In an Oct. 13 article published by The Epoch Times, Michael Zwaagstra reports that a major issue in Vancouver’s upcoming public school board elections is the possible reinstatement of certain “honours courses” which were cancelled last year in the name of equity and inclusiveness. Ironically, Zwaagstra points out, such courses were the only viable options for gifted students from poor families who could not afford to send their kids to private schools. The rationale behind their cancellation, it would seem, was the notion that promoting the intellectual advancement of the very best students by offering them access to such courses, was somehow a violation of social justice.
Vancouver is not alone in its decline into insanity. Toronto’s public school board recently eliminated achievement of any kind as a requirement for admission to various arts and athletic programs. In making a lottery the basis for such admissions, it literally discarded human intelligence, merit, effort, etc. from consideration, validating the view expressed throughout these blogs and shared by most “conservatives,” that “progressives” see us as mindless animals whose disparate levels of achievement are but a matter of luck. It is an inherently nihilistic vision, an implicitly amoral vision, one that is demonstrably absurd on a number of levels. That its proponents see its compatibility with inclusiveness as somehow “progressive,” is an irony of epic proportions.