Mercedes Schneider writes here about Governor Ron DeSantis’s shameless moves to wipe out courses in K-12 and in higher education that he does not like. He is leading an audacious attack on academic freedom that has not been seen in this country since the early 1950s during the Joe McCarthy era. Then the enemy was Communism, now it is fear of those who want to investigate the roots and practices of social and political injustice.
Such people, to DeSantis, are enemies of the social order. They are WOKE, awake to inequity; they make students want to change the status quo. They cannot be tolerated. Their ideas must be eliminated. DeSantis is leading this purge, he says, to protect “freedom.” The language is Orwellian. He means to stamp out the freedom to teach and learn while boasting of his love of freedom.
In addition, he wants to transfer the power to hire new faculty from the faculty to college presidents, whom he appoints. The entire state university would become subservient to his authoritarian impulses.
Schneider describes what is happening, mostly under the radar, as DeSantis wages war on freedom of inquiry:
The current ultra-conservative education platform seeks to stifle all formal or informal discussion of diversity, equity, or inclusion in public K12 and postsecondary education, with Florida apparently leading such efforts.
Though as of yet not a formally-declared 2024 candidate, Florida governor, Ron DeSantis is in the GOP polls as an assumed and formidible GOP presidential primary candidate.
DeSantis, and the Florida legislature are working hard to exercise power over what courses or majors could exist in Florida universities, with legislative efforts to kill womens and gender studies and, as the Insider notes, “gut” a variety of majors. Meanwhile, the February 24, 2023, Tampa Bay Times reports that the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) “told school districts to produce detailed information about the programs and materials they use to address some of the state’s most hotly debated subjects.” Continuing:
In an email delivered late Tuesday, the department instructed superintendents to fill out a 34-question survey identifying titles of books and programs they have relating to sex education, social-emotional learning, culturally relevant teaching and diversity, and equity and inclusion, among other topics. It asked for specifics for student courses and employee training.
The department requested names and examples from district and charter schools.
FDOE wants the information by Monday, February 27, 2023, though it did not offer any reason.
The FDOE request came on the same day that Florida HB 999 was filed by Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola). The bill would remove faculty input from the hiring process; prohibit hiring based on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); remove majors and minors related to Critical Race Theory, gender studies or intersectionailty.
This rewrite of the previous bill seeks to remove any mention of “politics,” including striking through statements such as, “Motivate students throughout the Florida State University to become aware of the significance of government and civic engagement at all levels and politics in general”; “Provide students with an opportunity to be politically active and civically engaged”, and “Nurture a greater awareness of and passion for public service and politics.”
DeSantis does not want to encourage students to become engaged in civic action. He wants to nurture complacence and passivity “in this best of all possible worlds.
Please open her post to read the gory details of this audacious attempt to put the governor of the state in charge of whatever is taught in his state.
What DeSantis is doing is not conservative. It is radical. It is authoritarian. He shows no respect for critical thinking or debate. He is unwilling to allow students to learn anything he does not like. His desire for control of what can be taught or learned is dangerous to democracy. He is attempting to establish a dictatorship and has a super-majority of both houses in the legislature who will give him whatever he wants.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
In the midst of teaching “Mockingbird” and I’m doing and discussing everything this troglodyte does not want covered.
Excellent!
Heading off activism against inequity and the racism that enables it is the primary driver of “anti-woke” wealth protection activism.
DeSantis is anti-democratic by nature. He exhibits lots of behaviors that are typical of fascist dictators. He is masterful at scapegoating groups he targets in order to get them to heel like a well trained dog.
“On a deeper level, fascism calls forward feelings and renderings of experience that are anti-humanistic. For a fascist, feelings of anger, resentment, xenophobia, and the hatred of scapegoats reign supreme. Once in power, fascists routinely direct the economy, dominate the media, and exercise wide-ranging social control.”
What DeSantis is doing in Florida is a preview of what he would unleash everywhere if he takes the White House in 2024.
retired teacher: This is the most important reason to fight him every step of the way. Expose him and don’t let him run. I thought I would say this, but I actually wish Trump would be the nominee already because this man might have a chance while many have seen through Trump’s veil. I don’t have enough faith in the American voting populace to believe they will see through DeSantis’ shenanigans because those in sheltered areas, especially those in red states, are not exposed to the real truths.
At the risk of sounding like an elitist colonialist myself, I often wish we could get people out of these states so they can learn what is really happening in the world. Willful ignorance aside, some in very rural areas are most likely not exposed to anything but this horrific, fascist propaganda.
There is an interesting discussion in the comments section of this article on why people still live in and move to FL despite this man’s agenda:
https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/desantis-pushes-ban-on-gender-studies?r=r2s60&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
A lot of people in red states believe what they hear and see on right wing media. They live in a continuous cycle of confirmation bias. As a result, they despise the Democratic Party, and they remain loyal to the GOP, despite the fact that the party has gone off the rails.
