More than two decades ago, a seemingly innocuous statement from a stepson – “America is an imperialist and racist country” – after school hinted at a shift in educational narratives. Today, this sentiment is amplified, with some young individuals confessing that “my generation is being raised to hate America.” This perspective is not isolated; a recent survey indicated that nearly half of young American voters express a preference for living in a socialist country. This ideological leaning often manifests as support for entities perceived as victims of “imperialist oppression,” sometimes extending even to terrorist organizations. A stark example is a 2023 Harvard CAPS/Harris poll revealing that while a majority of Americans supported Israel against Hamas, half of 18- to 24-year-olds sided with Hamas, with a significant portion justifying the October 7th massacre as a response to “Palestinian grievances.”
The fervor of these “progressive” beliefs among young Americans was palpable in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory. Reactions bordered on mass hysteria, necessitating emergency counseling for some, akin to responses to natural disasters. This intensity perhaps foreshadowed events like the attempted assassination of Trump by a young man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who had harbored hatred since childhood, or Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation in protest outside the Israeli embassy, yelling “free Palestine!”
What underlies this mindset in the new generation? Jean Twenge’s research points to psychological traits fostered in Millennials and Zoomers. Millennials, often characterized by inflated self-esteem not rooted in genuine achievement, face disillusionment when societal rewards don’t match their expectations. Zoomers, similarly, grapple with unhappiness, nihilism, and mental health challenges. Greta Thunberg, with her public persona of youthful angst and activism, inadvertently becomes a symbol of this generation’s collective disposition. Political activism, for many, serves as an outlet, a way to find meaning and combat feelings of worthlessness. Conveniently, they are guided to identify culprits for their discontent and global injustices: capitalism, imperialism, and, in a contemporary twist, “Zionists,” echoing historical antisemitic tropes under a new guise. Schools are increasingly identified as a primary source of this “assistance.”
The most direct influence of schooling on this ideological shaping lies in the integration of leftist ideologies into curricula. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a prime example, brought to the forefront during Covid lockdowns. Pluckrose and Lindsay’s analysis of CRT reveals its core tenets as perceived by students: systemic racism is inescapable, white individuals are inherently racist, racism is defined by “prejudice plus power” (thus excluding people of color), only people of color can discuss racism, and colorblindness is itself racist, perpetuating white privilege.
This framework posits social revolution as the only remedy to “white privilege and racial injustice.” White individuals, particularly men, are urged to feel guilt and apologize for their “whiteness.” Instances of this include third-graders in California assessing their “power and privilege” based on race and gender, and elite Manhattan schools teaching young white students about their inherent racism and “white privilege.”
Some CRT advocates lament the limitations in merely inducing guilt in “white oppressors.” A head of an elite school reportedly expressed a desire to replace the entire faculty with people of color if possible.
The revelation of “inborn racism” teachings sparked public backlash, leading to legislative efforts in over thirty-five states to restrict CRT instruction. However, less overtly radical programs like the New York Times Magazine’s “The 1619 Project,” adopted by over 4,500 schools by 2021, continue to shape narratives. The “1619 Project” aims to re-center American history around slavery’s consequences and Black Americans’ contributions, positing that American history is fundamentally rooted in white hatred of Black people. Key assertions include the American Revolution being primarily fought to preserve slavery, Black Americans being the true champions of democracy’s ideals, American capitalism’s inherent brutality, the myth of racial differences, and the appropriation of Black music.
The pro-Hamas sentiment among young Americans is arguably an extension of this “imperialist white oppressor” versus “colored victim” paradigm to global events, actively promoted in educational settings. A Free Press report highlighted the “Brown University Choices Program,” used in a million secondary schools, which portrays Israel as a “Zionist enterprise,” “apartheid state,” “settler colony,” and “military occupier.” This anti-Israel narrative sometimes begins as early as elementary school. Consequently, negative perceptions of Israel fostered in schools translate to broader antisemitism, with a significant percentage of young people viewing Jews as “oppressors.”
Why are young Americans so receptive to these ideologies? Perhaps these dogmas resonate with their self-perception as “victims of unfairness,” providing a sense of purpose through activism. However, a deeper issue may be the failure of American education to equip students with foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills to question any ideology.
