From: matus (matus@snet.net)
Date: Wed Mar 26 2003 - 22:31:26 MST
"Sit down Michael"
Humania, you so eloquently miss the point yet again. The point is not that
you should come to my conclusion after deep consideration, the point is
Teachers should be teaching children *how* to think, NOT *what* to think.
Do you disagree with that?
Can a child of 13-16, who most people consider to not yet be an age of
informed consent, who most parents dont think can rationally choose to have
sex or not have sex *possibly* be considered to be making a decision of
informed consent regarding the issue of War in Iraq? Hardly, though since
their knee-jerk teacher dictated reaction happens to coincide with yours,
you see it as a morally valid decision. Ask anyone of them how many people
Saddam has killed in his reign and see if they have an Answer. Ask them if
a pre-emptive strike is always morally invalid or is sometimes valid. Ask
them what does morality mean to them? Ask them if they value freedom, and
ask them if they prefer a world in which all people have freedom vs. one in
which only some do? Ask them how they think it best to perpetuate freedom
to freedom-less countries. Ask them what they think of a leader who rapes
and beats political opponents. Ask them to define tyranny, despotism, and
oppresion. Most adults can not be considered to have made an informed
decision on this conflict, and I seriously doubt these children, in germany,
were offered a bulleted pro / anti war list that they mulled over.
I point to some members of this list who absolutely insisted that any and
all US led strike was immorral, even though they didnt even know what the
1994 UN inspections found thousands upon thousands of chemical weapons,
missiles, delivery systems, and growth media. That is NOT representative of
an informed decision.
Just because some teacher probably said to them 'War is killing, killing is
bad, US wants to start war' and then asked them if they thought this war was
a good idea and they responded 'no, war bad, lets go protest' doesnt make
thier position one that was the product of deep deliberation and informed
consent.
Michael Dickey
Michael Dickey said:
> Ron,
>
> Dont Dismay, Humania is just not familiar with the concept of coming to a
> rational conclusion after studying in depth both sides of an issue.
> Instead, if the masses are brainwashed without utilizing a single critical
> thinking nueron, it's a'ok as long as it jives with his own idealogy.
>
> Humania, the point Ron is trying to make is that Teachers should not be
> forcing ideas onto children and students, they should encourage children
to
> study questions, even difficult ones, and understand both sides of
> arguments, and then make a decision based on a clear understanding of both
> sides, additionally, they should be able to acknolwedge when they do not
> know enough to speak intelligently on a subject.
>
> With some 80% - 90% of the teachers in the US being liberals, and the
> Teachers Unions donating to liberal campaigns, its not hard to understand
> why so many students hate America, George Bush, and everything his
> administration does. Its hard not to when it is drilled into you from the
> time you are a young child.
>
> Michael Dickey
>
> Humania:
> "whats wrong with that"
>
> Ron:
> "Humania,
> You had a protest of perhaps a few dozen or a hundred teachers.
You
> proclaim it as a protest of thousands of students. That is what is wrong.
> Ron h."
>
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