Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin found himself in an awkward situation during a committee hearing when he adamantly rejected reality during a contentious exchange on children's education.
Mullin's frustration stemmed from a children's book about racism titled Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race. In a heated moment, he dismissed the book, suggesting teaching children the lyrics to "Jesus Loves Me" would be more beneficial.
Despite attempts by panelists to respond, Mullin spoke over them, displaying a clear refusal to engage with differing perspectives. The incident unfolded during a hearing conducted by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
One panelist, Cheryl Morman—president of the Virginia Alliance for Family Child Care Associations—began to explain the importance of teaching about Jesus while acknowledging the "reality" of the situation. However, Mullin cut her off, prompting Sanders to intervene and request that Morman be given the opportunity to answer.
When Morman attempted to respond, Mullin bluntly declared:
"No, I don't want reality."
His unexpected statement elicited laughter from those present in the room, with someone humorously remarking that it was captured on tape. Mullin, could only shrug, saying he'd simply "misspoke."
Footage of the incident quickly went viral and exposed Mullin to considerable online mockery.
Mullin's pushback against Our Skin comes as the Republican Party continues to assert that critical race theory is being taught in public schools even though there is no evidence this is the case.
Critical race theory is a graduate school level analysis of systems and institutions which quantifies areas of disparity in treatment and outcomes Republicans falsely alleged is being taught in elementary, middle and high schools to appeal to the insecurities and fears of their core voting base.
Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has called the pushback against critical race theory a "culture campaign" by Republicans and Fox News that aims to "limit learning and stoke fears about our public schools."
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