The inadequacy of basic knowledge among American students has been documented since the 1983 “A Nation at Risk” report, revealing deficiencies in inference, problem-solving, and persuasive writing skills compared to international peers. A 2008 follow-up, “A Nation Accountable,” concluded that the situation had worsened, with stagnant educational achievement among 17-year-olds.
Attempts to reform American education include the Common Core Standards, implemented in 2010 to enhance meaningful learning and critical thinking. However, assessments of students educated under Common Core revealed performance lower than previous cohorts.
Another example of failed reform is “constructivist instruction,” advocating for student-led “discovery” of knowledge rather than direct instruction, despite consistently poor learning outcomes. Despite evidence, constructivism remains popular among educators.
American students’ learning is hampered not only by ineffective teaching methods but also by “progressivist” ideological dogmas like “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI).
Diversity, in this context, demands equal representation across groups. Underrepresentation of Black children in gifted programs is attributed to structural racism, leading to measures like dismantling gifted programs or using lotteries for admissions.
Equity, unlike equality of opportunity, emphasizes equal outcomes. Achievement gaps in math between Black and white/Asian students lead to claims that focusing on “right answers” in math is “white supremacy.” This logic extends to minimizing error correction and eliminating standardized tests to promote “racial equity,” as seen in Oregon’s removal of “essential skills” tests.
Inclusion mandates integrating students with disabilities into general education classrooms. Over 60% of students with learning disabilities spend most of their time in “inclusive classrooms.” However, catering to diverse learning needs within a single classroom is challenging, potentially hindering learning for all students. Studies suggest that while students with disabilities are exposed to general curricula, their actual learning is questionable, and students without disabilities may also experience negative academic and behavioral outcomes in highly inclusive classrooms.
The seemingly noble aims of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” can have detrimental effects. Scholar John Bruer notes that many American students struggle to move beyond rote memorization to critical and creative thinking, lacking the ability to apply knowledge flexibly to complex problems. This assessment might be optimistic, as basic factual knowledge is also lacking. Examples of young Americans’ geographical and historical ignorance, as highlighted by comedians like Bill Maher, underscore this point.
This widespread ignorance partly explains the susceptibility of young Americans to progressive or anti-Israel indoctrination. They lack historical and political context, unaware of socialist societies’ failures or the complexities of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The chant “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” is often echoed by students who cannot even identify the river and sea in question.
When confronted with historical failures of socialism, young people often rationalize it as “done wrong, by the wrong people,” highlighting a deficit in critical thinking. Schools, unfortunately, often fail to cultivate these critical thinking skills.
The confluence of leftist indoctrination, inadequate curricula, flawed teaching methods, and progressive dogmas in school practices culminates in American K-12 graduates who are ill-informed, lack critical thinking, yet are deeply engaged in left-wing activism. Allen Ginsberg’s 1958 declaration, “We’ll get you through your children!” appears to be materializing sixty-five years later.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Touro University or any of its departments or affiliates.
Yuriy V. Karpov, Ph.D., is a professor and associate dean in the Graduate School of Education at Touro University, New York, N.Y. He last appeared in AQ with “Elite Universities: Incubators of Leftist Ideology” in our Summer 2024 issue.
[1] Anthony Jones, “My Generation Is Being Raised to Hate America — It’s Time To Stand Up for Our History,” USA Today, September 23, 2020.
[2] Eric Mack, “Axios/Harris Poll: 49.6 Percent of Young Voters Prefer a Socialist Country,” Newsmax, March 10, 2019.
[3] “Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll,” Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University, December 13-14, 2023. https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HHP_Dec23_KeyResults.pdf.
[4] Emily Smith, Selim Algar, “Elite Schools Offering Coddled Kids Disaster Counseling after Trump Win,” New York Post, November 11, 2016.
[5] “‘An extreme act’: Why Aaron Bushnell Self-Immolated for Gaza,” Al Jazeera, February 28, 2024.
[6] Jean Twenge, Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future (NY: Atria Books, 2023)
[7] Sam Gillette, “Greta Thunberg Says Activism Helped Her Overcome Depression,” People, March 25, 2020.
[8] Twenge, 295.
[9] Helen Pluckrose, James Lindsay, Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody (Durham, NC: Pitchstone, 2020): 121.
