Purple for Parents (Whiteness for Kids)

“What is SEL?”

Ok, I know better than to engage the crazy moms of Facebook in a discussion of pedagogical best practices and the health of queer kids. I do. But listening to my sister detail the roadblocks and joys in her teaching life has emboldened me just enough to push back on the bull about the “woke agenda,” CRT, and “grooming.”

So when I held my breath and slipped my head into the murky comments section of a Purple for Parents Indiana post, it was really just a matter of time before my response reflex popped off. In answer to an otherwise innocent question, “What is SEL?,” a number of Fox News-trained commenters explained how it’s a waste of time at best, grooming at worst. I had to push back with a real-life scenario to drive my point (pictured). In reply, I attracted a few folks who acted exactly as predicted.

How do you respond to willful, purposeful ignorance? How do you converse with, let alone persuade, people for whom certain terms are programed to elicit a pat response?