“You will eat the bugs and be happy.”

That phrase began as an internet meme, a warning about global elites who dream of controlling how ordinary people live, travel, and eat. For years, it was dismissed as a right-wing conspiracy theory. The idea even inspired a dystopian movie, “Snowpiercer,” which is worth a watch if you have not seen it. 

But in California, the concept is no longer fiction. It is part of a fifth-grade reading lesson.

At San Marcos Unified School District in North County San Diego, 10-year-olds are being taught that eating insects is good for the planet. Their reading materials include cheerful statements such as, “Eating insects is good for the environment,” “Meat uses too many natural resources,” and “Many insects taste delicious.”

This is not satire. It is a real classroom lesson funded by taxpayers in one of California’s public schools. The curriculum markets “entomophagy,” the practice of eating insects, as a moral duty for the next generation. Children are encouraged to view meat consumption as selfish and unsustainable. The message is clear: if you care about the Earth, you will trade your burger for a cricket.

The lesson is part of a larger pattern that has crept quietly into California’s public school system. Under the banner of “climate literacy,” students are being introduced to environmental activism as early as elementary school. Instead of teaching science through objective facts, these lessons often present predetermined conclusions and pressure children to agree. Ten-year-olds are not learning to think critically about environmental claims; they are learning to accept them.

I am not against teaching environmental awareness. Kids should learn about conservation, clean air, and protecting wildlife. What troubles me is how quickly education in California is turning into indoctrination. Real education presents competing ideas and invites discussion. Indoctrination tells children what to think, not how to think.

Parents have every right to ask why their children are reading propaganda that promotes guilt over everyday family meals. Do we really need fifth graders worrying that dinner is destroying the planet? Should students be shamed for what their parents pack in their lunch boxes?

Meanwhile, California’s education system is struggling with basic reading and math proficiency. According to recent state data, less than half of students read at grade level, and barely a third meet math standards. Instead of focusing on literacy, districts are importing activist messaging into English and science lessons, and teachers are being turned into political messengers rather than mentors.

It is easy to laugh at the idea of “bug burgers,” but there is a serious principle at stake. When the state uses public education to reshape personal beliefs about diet, morality, and identity, it crosses a line.

For the record, I once tried a free sample of a protein bar made of crickets at a natural foods expo. Let’s just say it confirmed that bugs belong outside, not in snacks.

We are seeing the same trend in other areas of education. Whether it is gender ideology, race-based instruction, or climate activism, California’s schools are drifting away from neutrality. The classroom is becoming a place where children are told what to believe instead of being taught how to reason, analyze, and question.

The “eat the bugs” lesson might sound trivial, but it reflects a mindset that sees children as a means to achieve political goals. This curriculum is not about nutrition. It is about compliance. Convince a generation that their choices are harmful and that obedience equals virtue, and you can control almost anything: how they eat, how they travel, how they vote.

Parents in San Marcos should demand to see the full curriculum and ask who approved it. They deserve transparency about what is being taught in every classroom. 

And across the state, school districts must return to a basic truth: education should serve students and families, not political agendas.

If we do not draw a line now, there will be no end to what government schools will teach as virtue. Today it is crickets for lunch. Tomorrow it could be something far worse.