Choose your favorite target of Republicans
We like to identify Republican narratives here, so that voters can see the Matrix that Republicans try to place over policy debates, in order to slant those discussions in their favor and even win them before they begin. Publicly identifying such GOP narratives (“Government Bad/Corporations Good,” “Scary Brown People,” “Oil Good/Clean Energy Bad,” etc.) thus takes much of their power away, as folks can point out that a Republican on Fox “News” or elsewhere is simply running the GOP playbook, rather than responding to their biased frame. With that in mind, here’s another Republican narrative we have heard a lot lately:
“Teachers Bad”
For example, here are two situations, both in the context of the COVID pandemic, where Republicans raised the “Teachers Bad” narrative:
–Recent discussion with Fox “News”-watching Republican who said that teachers who want schools to remain closed until the COVID situation improves are acting on behalf of the teachers’ union, i.e. the American Federation of Teachers and its president, Randi Weingarten, who want teachers to stay at home and not work. This ignores the obvious realities that (a) the COVID pandemic is the worst it has ever been, and would be even worse if more students, teachers, administrators and school workers were forced back into the schools at this time; and (b) teachers are working just as hard or even harder from home, as they have had to prepare new online courses, course materials and tests (often from scratch), teach their classes online, and be available to communicate with students and their parents, many of whom are at home and have extra time to get involved in such school work. These two realities, by the way, are among the responses one can give to a Republican who spouts this “Teachers Bad” narrative.
–Recent tweet by a right winger expressing a similar “teachers are lazy” talking point as part of the “Teachers Bad” narrative. In all likelihood, the person heard such talking point from Fox “News” as part of their anti-teacher narrative.
I fucking hate these lazy ass teachers who assign group projects. My kids are losing their minds waiting for “partners” to do their parts of the projects due tomorrow.
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) December 14, 2020
Note, however, the effective response from an educator:
Teachers do not assign group projects because they’re “lazy asses”. Group projects are designed for kids to learn team work, problem solving & communication which are necessary skills. Maybe instead of calling the teacher names, learn to understand the point of group projects. https://t.co/lEyYFTQpc9
— Meredith (@meralee727) December 14, 2020
Since most teachers are public rather than private school teachers and many belong to teachers’ unions, the “Teachers Bad” narrative does double Republican duty as part of their “Government Bad” and “Unions Bad” narratives. Indeed, since the majority of teachers are also female, the “Teachers Bad” narrative is also part of that old conservative standby, misogyny.
Photo by U.S. Department of Education, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/SpsZIN
