Steiner schools “repudiate” their founder’s racist beliefs to get state funding — but will it be enough?
http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/07/steiner-schools-repudiate-their-founders-racist-beliefs-to-get-state-funding-but-will-it-be-enough/
Some of my comments:
Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge, CA. explicitly TAUGHT my child that “The European race is more evolved than the African and Asian races”. http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2011/02/racism-conference-emails.html They don’t deny teaching this lesson to my son’s class… they stand behind the lesson. After self-investigating, they claimed the lesson WAS NOT RACIST! http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2011/04/hasib-disguises-racism-at-highland-hall.html
The fact that Anthroposophists/Waldorf teachers don’t believe it’s racist to promote that the white race is “more evolved” than other races does not alter or excuse the FACT that they TEACH RACISM TO CHILDREN AT WALDORF SCHOOLS. http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=4
Here’s AWSNA’s statement on racism and my comments regarding their misquoting of Steiner to make it appear he’s saying something he isn’t: http://petekaraiskos.blogspot.com/2011/05/awsna-comments-on-racism.html
Waldorf representatives should make some effort to determine EXACTLY what constitutes racism, then accept the FACT that they are racists if they follow the tenets of Anthroposophy. It’s that easy!
That’s an interesting one Sune. Where did you get it from? Oh that’s right, you INVENTED it. YOU have tried to disconnect Steiner from the “root races” of Theosophy a term Steiner used in the same way in Anthroposophy. Steiner made NO mention of Tertiary and Quaternary periods of time (despite they were defined during his time) – YOU made this “connection”. Just like AWSNA, you fiddle with Steiner to put words in his mouth that HE DIDN”T SAY! That’s just plain dishonest!
I was part of that arbitration process – so I can report that what you are saying is, AGAIN, untrue. NO ANTHROPOSOPHICAL SOURCES was the ruling… not “reliable published sources”. The whole point was to include ONLY reliable sources – and that excluded Anthroposophical sources (obviously). Unfortunately, nobody is left on Wikipedia who is willing to point out that MANY of the sources for the article you site ARE INDEED Anthroposophical sources (McDermott for example) pretending to be mainstream.
My question to you, Sune, is… are you going to post ANYTHING truthful here? If not, rest assured I’ll be back to point out the deceitfulness in what you are posting.
http://operationblackvote.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/independent-report-schools-still-failing-to-tackle-racism/
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=6984
Do you think it only concerns Waldorf Schools here?
Pete Karaistos, I am not a representative of the Waldorf movement, but you know my suggestion for a sound definition of racism: the definition of Albert Memmi.
I’m not sure I understand your point. Because you find racism in English schools, you feel it’s OK to promote to schools that teach racism as science? Based on the racist ideas of their founder? Why?
Rather than champion against racism, you choose to take the “everybody’s doing it” approach. Why?
As justification, you produce a definition that “defines” racism in a way you think doesn’t apply to Steiner. I’ve read Memmi’s definition of racism… It sounds to me like he was defining “racial discrimination” – not “racism”. You don’t have to be an “accuser” to be a racist, nor does there have to be a “victim”. Many of Steiner’s views are still racist by Memmi’s definition BTW. What a Waldorf teacher taught to my child is racist by ANY definition – especially when put into the context of promoting Anthroposophy, which is indeed the intention of Waldorf.
Although I was critical about the report myself, I do think it is a very interesting report.
It confronts anthroposophical content with contemporary scientific and scholarly thinking (biological, historical, cultural, social). It gives clarification about certain concepts e.g. race, discrimination and racism. It is regrettable that not many critics have read the full version of this report. I even think that the main critics of the anthroposophy of the moment : Peter Staudenmaier and Helmut Zander have not read this full version, but instead read the summary in German. This is understandable because the report is not translated neither in English nor in German. I would say that the fact it hasn’t been translated is an omission. I think it is worth the investment.
I have a question for Francis Gilbert. After I send my latest comment on this blog I received the message “your comment is awaiting moderation”, this was not the case with my first comments. Is this normal?
Of course there isn’t… which makes the point the teacher was making SO much more evident. She didn’t use the word “race” at all. I’ll paraphrase what she said: “The blood of the people in Europe is more EVOLVED than the blood of people in Africa and Asia.” If this statement wasn’t in COMPLETE ACCORDANCE with Steiner’s racist teachings, there wouldn’t be a problem would there? It’s the fact that Steiner’s racism came out in physiology class that is EXTREMELY problematic for Waldorf schools. Again, this isn’t one wacky teacher saying something stupid… The school SUPPORTED the lesson. It doesn’t get more racist than this. Steiner’s racism IS taught to teachers in Waldorf teacher training – and it DOES come out in the classroom. That’s the BOTTOM LINE
I don’t think Steiner was a racist. I think that Steiner could have used another concept than race to describe what he wanted to. He would most likely had done this when he lived in our time. Certainly, also without the word “race” it is possible to have racism. But you cannot say Steiner had the intention to legitimate the causing of disadvantage by a supposed superior group to another supposed inferior group (cf. Memmi).
The things said to your child should not be taught in a Waldorf school nor in
any other school. I think there is more arousal , more consciousness , now for that issue in Waldorf schools. I think Waldorf schools in Britain have now the opportunity to present themselves as schools which are alert and perceptive for any form of racism and should also pay attention to prejudices and stereotypes being the first stages towards discrimination and racism.
Something else Pete, just for my curiosity: did you ever experience that one of the comments you send on this blog was “awaiting moderation”?
When he claimed black people didn’t belong in Europe for example? I don’t know if you consider it a disadvantage when someone declares an entire continent “off-limits” to you… but I think some people bight feel disadvantaged by such a statement.
“The things said to your child should not be taught in a Waldorf school nor in
any other school. I think there is more arousal , more consciousness , now for that issue in Waldorf schools.”
Really? My son was in high school… he’s only 22 now. I think you give Waldorf WAY too much credit for their “consciousness” when it comes to the nonsense they’re teaching children. Remember – they ALL AGREED with the lesson plan!
“I think Waldorf schools in Britain have now the opportunity to present themselves as schools which are alert and perceptive for any form of racism and should also pay attention to prejudices and stereotypes being the first stages towards discrimination and racism.”
How is that possible? They still teach RACIST ways of dealing with children to their teachers in Waldorf teacher training.
“Something else Pete, just for my curiosity: did you ever experience that one of the comments you send on this blog was “awaiting moderation”?”
I have experienced this several times on several blogs (not sure about this one). I know it happens to me on Zooey’s blog often. I find it happens most often if I link to a website or a picture. I think it’s more of an automatic system lag than some human intervention. Have all your comments been coming through OK?
(…) Ruhrbarone publish a short English summary of the BPjM’s decision on Rudolf Steiner. By Andreas Lichte.
The “Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien” (BPjM) (”Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons”) examined 2 books by Rudolf Steiner for “racist content” and decided that the content of the books is racist (…)”
read more: http://www.ruhrbarone.de/waldorf-schools-rudolf-steiner’s-books-are-“an-incitement-to-racial-hatred”-says-bpjm/