Not-So-Liberal Teachers

[Amby 490]

When I was in 8th grade my history teacher told the class that anyone who believes in creationism is an idiot. I then proceeded to get him fired for speaking about creationism. I'm a mean person.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I just had a prof that told us he is completely against abortion and we weren't allowed to do a speech on it because he is too biased to grade us fairly.

I never experienced anything that blatant - though I did have one social psychology lecturer at uni who was clearly more enamored with her own self-importance and played up the material she was teaching to make it sound more important and profound than it really was.

She deliberately obscured the material she was teaching by wrapping it up in complex and archaic words ("Parsimonious" as opposed to "simple" for example). That was more about ego than politics.

[Peikko 1,575]

Yes, but we are English and have no idea how 'liberal' we are because we are surrounded by liberalism and therefore can't recognize it anymore - we just think it's normal.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

When I was in 8th grade my history teacher told the class that anyone who believes in creationism is an idiot. I then proceeded to get him fired for speaking about creationism. I'm a mean person.

There's nothing inherently wrong with believing in Biblical Creation, as a concept. The problem is when it taken beyond a general concept reliant on personal belief and faith and wrapped it up in the trappings of science in such a way as to suggest that there is a scientific basis for their belief.

[alienlovechild 75]

I'm often skeptical whenever I hear people claim to have been "shouted down" in a classroom for political disagreements. Supporters of biblical creationism for instance, often pull the "liberal bias" card when science faculties reject their pseudo-scientific theories. Its not hard to see the flaws in their arguments - and more specifically in the assumptions that they use to frame those arguments to see the flaws in their thinking.

I doubt your teacher taught creationism. How many teachers teach creationism? Sound like a redding argument in a nation that doesn't teach as much science as other developed countries.

[Amby 490]

When I was in 8th grade my history teacher told the class that anyone who believes in creationism is an idiot. I then proceeded to get him fired for speaking about creationism. I'm a mean person.

There's nothing inherently wrong with believing in Biblical Creation, as a concept. The problem is when it taken beyond a general concept reliant on personal belief and faith and wrapped it up in the trappings of science in such a way as to suggest that there is a scientific basis for their belief.

I was just giving the alien some examples.

I really didn't care I just felt like making a point to the teacher because he was a d*ck

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Sound like a redding argument in a nation that doesn't teach as much science as other developed countries.

What is a "redding argument"?

Since you call others poorly educated, I have to assume that means something and isn't just a horribly uneducated bastardization of the phrase "red herring argument".

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yes, but we are English and have no idea how 'liberal' we are because we are surrounded by liberalism and therefore can't recognize it anymore - we just think it's normal.

The Brits, in general are not as politically polarized as people in the US - though we have more than our share of ignorant and apathetic people.

As I've said before - there does seem to be a direct connection between the quality of the popular news media and the quality of public political discourses. The fact that there is a large audience for hacks like Bill O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs or Rush Limbaugh, or that a commentator can get away with suggesting that a politician bumbing fists with his wife is making a "terrorist fist jab" is pretty appalling - especially because so many people cite these people as authoritative political commentators.

[Sassy1natl 0]

[Peikko 1,575]

I'm often skeptical whenever I hear people claim to have been "shouted down" in a classroom for political disagreements. Supporters of biblical creationism for instance, often pull the "liberal bias" card when science faculties reject their pseudo-scientific theories. Its not hard to see the flaws in their arguments - and more specifically in the assumptions that they use to frame those arguments to see the flaws in their thinking.

I doubt your teacher taught creationism. How many teachers teach creationism? Sound like a redding argument in a nation that doesn't teach as much science as other developed countries.

She never said he 'taught' creationism, she said "When I was in 8th grade my history teacher told the class that anyone who believes in creationism is an idiot"

As for a 'redding argument' well I think you are misusing some phrase or other, but for the life of me I can't imagine which one - red herring perhaps?

[alienlovechild 75]

Yes, but we are English and have no idea how 'liberal' we are because we are surrounded by liberalism and therefore can't recognize it anymore - we just think it's normal.

If you're English, how many classes did you take in the U.S.? The article wasn't referring to English schools so I'm trying to figure out why you commented on the subject you in which may have no first-hand knowledge.

What about you 6?

Edited July 19, 2008 by alienlovechild

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'm often skeptical whenever I hear people claim to have been "shouted down" in a classroom for political disagreements. Supporters of biblical creationism for instance, often pull the "liberal bias" card when science faculties reject their pseudo-scientific theories. Its not hard to see the flaws in their arguments - and more specifically in the assumptions that they use to frame those arguments to see the flaws in their thinking.

I doubt your teacher taught creationism. How many teachers teach creationism? Sound like a redding argument in a nation that doesn't teach as much science as other developed countries.

No my teachers didn't teach Creationism, but neither was there a big public debate about it, facilitated by the national media.

[Peikko 1,575]

A.J beat me to it - again!

Yes, but we are English and have no idea how 'liberal' we are because we are surrounded by liberalism and therefore can't recognize it anymore - we just think it's normal.

If you're English, how many classes did you take in the U.S.? The article wasn't referring to English schools so I'm trying to figure out why you commented on the subject you in which may have no first-hand knowledge.

What about you 6?

I have to have 'taken' classes to have been in a U.S classroom? Interesting.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yes, but we are English and have no idea how 'liberal' we are because we are surrounded by liberalism and therefore can't recognize it anymore - we just think it's normal.

If you're English, how many classes did you take in the U.S.? The article wasn't referring to English schools so I'm trying to figure out why you comment on the subject you in which may have no first-hand knowledge.

What about you 6?

Education is a universal concept in most countries isn't it?

Unless you're really suggesting that the US education system is so radically different from any other western country that no comparison can be made....

Blatant evasion on your part BTW - for the obvious purposes of shutting down discussion. Just to point that out.

Edited July 19, 2008 by Number 6

[Amby 490]

Neil says he went to a private Catholic school and they taught creationism at his school