How Much Of A Threat Is Home-Schooling To American Democracy? Spoiler: A Big One

"A Shot Heard Round The World" by Nancy Ohanian

Yesterday we looked at the MAGA syndrome through the Lost Boys lens and then later at the extreme toxicity of white Christian nationalism. Ross Rosenfield did something related for WashingtonPress.com, HOMESCHOOL HATE: The alarming white supremacist network for children— and the much larger threat. Keep two things in the back of your mind-- that, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 1.8 million students, or 3.4% of the total student population, were homeschooled in the U.S. in 2016, a significant increase from 1999 when an estimated 850,000 students (1.7% of the total student population), were homeschooled; and that this is the network that puked up Madison Cawthorn. But instead of the psycho Cawthorn family, Rosenfield looked in on the psycho Lawrence family in Sandusky, Ohio— Logan and Katja and their four poor young children— outright Nazis... not fascists, not neo-Nazis, Nazis. And they’re very serious about raising their brats to be Nazis too.

The kids are not exactly alright

But, wrote Rosenfield, the Lawrences “were just having the darndest time finding good, clean Nazi propaganda to teach their homeschooled children. And so they decided to start a Telegram network to share their preferred white supremacist lesson plans. Days of schooling at the Lawrence household, with the couple’s four young children, apparently include things like quoting Hitler, detailing how Martin Luther King Jr. was really a ‘deceitful, dishonest, riot-inciting negro,’ and baking a cake for der Führer’s birthday. The network they’re in includes 2,400 like-minded people.

They make sure, as well, that their children only play with other white little children, and that they never associate with the black saboteurs who have “ethnically cleansed whites out of urban areas and precipitated the anti-white regime that we are now fighting to free ourselves from.”

Undoubtedly, it’s disturbing to hear of such a couple, who say they want to make their children into “wonderful” Nazis.

And certainly the fact that they’ve been able to establish their own little community amongst themselves is alarming, especially when we take into consideration the rising tide of antisemitism and hate in general in this country right now.

But the Lawrences are actually not the real problem, I’m sorry to say.

If they were, our current predicament would be a great deal more manageable.

Yes, their homeschool channel has built that following of some 2,400, which is upsetting– but we live in a country of over 330 million people– finding a few thousand loons is practically a mathematical certainty.

And the Lawrences knew the social dangers of being outed as actually Nazis; it’s why they used the alias “Saxon” instead of putting their real names on the group. They had to be outed by online sleuths, and it’s of course good that they have been.

Yet we face a much more potent danger: the millions and millions of people who are now participating in what I’ve termed the “Blue Scare”— tens of millions, really, who have been convinced by Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Ron DeSantis, and many other Republican leaders that liberal “woke-ism” is destroying the country and must be stopped, even by extreme means.

And the major difference between these figures and the Lawrences is that the ones mentioned above have real and significant power.

During the Civil Rights Era, segregationists formed “citizens councils”— often referred to by what they really were: white citizens councils.

Thurgood Marshall called these groups “uptown Klan” because they wore suits instead of sheets.

They might have seemed less menacing than their cross-burning counterparts, but they were truly a greater obstacle in a lot of ways than the more rabid and ranting racists who were viewed less tolerably.

We see the same type of thing going on now: an effort to hussy up hate in more appealing attire.

Rather than simply come out and say they hate dark-skinned immigrants, Republicans do “travel bans,” look to build walls to stop “invasions,” oppose any opening of immigration quotas from predominantly non-white countries, and ship migrants to other states as if they were undesirable cargo.

Rather than use more obvious racist language (although that happens at times too), they instead refer to the “woke mob,” oppose the inclusion of black history in the classroom, and make it as if there is a subversive effort to preach against white people.

And now we’re witnessing ever more concerning language coming from such quarters. Trump is talking about removing people from government departments en masse.

DeSantis has hinted at liberals being controlled by Xi Jinping.

The Lawrences are scary in their own way– no doubt.

But even scarier is what’s going on right under our noses.

But I’m still worried about the poor little Lawrence children, so I had a little discussion with ChatGPT during a long boring conference call. I asked if most children adopt their parents’ politics and what role rebelliousness plays in the end result. “It is common for children to be influenced by their parents' political beliefs, but it is not a guarantee. Many factors, including personal experiences and individual perspectives, can shape a person's political views. Yes, some children may reject their parents' political beliefs and choose to adopt different views due to a desire for individuality or a differing interpretation of the issues. This can be a form of rebelliousness as the child seeks to establish their own identity and beliefs. However, it is important to note that this is not universal and some children may have different experiences… [S]tudies have shown that family background and upbringing play a significant role in shaping an individual's political views, but personal experiences, education, exposure to different perspectives, and other social factors can also have an impact.”

The only way to get much benefit from ChatGPT is to keep drilling down. I asked it to focus among extreme right families that homeschool their children and then among Hasidic families who are similarly hostile to education. I didn’t really get the answers I was looking for. Whoever programmed this thing goes out of its way to be inoffensive. “It is difficult to determine the exact percentage of children from extreme right families who home-school their children and adopt their parents' political beliefs, as this would depend on many individual and unique factors. However, research suggests that home-schooled children are likely to have more exposure to their parents' beliefs and values, which can shape their political views. However, it is also important to note that home-schooled children may have access to a wider range of perspectives and ideas through technology and other means, which can also influence their beliefs and opinions. In Hasidic communities, tradition and cultural values often play a significant role in shaping an individual's beliefs and decisions. It is common for children to follow the traditions and beliefs of their parents and community, although some may choose to rebel and pursue different paths. However, the percentage of children who rebel versus those who follow tradition can vary widely and is influenced by multiple factors such as personal experiences, education, and exposure to different perspectives.”

I asked the same type of questions regarding Muslim immigrants to the West where the parents are anti-secular. “Some studies suggest that cultural assimilation and exposure to different values can lead to changes in beliefs and practices, while others suggest that cultural preservation and strengthening of traditional values may occur in response to immigration. It is a complex issue with no simple answer.”

OK, I know where to go for simple answers. This morning Charlie Sykes wrote yesterday that as Trump seeks to return to power, simple cruelty is no long enough and that he’s already pivoted to unsubtle brutality. “Trump,” wrote Sykes, “has long cultivated cruelty as a political weapon. But he has not confined his cruelty to mere rhetoric. Indeed, the ‘pro-life’ former president makes no secret of his passion for actual violence— including the maiming, wounding, flesh-tearing, shooting and killing of human beings… His enthusiasm for violence— including torture, extra-judicial murder and shooting both migrants and protesters— has been a consistent feature of his politics for years… And this appetite for brutality will soon become a litmus test for right-wing politicians, including any of his GOP challengers.”

And for home-schoolers like the Lawrences and Cawthorns. Oh... and just wait 'til Trump gets into a pissing match with DeSantis-- not over Pink Floyrd per se-- but over who can be more of a monster-- i.e., more pandering to the Lost Boy, MAGA, QAnon, white Christian nationalist, homeschool base.