I think DeSantis is even more dangerous than Trump. Trump is a business vandal that can perhaps “make a deal.” DeSantis is an inflexible “true believer.”
“One goal of HB 999 appears to be creating a passive citizenry that is provided with some information but not any that might prompt the unpleasantness of activism against state-legislated decisions.”
This so true of DeSantis. He does not want to hear dissent, and he wants top down control. He has banned protests in front of public officials’ residences. He wants to tell everyone what to do without any consideration for what is means to women, Black and Brown folks and anyone with gender differences. https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-05-16/ban-on-protests-in-front-of-homes-signed-by-gov-desantis
DeSantis has a novel definition of freedom.
I’d say that he has a novel definition of slavery. Ya know “Freedom is slavery.”
DeFascist has a different slogan: “Slavery is freedom.”
“DeFascist.” So much better than “DeSatan.”
In response to the EXpresident by comparison.
The EXpresident didn’t have a clue – he wanted adulation and when he shouted “Hillary” the crowd hooted and hollered. Soon he got tips to say things like “1619” “Our American history” “CRT” “Diversity Training” and he got the same crowd salivation.
He didn’t know what he was talking about; the ralliers didn’t know – but it was racist AND they could say it into a microphone and in public.
The Florida Governor knows what he is doing and he knows the content.
Control the people and the platform as close to “the people” as possible!
It makes local headlines.
It allows for fear mongering and scapegoating.
Most local officials are not yet saavy enough to combat it and they won’t take the risk of legal action to appeal.
Rabid Ron is going for power through fear and vindictive retaliation, and, of course, whatever gets him attention in the press.
Vindictive! That’s the correct word.
Somewhere there’s a folder labeled:
Playbook Strategy to ram through Vouchers
#1) Say whatever you want. No one pays attention to the data anyway (ex. Covid, public opinion on guns, climate science)
#2) Portray yourselves as saviors of failing schools, black and brown children, and parents looking for alternatives
$3) Use vouchers as a talking point in your “Give Parents Choice” powerpoints
#4) Use “Vouchers” as a cure when criticizing liberals, urban schools, decaying cities, and urban leadership
#5) Say “Republicans do care!” This is our “action” to help poor children while the liberals are brainwashing kids with CRT, SEL, History before 1776, and books we don’t like
#6) Cautiously infer that vouchers, er, choice, will keep your kids away from LGBTQ teachers and children and books in “those liberal public schools”
Manufactured Republican FACISM in full bloom…DISGUSTING manipulation of public education for political purposes..REPULSIVE!
VOTERS BEWARE of Ron DeSantis !
I have no doubts that Dangerously Deranged and Dense DeSantis (DDDD) is a serious want-to-be future theofascist dictator, where the only rule of law is what he wants it to be.
Still, all he has to do is lose one general or midterm election to end his seditious attempt to turn Florida into his empire.
And this is what stands in his way: “The governor of Florida holds the office for four years and can choose to run for reelection. The Governor is not eligible to serve more than eight years in any twelve-year period.”
To run for governor a third time, DDDD must have his puppet legislature change the state’s constitution. If that doesn’t happen, his only choice will be to run and win a seat in the U.S. Senate or a seat in the House, to keep his name on the media’s front page.
Lloyd,
DeFascist was re-elected in 2020. His term ends in 2024. He will be running for president.
Florida gubernatorial races just so happen to occur in the midterms, which I’ve heard some theorize contributes to the Republican streak. All that to say that he was elected in 2018 and 2022.
The legislature will certainly pass a law that will allow him to run for president without having to resign. Let’s hope America doesn’t fall for it.
My mistake: DeSantis was just re-elected in 2022.
The focus of Democrats should be on DeSantis hypocrisy.
As a Congressman he opposed aid for victims of hurricane Sandy but has both hands out for hurricane relief for Florida. DeSantis obviously does not feel the people of northern states are worthy.
DeSantis pushes for license-less carry and other lax gun laws while at the same time banning the carrying of guns at his events. He then claims the cities where he holds the events were responsible for the bans, when he was behind them.
DeSantis wants everyone to believe he was/is a courageous Navy SEAL when what he actually was was a JAG (a lawyer) who advised Navy SEALS who were themselves doing all the dangerous stuff in Iraq.
DeSantis wants everyone to believe he is fighting against the “elites” when he is himself the product of elite universities (Yale and Harvard) and uses every trick he learned in law school (Harvard) to circumvent or subvert the laws he does not like.
DeSantis claims everything he does is for “freedom”, when his policies are all focused on censorship and other restrictions on what members of the press, state workers, teachers, colleges and universities, even corporations like Disney can do and say.