Jay Bennish
Encyclopedia
Jay Bennish is a social studies
, American history and political geography
teacher at Overland High School
in Aurora
, Colorado
. He joined the faculty in 2000.
On February 1, 2006, a student recorded one of Bennish's lectures on his iriver
. The student took his objections regarding Bennish's class to the media, and this developed into an international story.
given by U.S. President George W. Bush
the previous evening, Bennish suggested that Bush's tone was "eerily similar" to that of Adolf Hitler
's speeches (in that both were very ethnocentric), and that capitalism
was "at odds with human rights
".
Bennish also posed the question, "Who is probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth?", concurring with a student's response, "We [the United States] are". He encouraged students to consider how other nations might see the United States and its allies, suggesting that "to many Native Americans [the American] flag is no different from the Nazi flag," and that Palestinians see the Israelis as "the real terrorists". Speaking about the U.S. "war on drugs
" in Colombia
, he made a reductio ad absurdum
argument suggesting that other countries might have reason to drop chemicals on U.S. tobacco fields "to destroy the tobacco plants that are killing millions and millions of people in their countries every year, and causing them billions of dollars in healthcare costs".
The recording ends with Bennish saying, "I'm not in any way implying that you should agree with me. I don't know if I'm even necessarily taking a position. But what I'm trying to get you to do is to think […] about these issues more in-depth, […] and not just to take things from the surface. I'm glad you asked all of your questions, 'cause they're all very good, legitimate questions, and hopefully that'll allow other people to think about those things, too."
The recording was offered to a radio station (850 KOA
) in Denver and to Virginia
-based economist Walter E. Williams
, who discussed it in his syndicated column. Other blog
s picked up the story, and eventually Fox News
and major newspapers covered the story. On Fox, Alan Colmes
reported that "students walked out of classes […] after an audio tape was made public of […] Bennish ranting." In reality, the students were protesting in support of Bennish and against his suspension, and it was an MP3
recording, not a tape
.
As the controversy attracted national attention, Bennish was invited to appear on the NBC
Today Show in New York City
. In the interview with host Matt Lauer
broadcasted on March 7, 2006, Bennish maintained that his lecture had been taken out of context and that he had expressed opposing viewpoints later on during the class, which the student had not recorded.
Some journalists, blogwriters, and radio listeners chided Bennish for "indoctrinating" students rather than teaching geography. While the course syllabus reveals an intent to encourage critical thinking about "religion, human rights, notions of development and underdevelopment..." what some found offensive was that Bennish's commentary appeared to be outside of that context. Some believed his stated views to be anti-American.
Bennish argued he was only trying to give a different viewpoint.
to represent him, and Lane contended that Bennish's First Amendment
right to freedom of speech was being jeopardized. Some legal scholars contend that the First Amendment is not protected in a high school setting. When asked in an interview with host Peter Boyles on the Denver radio station KHOW to explain his personal views, Bennish declined and he would not comment on his party affiliation. He also declined an interview with KOA
talk radio host Mike Rosen
, although Lane encouraged such a dialogue.
Bennish's father, who lives in Bennish's hometown of Beverly Hills, Michigan
, revealed to the media that he had received at least a dozen death threats. Bennish himself and the student who recorded him also received threats, but no party involved was attacked as a result of the controversy.
On March 10, 2006, the Cherry Creek School District announced that it would reinstate Bennish; he returned to Overland the following Monday. Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Monte Moses said that "Bennish doesn't deserve to be praised, nor does he deserve to be fired" and that "Jay Bennish has promise as a teacher, but his practice and deportment need growth and refinement."
Bennish's lawyer said that the teacher would alter his style, "giving both sides more contemporaneously. When he gives the yin, [he'll] give the yang right then and there—don't wait a day, don't wait an hour, don't wait a week. Put it all out at the same time."
Upon returning to the classroom, Bennish conducted a discussion on the controversy and explained the nature of his future classes, which would focus less on classroom discussion and more on textbook-based assignments. Students lamented the change; Leia Schiavone commented: "It's a lot more fun to learn from Mr. Bennish from his lectures than from the textbook. The textbook doesn't have everything that's going on in the world. We're not going to be learning as much."
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
, American history and political geography
Political geography
Political geography is the field of human geography that is concerned with the study of both the spatially uneven outcomes of political processes and the ways in which political processes are themselves affected by spatial structures...
teacher at Overland High School
Overland High School
Overland High School, located in Aurora, Colorado, and part of the Cherry Creek School District, opened in 1978.Overland High School is a comprehensive public, suburban, college-oriented institution. Overland High School is accredited by the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and...
in Aurora
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He joined the faculty in 2000.
