by the Left in their attempt to convince minorities that they need the help of the government to keep a level playing field. The Left is in constant need of victims. The irony in accepting their premise is that you end up granting that a particular race (blacks for example) NEEDS the government's assistance to compete and that another race(whites) should be punished or held back simply because of their race. This kind of thinking is illogical and runs contrary to the central thesis of the entire civil rights movement: namely that all share the same dignity as persons.
I have to run as I'm at an internet cafe...time is money. That's the real world for you.
-J.
"And I went to Catholic schools in the US and never noticed this racial tension you seem to imply is so present"
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I was just surfing blogs and hit yours. Here is what i would ask you, how many minorities were in the school you went to. Anyway, check out this blog that i think you folks should read:
http://graveyardofthegods.blogspot.com/
Hello Jason and James, I was given given your blog by our mutual friend Dominic. So far, I am pleased.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I feel slighted by the article, personally. I'm neither gold, nor ebony, nor pink. Technically, I'm of an olive persuasion. I will write to this "school" of "diversity" and sue them for millions of dollars, not only for the color-ist slight that was obviously geared directly towards me personally, but for the life-long trauma of the disturbing image of being sown together with a bunch other people into an afghan, which will keep me in therapy until the day I fling myself off a building.
Okay, maybe I'm being just a tad harsh.:)
In all seriousness, the claim to support diversity is nothing more than a fear of being called a bigot or a racist. It's unhealthy and self-conscious fear, not honest scruples; otherwise, they wouldn't feel the need to mention it. This is obvious because the same people who focus on diversity in race and religion in their advertising insist that, in order for women to be equal to men, we must be stripped of all femininity and become like men; in other words, if we look think and act differenly than men, we are not equal to them! Hense the reason why women are so psychologally damaged these days. Same in Hollywood; "You can think and do whatever you want, but heaven forbid (to use an ironic cliche) you disagree with us!" The claim to diversity is simply to cover their backs to keep people from seeing that they aren't as tolerant as they claim to be.
Of course, I was homeschooled, so what do I know about diversity in Catholic education?