Part One:
We speak with Daniel Block, Exec Editor of the Washington Monthly, about his article: “Nationalism Is Ascendant Around the Globe. Biden Just Defeated Its Biggest Leader.” Block explains how populist have taken over and remained in power in many countries around the world, including India where Block has spent a lot of time.
The U.S. is fortunate that our voters did not reelect the autocratic Donald Trump in last week’s election. Even so, our situation remains in grave danger, because Trumpism – catering to nationalistic xenophobia and weaponizing ethnic fears – is still alive and well in America. 70 million voters and intimidating anti-democratic mobs have made that clear.
Part Two:
Our guests are Jack Schneider and Jennifer Berkshire, authors of “A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School.” They describe how public education is being destroyed in both overt and deceptive ways. Trump’s Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, is the most obvious example. But similar assaults on public education are taking place in state after state all over the country, making it harder and harder for public schools to do their important jobs of educating our children.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated the problem. DeVos and others have recognized that health concerns and precautions gives them an unusual opportunity to make public schools look bad, to persuade families to stop thinking of public schools as the best way to educate their children.
At the same time, the DeVos crowd have succeeded in distracting the media to think about education through their conservative framework. The media almost never discuss the fundamental role that public education plays in our society, how essential education is for our democracy to flourish. In addition to teaching children the ABCs and opening their eyes to exploring the world of learning, our educational system teaches young people how they will be able to participate in American self-government, to cherish democracy, to consider the opinions of people who may not agree with them, and to thrive in a world where not everyone looks like them.