[10] Christopher Rufo, “What I Discovered About Critical Race Theory in Public Schools And Why It Shouldn’t Be Taught,” USA Today, July 6, 2021.
[11] Paul Sperry, “Elite K-8 School Teaches White Students They’re Born Racist,” New York Post, July 1, 2016.
[12] Dana Kennedy, Tamar Lapin, “Teacher at Posh NJ Prep School Quits Over Critical Race Theory,” New York Post, June 8, 2021.
[13] Kiara Alfonseca, “Map: Where anti-critical race theory efforts have reached,” ABCNews.com, March 24, 2022.
[14] Hannah Farrow, “The 1619 Project Curriculum Taught in Over 4,500 Schools” Medill News Service, July 21, 2020.
[15] Jake Silverstein, “Why We Published the 1619 Project,” The New York Times Magazine, December 20, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/20/magazine/1619-intro.html
[16] “The 1619 Project,” The New York Times Magazine, August 14, 2019.
[17] “Report: US Public Schools Allegedly Teach Antisemitism: On Balance,” NewsNation, video, 4:38, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCmfQAf10Lk.
[18] Caroline Downey, “NYC Teachers Use Materials from Anti-Israel ‘Woke Kindergarten’ Consultants,” National Review, February 12, 2024.
[19] “Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll,” Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University, December 13-14, 2023. https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/HHP_Dec23_KeyResults.pdf.
[20] National Commission on Excellence in Education, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, April 1983, https://edreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/A_Nation_At_Risk_1983.pdf
[21] U.S. Department of Education, A Nation Accountable: Twenty-five Years After A Nation at Risk, April 2008, http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf
[22] Ibid., 4.
[23] National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, Common Core State Standards (Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), https://www.thecorestandards.org/the-standards/.
[24] David Randall, “The Results are in: Common Core is an All-Around Failure,” National Association of Scholars, November 6, 2019, https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/the-results-are-in-common-core-is-an-all-around-failure.
[25] Paul Kirschner, John Sweller, Richard Clark, “Why Minimal Guidance during Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, And Inquiry-Based Teaching,” Educational Psychologist, 41, no 2 (2006): 83-84.
[26] Jeanne Chall, The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom (New York: Guilford, 2000).
[27] Michael Elsen-Rooney, “New York City Will Phase Out Controversial Gifted and Talented Program,” Education Week, October 08, 2021.
[28] Alina Adams, “New York City Turns Gifted Education into a Glorified Lottery, Disregarding Research,” Thomas Fordham Institute, May 18, 2023.
[29] Sean Reardon, Claudia Galindo, “The Hispanic-White Achievement Gap in Math and Reading In the Elementary Grades,” American Educational Research Journal, 46, no 3 (2009): 853–891; Alan Vanneman, Linda Hamilton, Janet Baldwin Anderson, Taslima Rahman, “Achievement Gaps: How Black and White Students In Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading On the National Assessment of Educational Progress,” National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009, https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2009455.asp
[30] Jason Rantz, “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bankrolls ‘Math Is Racist’ Lunacy”, 770KTTH, February 17, 2021, https://mynorthwest.com/2604518/rantz-bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-bankrolls-math-is-racist-lunacy/.
[31] Ibid.
[32] The Editorial Board, “Dumbing Oregon Down: The Soft Bigotry of Low Progressive Expectations for Minority Students,” Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2021.
[33] Maya Riser-Kositsky, “Special Education: Definition, Statistics, and Trends,” Education Week, December 17, 2019.
[34] Allison Gilmour, “Has Inclusion Gone Too Far?” Education Next, 18, no 4 (July 24, 2018).
[35] Ibid.
[36] Dorian Abbot, Ivan Marinovic, “The Diversity Problem on Campus,” Newsweek, August 12, 2021.
[37] John Bruer, Schools for Thought: A Science of Learning in the Classroom (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1993): 5.
[38] New Rule: The United States of Dumb-merica, Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO), video, 10:55, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dMOfwUP0F0&t=131s.
[39] Ron Hassner, “From Which River to Which Sea? College Students Don’t Know, Yet They Agree With the Slogan,” Wall St. Journal, December 5, 2023.
[40] Norman Podhoretz, “My War with Allen Ginsberg,” Commentary Magazine, August 1997.
