A letter to Brearley

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Gob
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A letter to Brearley

Post by Gob »

April 13, 2021

Dear Fellow Brearley Parents,

Our family recently made the decision not to reenroll our daughter at Brearley for the 2021-22 school year. She has been at Brearley for seven years, beginning in kindergarten. In short, we no longer believe that Brearley’s administration and Board of Trustees have any of our children’s best interests at heart. Moreover, we no longer have confidence that our daughter will receive the quality of education necessary to further her development into a critically thinking, responsible, enlightened, and civic minded adult. I write to you, as a fellow parent, to share our reasons for leaving the Brearley community but also to urge you to act before the damage to the school, to its community, and to your own child's education is irreparable.

It cannot be stated strongly enough that Brearley’s obsession with race must stop. It should be abundantly clear to any thinking parent that Brearley has completely lost its way. The administration and the Board of Trustees have displayed a cowardly and appalling lack of leadership by appeasing an anti-intellectual, illiberal mob, and then allowing the school to be captured by that same mob. What follows are my own personal views on Brearley's antiracism initiatives, but these are just a handful of the criticisms that I know other parents have expressed.

I object to the view that I should be judged by the color of my skin. I cannot tolerate a school that not only judges my daughter by the color of her skin, but encourages and instructs her to prejudge others by theirs. By viewing every element of education, every aspect of history, and every facet of society through the lens of skin color and race, we are desecrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and utterly violating the movement for which such civil rights leaders believed, fought, and died.

I object to the charge of systemic racism in this country, and at our school. Systemic racism, properly understood, is segregated schools and separate lunch counters. It is the interning of Japanese and the exterminating of Jews. Systemic racism is unequivocally not a small number of isolated incidences over a period of decades. Ask any girl, of any race, if they have ever experienced insults from friends, have ever felt slighted by teachers or have ever suffered the occasional injustice from a school at which they have spent up to 13 years of their life, and you are bound to hear grievances, some petty, some not. We have not had systemic racism against Blacks in this country since the civil rights reforms of the 1960s, a period of more than 50 years. To state otherwise is a flat-out misrepresentation of our country's history and adds no understanding to any of today's societal issues. If anything, longstanding and widespread policies such as affirmative action, point in precisely the opposite direction.

I object to a definition of systemic racism, apparently supported by Brearley, that any educational, professional, or societal outcome where Blacks are underrepresented is prima facie evidence of the aforementioned systemic racism, or of white supremacy and oppression. Facile and unsupported beliefs such as these are the polar opposite to the intellectual and scientific truth for which Brearley claims to stand. Furthermore, I call bulls** on Brearley's oft-stated assertion that the school welcomes and encourages the truly difficult and uncomfortable conversations regarding race and the roots of racial discrepancies.

I object to the idea that Blacks are unable to succeed in this country without aid from government or from whites. Brearley, by adopting critical race theory, is advocating the abhorrent viewpoint that Blacks should forever be regarded as helpless victims, and are incapable of success regardless of their skills, talents, or hard work. What Brearley is teaching our children is precisely the true and correct definition of racism.

I object to mandatory anti-racism training for parents, especially when presented by the rent-seeking charlatans of Pollyanna. These sessions, in both their content and delivery, are so sophomoric and simplistic, so unsophisticated and inane, that I would be embarrassed if they were taught to Brearley kindergarteners. They are an insult to parents and unbecoming of any educational institution, let alone one of Brearley's caliber.

I object to Brearley’s vacuous, inappropriate, and fanatical use of words such as “equity,” “diversity” and “inclusiveness.” 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. Instead, the school would foster an environment of intellectual openness and freedom of thought. And if Brearley really cared about “inclusiveness,” the school would return to the concepts encapsulated in the motto “One Brearley,” instead of teaching the extraordinarily divisive idea that there are only, and always, two groups in this country: victims and oppressors.

l object to Brearley’s advocacy for groups and movements such as Black Lives Matter, a Marxist, anti family, heterophobic, anti-Asian and anti-Semitic organization that neither speaks for the majority of the Black community in this country, nor in any way, shape or form, represents their best interests.

I object to, as we have been told time and time again over the past year, that the school’s first priority is the safety of our children. For goodness sake, Brearley is a school, not a hospital! The number one priority of a school has always been, and always will be, education. Brearley’s misguided priorities exemplify both the safety culture and “cover-your-ass” culture that together have proved so toxic to our society and have so damaged the mental health and resiliency of two generations of children, and counting.

I object to the gutting of the history, civics, and classical literature curriculums. I object to the censorship of books that have been taught for generations because they contain dated language potentially offensive to the thin-skinned and hypersensitive (something that has already happened in my daughter's 4th grade class). I object to the lowering of standards for the admission of students and for the hiring of teachers. I object to the erosion of rigor in classwork and the escalation of grade inflation. Any parent with eyes open can foresee these inevitabilities should antiracism initiatives be allowed to persist.

