Texas Textbooks

Jon Stewart went after the Texas Board of Education in The Daily Show on March 17, criticizing the way the board members decide the state's curriculum. As numerous news agencies have reported, Texas' decisions impact the rest of the country because textbook makers usually cater to them because of the number of books they order.

Stewart did a wonderful job in particular on Patricia Hardy, a board member who proposed an amendment to remove Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador from a list of people who fought injustice, along with Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. Romero was assassinated by an ultra-nationalist death squad because he called on Salvadorian soldiers to stop committing humans rights violations, along with other criticisms of the government and support of the poor.

Presumably, Hardy opposed Romero's inclusion because of his association with Liberation Theology, a quasi-Marxist school of thought which, according to Wikipedia, "understands the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust political, economic, or social conditions." Hardy did not bring up any real arguments in making her case, however, instead vaguely claiming that Romero should not be included because, as she said, "I guarantee you it's just one of those names that you just didn't know ."

Stewart responded: "So your argument is 'we shouldn't teach people this because they don't already know this.'" Of course, the amendment passed.

Stewart also mocked board chairman (and dentist) Ken Mercer, who said that they needed to "stand up to experts." Stewart, who often satirizes so-called anti-elitist populists who attack experts, suggested that he would stand up to Mercer's dental expertise by rubbing his teeth with chocolate instead of toothpaste.

His main technique here is essentially translating the board's argument into a basic example without political biases that somehow legitimize their idiocy. Stewart says, the board basically opposes the position of the expert panel because they are experts. Their logic is about as sound as brushing your teeth with sugar. Yet, since the school board is seen as making "political" decisions, they are considered credible. Whether you agree with Romero's theology or not, you cannot deny that he was killed for standing up for injustice.

Link to watch full episode: http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/wed-march-17-2010-snoop-dogg