How Does "Woke Math" Add Up?

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

I know a lot of people in our country are afraid of anything "woke." (For those of you who've been locked in a kidnapper's basement for the last several years, "woke" is defined as an alert to injustice in society, particularly racism. I don't know why this concept scares those on the far, far--so far, they may as well be in space--right contingent, but it does. Seems like a fine concept to me, but I'm digressing.)

But how in the world can something like math be considered "woke?" Honestly, all through school, I thought math sucked, but not because it presented a threat to society. No, it merely presented a threat to my graduating school.

In fact, math is right up there with toenails as being the least politicized thing I can think of. (At first, I compared it to "buttons," but then I remembered the Amish aren't allowed to use buttons on their clothing because they're pacifists and the military loves their buttons. So, hence, buttons are woke! You read it here first!) (Triple digression time! I just read that Taylor Swift got a pedicure and painted her toenails red, white and blue to tell people to vote. So...my argument for toenails not being politicized just went out the window, too. Dammit!)

So that just leaves math as being the only thing not politicized on earth these days. Except the far right fringe wants to take that away, too.

Back to the beginning...how can math be woke? Apparently, it's all tied into critical race theory, particularly as it's taught in schools. This so-called "theory" has been kicking around for some time, but now is being tossed around like sticks of gum. Once again, the far right fringe feels threatened by it, as they believe it will further divide and pit people of color against the privileged white folks (yeah, right...like the white supremacists aren't doing a good enough job of their own on that front). The far left feel it's a way of understanding how racism has shaped public policy. I dunno...I kinda think it's a good thing to try and learn from our past mistakes and not sweep them under the rug. You know, learn from the past so as not repeat it? Whoops! Too late for that!

"Good ol'" Ron DeSantis down in Florida is leading the "let's clean up the woke math book problem." This year, the state rejected 54 of 132 proposed math books because DeSantis and crew claimed they promoted math problems that featured racial prejudice. (And everyone knows that in the "New Amurica," racial prejudice is only cool if it comes from white supremacists. Like the banning of these books.) From what I could tell, the math problems in question performed a multi-function task: they applied real world problems and situations such as racism charts amongst age groups to further educate and prepare children for the world they'd be facing. Oh yeah...and they taught math, too. Clearly, these math problems were tailored to children of color, which if it helps them learn, how can it be a bad thing? Kinda important, I think.

But DeSantis and klan crew doesn't see it that way. Apparently, only "white math" should be taught.

Now, if the problematic books featured a problem like "If six Ku Klux Klan members are riding by horseback to a Trump rally ten miles to the North at 20 miles an hour, and the Proud Boys are riding in a pick 'em up truck at 80 miles per hour starting at 60 miles South, who would arrive at the Trump rally first?" I might be shocked. Nah. I'd probably frame the book.

I don't know. It just seems perverse that politicians are going after school math books now. Shouldn't they be doing something more time-worthy, like helping their constituents instead of creativing more divisiveness and problems than are necessary?

Leave my math alone! (Don't get me wrong, math, I still hate you. We broke up a long time ago. But, you don't deserve this.)

Speaking of school problems, poor Tex McKenna has got a ton of 'em in high school: bullying, fledgling love, clueless adults, homework, um...a serial killer and the fact he's just learned he's a witch. But, whew...woke math doesn't seem to be an issue here! Read all about it in Tex, the Witch Boy, available here!