On February 1, 2006, a student recorded one of Bennish's lectures on his iriver
Iriver
iriver is a consumer electronics company headquartered in South Korea and widely known for its digital audio players and other portable media devices....
. The student took his objections regarding Bennish's class to the media, and this developed into an international story.
The recorded class
After being prompted by students in his Accelerated World Geography class to talk about the State of the Union address2006 State of the Union address
The 2006 State of the Union Address was delivered by United States President George W. Bush at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 to a joint session of the U.S. Congress...
given by U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
the previous evening, Bennish suggested that Bush's tone was "eerily similar" to that of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's speeches (in that both were very ethnocentric), and that capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
was "at odds with human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
".
Bennish also posed the question, "Who is probably the single most violent nation on planet Earth?", concurring with a student's response, "We [the United States] are". He encouraged students to consider how other nations might see the United States and its allies, suggesting that "to many Native Americans [the American] flag is no different from the Nazi flag," and that Palestinians see the Israelis as "the real terrorists". Speaking about the U.S. "war on drugs
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
" in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, he made a reductio ad absurdum
Reductio ad absurdum
In logic, proof by contradiction is a form of proof that establishes the truth or validity of a proposition by showing that the proposition's being false would imply a contradiction...
argument suggesting that other countries might have reason to drop chemicals on U.S. tobacco fields "to destroy the tobacco plants that are killing millions and millions of people in their countries every year, and causing them billions of dollars in healthcare costs".
The recording ends with Bennish saying, "I'm not in any way implying that you should agree with me. I don't know if I'm even necessarily taking a position. But what I'm trying to get you to do is to think […] about these issues more in-depth, […] and not just to take things from the surface. I'm glad you asked all of your questions, 'cause they're all very good, legitimate questions, and hopefully that'll allow other people to think about those things, too."
Media reaction
KOA (AM)
KOA is a clear channel, news/talk radio station serving the Denver-Boulder and Colorado Springs, Colorado markets. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is nicknamed "the Blowtorch of the West" for its 50,000 watt signal.KOA was originally owned by General Electric and began...
) in Denver and to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
-based economist Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams
Walter E. Williams, is an American economist, commentator, and academic. He is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as a syndicated columnist and author known for his libertarian views.- Early life and education :Williams family during childhood...
, who discussed it in his syndicated column. Other blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s picked up the story, and eventually Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and major newspapers covered the story. On Fox, Alan Colmes
Alan Colmes
Alan Samuel Colmes is an American radio/television host, liberal political commentator for the Fox News Channel, and blogger. He is the host of The Alan Colmes Show, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show distributed by Fox News Radio that also airs throughout the United States on Fox News Talk...
reported that "students walked out of classes […] after an audio tape was made public of […] Bennish ranting." In reality, the students were protesting in support of Bennish and against his suspension, and it was an MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
recording, not a tape
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic recording, made of a thin magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic. It was developed in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording. Devices that record and play back audio and video using magnetic tape are tape recorders and video tape recorders...
.
As the controversy attracted national attention, Bennish was invited to appear on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Today Show in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In the interview with host Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
broadcasted on March 7, 2006, Bennish maintained that his lecture had been taken out of context and that he had expressed opposing viewpoints later on during the class, which the student had not recorded.
Some journalists, blogwriters, and radio listeners chided Bennish for "indoctrinating" students rather than teaching geography. While the course syllabus reveals an intent to encourage critical thinking about "religion, human rights, notions of development and underdevelopment..." what some found offensive was that Bennish's commentary appeared to be outside of that context. Some believed his stated views to be anti-American.
Bennish argued he was only trying to give a different viewpoint.
Inaccuracies in the recorded lecture
In the recorded discussion Bennish made statements which were inaccurate as phrased:- He said that the U.S. was the world's largest producer of cigarettes; in fact, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
now manufacture more cigarettes than the United States. - He stated that North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
is responsible for most of U.S. tobacco production, but the USDA estimates that the state contributes only 37% of national production. North Carolina does, however, produce more tobacco than any other state, so technically no single state would be responsible for most of the U.S. tobacco production. - He stated that "the IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i-ZionistZionismZionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
movement" assassinatedAssassinationTo carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
the British prime minister in Palestine. The closest individual fitting this description is Lord Moyne, Minister Resident for the Middle East, who was assassinated by LehiLehi (group)Lehi , commonly referred to in English as the Stern Group or Stern Gang, was a militant Zionist group founded by Avraham Stern in the British Mandate of Palestine...
