A school board in Portland, Oregon decided to take up the gauntlet for intersectionality. No, they are not raising awareness about Sweden becoming the rape capital of Europe, Christian genocide in the Middle East, or the growing concern of terror in the world, instead they are allowing themselves to be triggered over the surname “Lynch.”
Just when you think that the social justice warrior insanity could not get any crazier, left-wing bureaucrats take it to a whole new level.
On Wednesday, the Centennial School District, which covers Gresham and Southeast Portland, voted to change the name of local schools Lynch Meadows Elementary School, Lynch View Elementary School, and Lynch Wood Elementary School because the name Lynch is triggering special snowflakes, according to a Fox News report.
The schools were named to honor the wealthy Lynch family, who donated the land to the local government for the purpose of building schools and public places. However, because the term “lynch mob” has a historically negative connotation associated with racism, there have been a few complaints from locals who are unfamiliar with the history of the area.
Emotions ran high at the school board with some expressing support for the change while others were quick to denounce the decision, KATU News reports.
One man said, “This proposal has been an embarrassment to the staff and the community as a whole.”
School board chair Sharlene Giard tried to reassure the crowd. “The Lynch family gave us our beginning, and we do need to honor them, and we understand how important that is,” she said. “We have children of color and other cultures and we want to make sure that they are able to cross the threshold of those three schools and be comfortable in their surroundings.”
After the measure passed, many in the community slammed the move.
Rob Grimes, a former student from the district criticized the decision on Facebook. “This isn’t even a matter of political correctness because it wouldn’t apply or make sense in this case,” he wrote. “This is just pure ignorance and playing to the fears or concerns of the very few.”
Writing for Commentary magazine, Jonathan Marks said of the circumstance,
The board must think that it is somehow splitting the difference between the desire to honor the Lynches and the desire to respond to the “many students, staff, and families” who “have expressed concern at the use of the word ‘lynch.” But they are, at best, splitting the difference between good sense and absurdity. I find it hard to believe the district has received complaints from anyone apart from the professionally offended and those influenced by them, but even if it has, board members should not treat their constituents like children by pretending that a nonsensical demand merits action.
He concludes, “In the Centennial School District, such ludicrous hypersensitivity is policy-making gold.”