We have today in our country, from both political parties, and at all levels of government, the most unwise and unvirtuous leaders in our nation’s history. Schools like Brearley are supposed to be the training grounds for those leaders. Our nation will not survive a generation of leadership even more poorly educated than we have now, nor will we survive a generation of students taught to hate its own country and despise its history.

Lastly, I object, with as strong a sentiment as possible, that Brearley has begun to teach what to think, instead of how to think. I object that the school is now fostering an environment where our daughters, and our daughters’ teachers, are afraid to speak their minds in class for fear of “consequences.” I object that Brearley is trying to usurp the role of parents in teaching morality, and bullying parents to adopt that false morality at home. I object that Brearley is fostering a divisive community where families of different races, which until recently were part of the same community, are now segregated into two. These are the reasons why we can no longer send our daughter to Brearley.

Over the past several months, I have personally spoken to many Brearley parents as well as parents of children at peer institutions. It is abundantly clear that the majority of parents believe that Brearley’s antiracism policies are misguided, divisive, counterproductive and cancerous. Many believe, as I do, that these policies will ultimately destroy what was until recently, a wonderful educational institution. But as I am sure will come as no surprise to you, given the insidious cancel culture that has of late permeated our society, most parents are too fearful to speak up.

But speak up you must. There is strength in numbers and I assure you, the numbers are there. Contact the administration and the Board of Trustees and demand an end to the destructive and anti-intellectual claptrap known as antiracism. And if changes are not forthcoming then demand new leadership. For the sake of our community, our city, our country and most of all, our children, silence is no longer an option.

Respectfully,

Andrew Gutmann
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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Crackpot
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Crackpot »

May I present “white privilege” exhibit A. This guy has absolutely no clue just how full of shit he is.
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Crackpot wrote:
Sun Apr 18, 2021 2:11 pm
May I present “white privilege” exhibit A. This guy has absolutely no clue just how full of shit he is.
And may I present Crackpot as an example of someone who has already drunk, swallowed, and digested the Brearley flavor of Kool-aid??
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-"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?

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Crackpot
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Crackpot »

Saying systemic racism ended fifty years ago is absurdly naive. Not only is it inaccurate (even though it has greatly decreased) it’s a lot like saying I know we cut your legs off at birth but we don’t do that anymore. The broad ignorance of the larger situation completely undercuts whatever points he may have on the finer points.
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

Big RR
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Big RR »

I agree; while some of our efforts to address the disparities are misguided, at best, it's plain silly to try and say that racism ended with the passage of the Civil Rights acts. There is a lot of systematic racism that must be addressed, but we cannot address it if we don't acknowledge it exists. As a simple example, consider the legacy admissions at prestigious colleges and other schools (possibly even Brearley? I don't know the schools so I can't say, but it wouldn't surprise me); somehow people don't get up in arms when this privilege is taken into account when deciding to admit a student; but addressing a problem by even considering race as a factor is somehow horrible.

As for
I object to the censorship of books that have been taught for generations because they contain dated language potentially offensive to the thin-skinned and hypersensitive (something that has already happened in my daughter's 4th grade class).
I agree to a point, but then does a fourth greater need to have books which contain language potentially offensive to some racial groups? I recall the class reading an unabridged version of Huckleberry Finn in fourth or fifth grade, it encouraged a number of kids to call some of the black kids (and, like most white suburban schools, we only had a very few) "Nigger Jim". We don't need that in those grades--wait until the kids mature a bit more; there is plenty of good literature for students in those grades that does not have the problematic language and themes. I imagine the author would not be as upset if the school chose not to include books with explicit sexual content or promoting drug use in fourth grade classes. I am not in favor of censorship, but I don't see problems with selecting the books to be read based on the age and average maturity of the class; if the writer really wants his child to read those books (and his thinks his child is mature enough) he can encourage it at home.
Last edited by Big RR on Mon Apr 19, 2021 3:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Sue U
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Sue U »

Systemic racism, properly understood,
Right there, fuck this guy.

Social justice, properly understood, means removing douchebags like this from positions of power.

Image

I feel sorry for his poor daughter.
GAH!

ex-khobar Andy
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

For the sake of our community, our city, our country and most of all, our children, silence is no longer an option.
I'm with him there. Problem is, it just may not mean what he thinks it means.

PS love the illustration,Sue.

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Bicycle Bill »

If I may dare to ask a question ... ?

Certainly, over the past 50-plus years since the start of the civil rights movement, there must have been some blacks and minorities who were capable of excelling and acquiring things like law degrees, political power and influence, and a pulpit from which to speak and to show that things can change.  Where are they??

