RICHMOND — Virginia lawmakers have passed a bill that prohibits schools from teaching that the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was a peaceful demonstration or that there was massive fraud in the 2020 presidential election, the first Democratic state to try to shape how such events are taught.

“The White House webpage says January 6 was a peaceful protest, and people who instigated it were the police and National Guard,” said Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), the sponsor of the bill, which passed the state Senate this week and the House of Delegates last month. “This is a preventative measure against a massive disinformation campaign on the part of the White House.”

  • Illecors@lemmy.cafe
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    6 days ago

    I don’t get it. Is every state supposed to have a law about teachability (sure that’s a word) of every event in history?

    Laws are supposed to be generic. “Don’t teach falsehood”.

    • Katana314@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Historians might say more of history is contested than we might realize. In my lifetime, I learned that Thomas Edison was a brilliant inventor who made the light bulb through perseverance; not a ruthless businessman who stole ideas from interns and sabotaged Nikola Tesla.

      So, it may be best not to codify things into law if they have even the slightest chance for debate. Hence why Germany made laws against denying the holocaust specifically.

    • The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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      5 days ago

      states are preparing their cases for why their mandatory curriculum is valuable and the federal fascist dictated curriculum is a violation of the constitution. virginia, in particular, has the nation’s testbed for standardized curricula, the SOL (standards of learning) that every student graduating highschool or getting a GED must demonstrate their proficiency in. by setting Jan 6 was a violent historic event, Virginia is creating a precedent that Virginians who participate in adult society MUST know that Jan 6 was violent

  • jontree255@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    I guess “Shape how events are taught” is telling the truth.

    VA has come a long way from when I went to school when they were still teaching Lost Cause/States Rights bullshit.

        • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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          3 days ago

          You’re right but his point is more that he lie is their reality thanks to propaganda tubes like fox news

          • Maeve@kbin.earth
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            2 days ago

            We have to call it what it is. We keep giving ground, look where it’s gotten us.

            • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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              14 hours ago

              I know, and I agree with you

              I’m simply pointing out what it is from their perspective

              You and I KNOW it’s lies because we see news from various tested sources, people like that don’t and this is their reality, from their perspective

  • Gork@sopuli.xyz
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    6 days ago

    Do they not know that very widespread video evidence exists to the contrary?

      • ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        I have noticed a shocking lack of reading comprehension on Lemmy recently. Between that and the rabid hatred for all Americans I’m really starting to consider dropping the platform.

        • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          TBF, we Americans kinda brought this upon ourselves.

          But the reading comprehension issue is a fuckin’ doozie.

        • taiyang@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          Can at least move over to Piefed, I heard it’s better? Kinda stuck with everyone still on federated platforms, though, and I can assure you reading comprehension is worse on the mainstream apps… and only groups without America hate right now are pretty creepy right wing outlets lol

      • Gork@sopuli.xyz
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        6 days ago

        The Virginia lawmakers who are apparently completely obtuse as to the realities of what happened on Jan 6.

    • presoak@lazysoci.al
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      6 days ago

      To be fair, they didn’t set the building on fire or shoot anybody, which is what is generally expected from insurrections. It was more like black friday at Walmart.