Political Correctness at Antelope Valley College

Ignorance like that of Janice Philbin Hall in “Political Correctness: It Can Happen Here” (Valley Commentary, Oct. 30) is so common in my academic circles that I’m practically oblivious to it.

Having graduated at the top 5% of my class at UCLA (and currently pursuing a law degree), I find it rather easy to separate myself from the masses of supposedly enlightened people like her who think that our textbooks are just fine, that racism is a thing of the past and that officials who establish long-overdue sexual harassment policies are merely “leaping aboard the victimization bandwagon.”

In reality, most history textbooks virtually ignore the brutal murder of Native Americans, the forced deportation and slavery of Africans, the victimization and subordination of women and the mass genocide of Armenians, Jews, homosexuals and many others during the first half of this century.

The world has begun to realize the Anglicized version of American life--where conquerors were referred to as discoverers--fails to capture the total human experience and relegates the difficult life and times of millions to a mere footnote.

I am sorry to hear of the “embarrassingly substandard” students in her English classes. While not everyone is destined for Phi Beta Kappa, even students who make “inane” comments have a right to an education.

As a teacher, she should put her elitist mentality behind her and make an effort to help those who really need it.

MATT BOGOSIAN

Calabasas

* Janice Philbin Hall’s Oct. 30 commentary article on political correctness at Antelope Valley College was right on.

As a former teacher in the Los Angeles school district, I can confirm that everything she said is 100% true. There is hardly any teaching going on, per se, as most in the educational establishment are so intent on making everyone “equal” so that no one comes out a winner.

What about the original reason for schools: plain, unadulterated teaching, to prepare the students and tomorrow’s adults for the world that they will inhabit, to be able to understand a ballot, understand and appreciate literature and understand numbers?

Politically correct is politically crazy, and the sooner our ersatz education establishment comprehends and acts upon this, the better off we all will be.

CAROLE BOLOTIN

Northridge