In worthington, Ohio, for the past 40 years, an extremely unique course has been offered in high school to students: poli-rad. Poli-rad is a course in which high school students would bring in extremists from around the U.S. to give presentations about their beliefs. The extremists range from every end of the political spectrum, ranging from socialists to white supremacists. The idea was that all students would be able to observe radicalism, so they could gain a broader understanding of the political spectrum and be able to deal with radicals in the real world.
It has, understandably, created a lot of issues. The idea of exposing teens to such radical and offensive figures at such a young age has brought worry from many parents about whether or not the class is a good idea. These issues reached a climax when members of the KKK showed up in full-clad robes and hoods. However, the class has persisted.
Personally, I think that this class is a positive thing as it exposes young students to extremism, allowing them to more adequately handle political discourse in the future. This reminds me of the gilded age, in which political competition and discourse was at an all time high.
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https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/high-schoolers-face-time-extremists-class-60657536
I feel the class is unneccesary when you learn about all the white supremacist and racialism in history. Feeding kids the devoted thoughts of these extremist is dangerous and will eventually influence the children.
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