'Simply saying no': Analyst warns Trump furious parents will thwart his latest plans

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President Donald Trump's executive order titled "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling" may get enough pushback from parents to render it null and void, according to a new article in Salon.

The order, which promises to stop schools from "compelling" children to question their gender, among other things, is "devoted to solving a 'problem' that exists only in the imaginations of right-wing activists," according to senior writer Amanda Marcotte.

"'In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight,' the document breathlessly claims," Marcotte writes. "It goes on to allege that 'innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color' and even that 'young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body.' Yep, they are accusing your local schoolteacher of badgering your cis kid until they turn trans, which is not how any of this works."

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Marcotte predicts that most school districts will probably ignore Trump's order, adding, "Any that are foolish enough to obey might find that they've got a much more formidable opponent than the bloviating fascist in the White House: local parents."

Even in red states, "parents will often put up an extraordinary fight to wrest control back from right-wing ideologues," Marcotte writes. Instead of worrying about whether their kids received enough Bible study, "These parents had their eyes firmly on college applications and future employment opportunities, which they feared would be harmed if their kids didn't get a well-rounded education that taught them the truth about the world."

Marcotte concludes that Trump's attempt to force right-wing philosophies into schools will fail if enough parents stand up to the dogma.

"The fight over education can be a powerful way to demonstrate that Trump is a paper tiger, and if people stand up to him, he will often lose," Marcotte writes. "He tries to distract from this reality with chest-thumping and talking — oh so much talking — but there is power in simply saying no to him and watching his ability to force his will falter."

Read the Salon article here.

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