[ATTW-L] the OMB training memo

[Dragga, Sam]

Yesterday’s memo from the US Office of Management and Budget about stopping training in critical race theory is ripe for class discussion of ethics.
The memo is available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/M-20-34.pdf

You might consider, for example, the repetition of inflammatory language (e.g., “anti-American,” “un-American,” “divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda”), the citation of unidentified news sources, and the inclusion of unsupported assertions about the intention of the training (e.g., “seeks to undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce”).

You might also consider the possibility that this memo is deliberately provocative (e.g., to distract from the 186,718 COVID-19 fatalities in the US as of yesterday) and discuss the ethics of this kind of rhetorical cunning.
Sam

Sam Dragga
Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University
Editor, Technical Communication
sam.dragga at ttu.edu
1-806-543-6099

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