“In California, “Ethnic Studies” means the study of four groups: Blacks/African Americans, Chicanos/as & Latinos/as, Native Americans, and Asian Americans.”

And what, if anything, would the kids learn about the groups?

“called English, without its unwelcome baggage of grammar”

That has been horribly obvious for a long time.

Is there a list of “nations” somewhere, and a list of accredited members of each “nation”?

Is a German Jew a member of the German “nation” or the Jewish “nation” or both? And, for each possibility, why?

And what is the position of someone whose father is a white American and whose mother is yellow Chinese? To which “nation” does he owe his loyalty?

So “my people” are the people with whom I have a close genetic or poppy seed relationship?
My son, my nieces, and my grand-niece count as my people. My wife and sister-in-law (nieces’ mother) don’t.

“Being a child of survivors does indeed confer a special status,”

I’m a child of people who survived German bombing of Manchester. What special status does that give me?

But it could stop barking at any moment.

“people should be loyal to their people”

But how do you know which people are “your people”?

“Our values are other things than civil rights… Our values are also the fact that we are alive for the Jewish return to political sovereignty…”

“It is the very nature of being Jewish to be apart…”

And so forth?

Are these the famous Jewish principles that I failed to acquire along with the bagels?

This tendency to God-talk is one of the many things that we find disturbing about American politicians.

Those of us who live in the rest of the world know that there are three types of people who regularly talk about God.
First, traditional Muslims. They do it unthinkingly. It’s built into their language.
Second, professional clergymen. It is a requirement of their job. They try to avoid it whenever possible, and look suitably embarrassed when they do have to mention God.
Third, total, and usually homicidal, lunatics.

And we know that most American politicians are neither traditional Muslims nor professional clergymen.

What the devil is “Ethnic Studies” ?

Instead of pissing about with these Mickey Mouse “studies” , they should hire some real teachers from Finland and Singapore to teach real subjects. Things worth knowing.

Physics.
Chemistry.
Literature.
Mathematics.
Music.
Geography.
History.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

Give them a foundation so that they can work out the rest for themselves.