An Oklahoma law is making educators afraid to teach 'Killers of the Flower Moon'
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
I t can easily be said that "Killers of the Flower Moon" has become a cultural touchstone. The critically acclaimed book by David Grann chronicles the true story of Native American murders in the Osage Nation in the 1920s, and was adapted last year into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro. But in Oklahoma, the state where the murders occurred, some educators are worried that a specific statute might prevent students from being taught about the story behind "Killers."
The statute in question, HB 1775 , was signed into law in 2021 by Oklahoma's Republican governor, Kevin Stitt. The law dictates that educators may not give any lessons that teach that "an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously” or that "any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex." As a result of the law, Oklahoma has "instructed teachers to no longer use certain terms, including 'diversity' and 'white privilege,'" and has removed books such as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Raisin in the Sun" from its schools, said the American Civil Liberties Union .
Some teachers have expressed fears that a similar fate could befall "Killers," and have also raised concerns about punishments they could face if they were to teach the book. Why is "Killers of the Flower Moon" specifically in the crosshairs of Oklahoma Republicans?
Why are teachers feeling nervous about 'Killers?'
There have been instances throughout Oklahoma of teachers being wary of teaching the story behind "Killers" in fear of HB 1775 repercussions. The law is "so vague that some educators reportedly say that they have avoided assigning the book and other texts out of fear of punishment," Mother Jones said.
At Dewey High School in northeast Oklahoma, English teacher Debra Thoreson had long assigned "Killers" to be read by her students. But after HB 1775 passed, she realized having them read the book "would be setting myself up for House Bill 1775 to take away my license," Thoreson said to The Oklahoman in 2022. As a result, Thoreson "Decided not to teach it last year and doesn't intend to introduce it this year, either," according to The Oklahoman.
LINK TO SEEDED ARTICLE: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/an-oklahoma-law-is-making-educators-afraid-to-teach-killers-of-the-flower-moon/ar-BB1k4Mwh?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=01cef084f33649619424d21ac1a16036&ei=13
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For goodness sake whatever is done in Oklahoma do not allow under any circumstances the true history of the Osage killers to be told. /s
What is the matter with Oklahoma? MAGAs...
There must be some appeal to the RWers in this nonsense, what it is remains to be seen by a clear un MAGA mind.
Censors are never the good guys. Rocket Science 101.
And they proved it once again.