in 1944, a few years before Israel came into existence. The incident would be more accurately described as "Jewish extremists assassinated the British minister responsible for Palestine". - He claimed that the FBI had an office in the World Trade CenterWorld Trade CenterThe original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, which was not the case. However, the CIA, the Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies did have offices there, and former FBI agent John P. O'NeillJohn P. O'NeillJohn Patrick O'Neill was an American counter-terrorism expert, who worked as a special agent and eventually a Special Agent in Charge in the Federal Bureau of Investigation until late 2001...
was the head of security at the Center. - He claimed a recent Damadola airstrikeDamadola airstrikeOn 13 January 2006 the Central Intelligence Agency fired missiles into the Pakistani village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal area, about seven kilometres from the Afghan border, killing at least 18 people. Originally the Bajaur tribal area government claimed that at least four foreign members...
(missile attack) against Al Qaeda in PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
resulted in the deaths of 75 people, none of whom were members of Al Qaeda. The official death count was 18, although some claim as many as 25 were killed, possibly including some who were known Al Qaeda members.
Aftermath
Bennish was placed on administrative leave by the Cherry Creek School District, whose policy requires teachers to present varying viewpoints when tackling controversial subjects. Bennish hired ACLU lawyer David LaneDavid Lane (lawyer)
David Lane is an attorney in Denver, Colorado with the firm of Killmer, Lane & Newman LLP. He is a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and previously represented Ward Churchill. In March 2006, geography teacher Jay Bennish hired him to assist in his reinstatement after being suspended...
to represent him, and Lane contended that Bennish's First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
right to freedom of speech was being jeopardized. Some legal scholars contend that the First Amendment is not protected in a high school setting. When asked in an interview with host Peter Boyles on the Denver radio station KHOW to explain his personal views, Bennish declined and he would not comment on his party affiliation. He also declined an interview with KOA
KOA (AM)
KOA is a clear channel, news/talk radio station serving the Denver-Boulder and Colorado Springs, Colorado markets. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is nicknamed "the Blowtorch of the West" for its 50,000 watt signal.KOA was originally owned by General Electric and began...
talk radio host Mike Rosen
Mike Rosen
Michael "Mike" Rosen is an American radio personality and political commentator. He is the host of The Mike Rosen Show on talk radio station 850 KOA in Denver, Colorado, as well as a weekly opinion columnist for The Denver Post and previously a weekly opinion columnist for the Rocky Mountain News...
, although Lane encouraged such a dialogue.
Bennish's father, who lives in Bennish's hometown of Beverly Hills, Michigan
Beverly Hills, Michigan
Beverly Hills is a village in Southfield Township, Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,267.-Geography:...
, revealed to the media that he had received at least a dozen death threats. Bennish himself and the student who recorded him also received threats, but no party involved was attacked as a result of the controversy.
On March 10, 2006, the Cherry Creek School District announced that it would reinstate Bennish; he returned to Overland the following Monday. Cherry Creek Schools Superintendent Monte Moses said that "Bennish doesn't deserve to be praised, nor does he deserve to be fired" and that "Jay Bennish has promise as a teacher, but his practice and deportment need growth and refinement."
Bennish's lawyer said that the teacher would alter his style, "giving both sides more contemporaneously. When he gives the yin, [he'll] give the yang right then and there—don't wait a day, don't wait an hour, don't wait a week. Put it all out at the same time."
Upon returning to the classroom, Bennish conducted a discussion on the controversy and explained the nature of his future classes, which would focus less on classroom discussion and more on textbook-based assignments. Students lamented the change; Leia Schiavone commented: "It's a lot more fun to learn from Mr. Bennish from his lectures than from the textbook. The textbook doesn't have everything that's going on in the world. We're not going to be learning as much."
External links
- Official summary of the course (in PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
format) - Transcript of part of the lecture provided by the Cherry Creek School District (contains errors)
- Full transcript of recording (unofficial but accurate)
- Teacher on leave after comments (Rocky Mountain NewsRocky Mountain NewsThe Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
) - Audio files of the Jay Bennish recording aired on The Rush Limbaugh ShowThe Rush Limbaugh ShowThe Rush Limbaugh Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks...
along with commentary by Rush LimbaughRush LimbaughRush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
- Unofficial transcript of Jay Bennish interview with Matt LauerMatt LauerMatthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
on the Today Show - Students come to Bennish's defense
- Pro-Bennish blog
- Anti-Bennish blog
- The Democratic Educator’s Vocation: Teaching How To Think, Im gay - Commentary by Leo Casey
- Court filing by Bennish against the Cherry Creek School District for prior restraint of his right to talk to the media
- Teacher Disciplined for Expressing Political Viewpoints in Colorado Classroom Commentary from the National Coalition Against Censorship