To the editor:

In an opinion piece published on March 31, Leonard Krishtalka justifiably criticized the residents of a place he called “Bonkersville” for canceling “rational thought, accumulated knowledge and empirical truth.” Unfortunately, his study of pernicious ideas did not go beyond Bonkersville to “Wokeville,” a place where everything is viewed through the lens of race and racial oppression. I wish that in a future opinion piece he would tell Journal-World readers what he thinks about some of the ideas coming out of Wokeville.

For example, the National Museum of African American History and Cultures’ asserts that in America people of color have had to internalize the scientific method because “white people hold most of the institutional power”? NMAAHC asserts that objective, rational linear thinking and the study of cause-effect relationships are to be viewed as aspects of white culture. A virtual course in the Oregon Department of Education encouraged teachers to consider that “math is used to uphold capitalist, imperialist and racist views” and that focusing “on getting the ‘right’ answer” and requiring students to “show their work” are “toxic characteristics of white supremacy culture.” Krishtalka’s strong summary comment in his opinion piece was “No matter what, two plus two equals four.” It is clear that such research and writing about what he calls”flapdoodle” could be expanded.

Gary J. Bjorge,

Lawrence