Look around you.  Who are most of the black 'influencers', the role models, the people who young black kids want to grow up to be like these days?  They're modern-day minstrel show characters, singing about their W.A.P. while gyrating on stage like a terpsichorean ecdysiast who has misplaced her pole or chanting rhymes to a synthetic drum beat, or the new breed of slaves — high-priced hired hands, wearing their massa's uniform while bouncing a basketball, hitting a baseball, or throwing a football ... who then parlay their notoriety into something like 'Air Jeezies' or 'urban fashions' or perfume or cosmetics to sell to their sheep-like followers.

Because that's where the fucking money which buys all the bling-bling is.  Beats spending time in school to get an LLD and doing something to make a REAL difference in the world.
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Big RR
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Big RR »

Are you saying that kids celebrating entertainers and sports stars is limited to african american kids? There are plenty of white, latino,asian, etc. at their concerts/games, buying their merchandise, etc. Hell, when I was a kid and teen, I cannot think of a doctor, lawyer, or scientist I celebrated (maybe Albert Einstein, but more because he appeared to be on the outside of the establishment)--I was just as into popular entertainers and sports stars as kid are today. So what's your point?

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Sue U
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Sue U »

Bicycle Bill wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 4:43 pm

Certainly, over the past 50-plus years since the start of the civil rights movement, there must have been some blacks and minorities who were capable of excelling and acquiring things like law degrees, political power and influence, and a pulpit from which to speak and to show that things can change.  Where are they??

Look around you.  Who are most of the black 'influencers', the role models, the people who young black kids want to grow up to be like these days? 
What the fuck is the matter with you? Do you live under a rock? Are you unaware of a couple named Barack and Michelle Obama? How about Kamala Harris? Cory Booker? Stacey Abrams? Did you notice a young lady named Amanda Gorman at the recent presidential inauguration? As for basketball, are you familiar with a fellow goes by LeBron James? I don't even follow basketball and I've heard plenty about his philanthropy and activism. How about Beyonce Knowles? How about Joy Reid? Zerlina Maxwell? Joshua Johnson? Yamiche Alcindor? Jordan Peele? Robin Thede? Ashley Nicole Black? Larry Wilmore? Dave Chapelle?

Are you that clueless about American society that you do not know who these people are?
GAH!

Burning Petard
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Burning Petard »

to quote Charles Barkley :I get paid to throw a ball through a hoop. I ain't a role model for anybody.

snailgate

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Scooter
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Scooter »

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"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."

-- Author unknown

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Gob
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Gob »

Never heard of the potential president Kanye West?
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

ex-khobar Andy
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Gob wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 11:07 am
Never heard of the potential president Kanye West?
It could never happen in a million years. The American people are much smarter than that. (Mind you, the last person I sad that about was one Donald J Trump.)

Big RR
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Big RR »

After Trump, I would think anyone with a minimal amount of public speaking and performing (acting) skills could be elected president so long as (s)he was properly promoted. Voting for these people reminds me of a policy among many of us in high school to vote for the worst candidate for class president, if only to piss off the rah rah people--Trump filled that role on a national level. It's one thing for a high schools class president, quite a different one for running the country, but some people never learn.

liberty
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by liberty »

Sue U wrote:
Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:25 pm
Systemic racism, properly understood,
Right there, fuck this guy.

Social justice, properly understood, means removing douchebags like this from positions of power.

Image

I feel sorry for his poor daughter.

Can you imagine a world in which Comrade Sue and Shit Head had total power? The guillotines would work overtime. The manufacture of guillotine would be a booming business. Of course, an investor in the guillotine industry would need to be prudent; there is always the possibility of boom and bust in any industry. As people learned to watch what they say, guillotine operators will be out of work. But then our local communist work starts punishing thought crimes, and the guillotine industry would love her for it.

Note to the stupid the above post uses metaphor if you can’t figure it out tough shit.
I expected to be placed in an air force combat position such as security police, forward air control, pararescue or E.O.D. I would have liked dog handler. I had heard about the dog Nemo and was highly impressed. “SFB” is sad I didn’t end up in E.O.D.

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Sue U
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Sue U »

liberty wrote:
Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:27 am
Note to the stupid the above post uses metaphor
Note to the stupider: No it doesn't.

But then what's a Mehta for, anyway?

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GAH!

liberty
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by liberty »

Sue U wrote:
Wed Apr 21, 2021 3:13 am
liberty wrote:
Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:27 am
Note to the stupid the above post uses metaphor
Note to the stupider: No it doesn't.

But then what's a Mehta for, anyway?

Image
Your Stalinist mindset is the guillotine that would destroy lives if you had the power to do it.
I expected to be placed in an air force combat position such as security police, forward air control, pararescue or E.O.D. I would have liked dog handler. I had heard about the dog Nemo and was highly impressed. “SFB” is sad I didn’t end up in E.O.D.

Big RR
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Big RR »

Comrade Sue--are you a Stalinist? I'm more of a Trotsky man myself. :lol:

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Gob
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Re: A letter to Brearley

Post by Gob »

I'm Marxist-Lenonist, (communism with good tunes!)
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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