Not long after Florida adopted new curriculum standards for middle school-level Black history courses — which received bipartisan backlash for its instruction on the “benefits” of slavery — an animated video went viral online. The video, called “Leo & Layla Meet Frederick Douglass” featured a cartoon version of the abolitionist telling a pair of child time-travelers that slavery was a “compromise” between the Founding Fathers and the Southern colonies.
The video spread across social media platforms and sparked widespread outrage after being identified as an example of the new instructional material available to Florida teachers for classroom teaching as part of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) war on manufactured “wokeism” in Florida classrooms. Around the time that the new curriculum standards were enacted, Florida’s Education Department announced a new partnership with the far-right advocacy group that produced the Frederick Douglass cartoon: PragerU.
PragerU is not an accredited academic institution but rather a right-wing activist group best known for revisionist U.S. history propaganda videos and other far-right content. It was founded in 2009 by conservative radio host Dennis Prager and has long been at the forefront of Republican efforts to shove fake culture wars into public school classrooms alongside other far-right groups like Moms For Liberty. Florida announced its partnership with PragerU in July, meaning that videos produced for “PragerU Kids” can be used to supplement civics and government lessons in Florida schools.
Oklahoma just announced that it is doing the same. The partnership was announced by Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a far-right figure who is best known for claiming that race was not a component of the Tulsa Race Massacre. He’s also made headlines for his ties to Moms For Liberty and for comparing teachers’ unions to terrorists.
“This expansion of our availability resources will help ensure high quality materials rich in American History and values will be available to our teachers and students. We will work together to find ways for PragerU to create content that will enrich the education of Oklahoma student,” Walters said upon announcing the “PragerU Kids” partnership.
Oklahoma educators have access to the materials as of today. PragerU provided it to Oklahoma schools for free and the far-right group reportedly intends to expand its partnerships to Texas, as well.
While the Frederick Douglass cartoon got the most attention recently, PragerU has been producing conservative propaganda for years, including videos that deny climate change and promote Christian nationalism. In scrolling through the “PragerU Kids” page, you can find videos on topics like friendship bracelets and studying for tests. But there’s also … this, per the Daily Beast:
Not all of PragerU Kids’ material has an overt political leaning, but their educational value is questionable. Some of those videos reviewed by The Daily Beast included titles such as First Responder Friendship Bracelets, How To Embrace Your Masculinity, and How To Take Care of an American Flag.
Others were akin to outright American nationalism, including titles such as How To Be a Rational Patriot. That 10-minute video explains how America “is more than a place on a map, it’s a set of values stemming from Judeo-Christian principles.”
“America is one of the freest countries on the face of the planet,” the video says. “One million people request to immigrate to the U.S. every year because they know how amazing America is. The opportunities in this country are limitless, and the quality of life is better than it’s ever been throughout human history.”
The Best Of TPM Today
Here’s what you should read this evening:
‘MAGA Shutdown’: Dems Make It Clear Whose Fault A Shutdown Will Be
Sen. Whitehouse Asks Roberts To Do Something, Anything About Alito
In a series of texts to TPM, Santos angrily suggested he is finding another “path forward” with federal prosecutors: George Santos Insists He Is Not Working On A Plea Deal
Panel Rejects Alabama Legislature’s Faux ‘Remedial’ Map
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Poll Shows Biden-Trump Tie Race — Josh Marshall
What We Are Reading
The Wall Street Journal’s Desperate Search for the Perfect Anti-Trump Candidate — The New Republic
Arizona AG Mayes announces formation of workers’ rights unit — KTAR News
Letitia James wants Trump, sons, and lawyers fined $10K each for repeatedly making losing arguments in her fraud case — Business Insider
PragerU is absolutely the worst right-wing propaganda you can imagine. It’s not a university, it is a YouTube channel that produces 5-minute videos loaded to the gills with wildly wrong takes on every aspect of political life.
Breadtuber Shaun has made kind of a point of debunking PragerU’s nonsense, but he’s just one hobbyist, while the cranks at PragerU do this full-time for big fracking dollars.
ETA: the threat of PragerU is not that they will advance the “culture wars,” but that they can effectively indoctrinate kids by teaching them a cartoonish version of everything. I’d argue this has nothing to do with the “culture war,” which is just about using controversy over differing lifeways to create vapid political hay for GOPers who can’t win support by advocating for their policies. This move with PragerU is an attempt to short-circuit that entire political arena, in which right-wing culture war is just a smoke-screen they use when they have no weapons or ammo.
Dennis Prager is promising to create a generation of the stupidest, most ill-informed, politically impotent and malleable slaves. Florida and Oklahoma are buying.
ETA: I didn’t realize I was fiRSt –
We have a few local school districts using the Hillsdale - “bullshit for everyone” social studies curriculum.
I remember a decade ago or so parents were complaining that teachers were using film strips and videos in place of actual teaching.
So PragerU is giving it’s content free to OK, but is FL paying for their crap?
I got my education and got out years ago. I’ve two cousins who are teachers back there are I’m not even going to touch this bullshyte with them.
My hope is that out of state higher learning institutions consider this when a Pager educated kid applies and requires immersion in accredited secondary courses as a prerequisite for admission.
Of course this won’t matter to the greater number of Pokiehoma and Floriduhh high school graduates.
Poor kids might as well be edgycated out in the cow pastures…
And completely OT, but Tarrio getting 22 years in the slammer has made my evening shine a little brighter.