Oh no! I've been duped into spreading right-wing propaganda!

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linc on DailyKos points out that the civics test I linked to earlier has a right-wing ideological slant to it:

Yes, many of the 'test's' questions appear to be completely innocuous, but that's not the ISI's purpose. By getting our 'elected representatives' to take the damn thing and by getting us to take the damn thing without much critique of its purpose, we are solidifying, if even in a small way, their ideas on 'free-enterprise' and what 'american civics' are all about. It takes just one question in such a survey to help further their quite obvious agenda and in the very least, make us look like quite silly for playing along. Here are some choice examples, with my own, quick take on their purpose:

  1. The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:

A. prayer in public school
B. discrimination based on race, sex, or religion
C. the ownership of guns by private individuals
D. establishing an official religion for the United States
E. the president from vetoing a line item in a spending bill

The problem here isn't in the correct answer, its what isn't correct. Specifically, did you know that the Bill of rights doesn't prohibit prayer in public schools or that it doesn't prohibit discrimination? Hmmm...

I don't think the quiz is quite the propaganda piece that linc portrays it. But it was put together by conservatives and so we shouldn't be surprised if their values come through on some of the questions.

Comments

ST said…
Yes, we talked yesterday about how some of the questions seemed like they required a bit more discussion than choosing a. b, c. or d.
10:32 PM, November 25, 2008
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