I teach lab classes. If I referred every student that whines about their grades to mental health, I'd have to report nearly my entire class roster.
I'm skeptical that the teacher's anti-military bias doesn't influence her grading. What if the instructor openly expressed antipathy towards ethnic minorities during lecture & then "coincidentally" happened to give the only black student in the class a D? Adding insult to injury, what would happen if said student complained & then was
referred to counseling because the authorities deemed him mentally disturbed for having the audacity to complain about discrimination?
At least Penn State allows ROTC on its campus, unlike Obama's alma mater, Harvard.
UPDATE
Apparently, according to the DHS, returning veterans are potential terrorists.
rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists—including lone wolves or small terrorist cells—to carry out violence. The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today.
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So where is the anti-military bias? I think the veteran acted like a jerk. He was the one who was confrontational while she appeared quite reasonable.
ReplyDeleteThat she made anti-war statements does not by itself mean that she graded him unfairly. You're jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts, and you are doing so on the basis of your own pre-conceived notions.
Don't get me wrong; no doubt there is much anti-military bias in academia! It outrages me as much as it does you. I've even got an autographed copy of one of David Horowitz's books on the subject, Indoctrinate U. Many teachers no doubt take it out on their students. But not all do, and we shouldn't generalize.
Finally, what is the background to this film? Where does it come from and why was it made? Without knowing this it is hard to evaluate intentions. It seems like a training film for teachers on how to deal with jerks.
For what it's worth, I'm a raging right-wing pro-war type....
the video was stereotypical
ReplyDeletere: Tom "So where is the anti-military bias?"
ReplyDeleteAs the pop-up caption points out, if the script was changed the description to any other group, it wuold be considered offensive. Remember how George Bush Sr. was castigated for being racist with his Willie Horton ad:
"you can't find a stronger metaphor, intended or not, for racial hatred in this country than a black man raping a white woman"
Tom"I think the veteran acted like a jerk."
I disagree with you, the vet acted like all the grade grubbing students that I teach in class. Accepting your subjective POV, though, why did they make the student with the alleged anger-management issues a military veteran? Leftists are trying to promote the stereotype that US military veterans are mentally deranged.
Tom"Finally, what is the background to this film? Where does it come from and why was it made? Without knowing this it is hard to evaluate intentions. It seems like a training film for teachers on how to deal with jerks."
All that data was listed on the youtube site under the video's description. If you're highly motivated, you can write directly to Penn State & ask them to confirm or deny that they produced this film.
Thanks for stopping by NER, AFS.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Vietnam vet (25th Div, 66-67), and until recently had three sons in combat roles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two are out, one is still in (Special Forces). Whether that gives me any insight into the military man/other or not, it's given me insight, over the years, into how the left views the "average" soldier/marine/etc.
Their opinion is simply a reflection of their class. Liberalism is less orthodoxy than it is snobbery. The source of their contempt for the military is no more meaningful than that. To them, the only meritocratic path upwards for the dimwits of American society are in the dangerous and dirty-fingernail occupations of the armed forces.
You're not only condemned for a lack of innate potential, but your pursuit of "work" that is scorned by the pacified progressive, is a double fault. When you look for any liberal motive other than those rooted in self-infatuation, comfort and arrogance, you hit a dead-end. The details are usually unimportant.
FYI, the same video, but with a screen shot of the original website page & a video of a follow up discussion with PSU instructors. In neither the skit nor the discussion is it mentioned that the instructor might possibly be biased.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, practical advice for the vet would be to seek a 2nd opinion on his paper. Receiving an unbiased opinion will help prove his case of bias against his instructor.
Are the writing center services at Penn State free? I don't understand his opposition to using their services if they're free of charge. If he needs help with grammar, he'd receive it there. Otherwise, they could testify on his behalf if he wishes to pursue a discrimination case against his instructor.
Even more pragmatic advice might be go along to get along. As the instructors on the follow up video state, the student's case probably won't go anywhere since her fellow instructors will circle the wagons to protect her. As infuriating as it is, sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. I've taken classes with hippy professors. It's probably best just to try to pass the class and move on without giving yourself a heart attack.
"why did they make the student with the alleged anger-management issues a military veteran?"Maybe just to make the point that veterans can be jerks too.
ReplyDeleteEspecially in light of the DHS report that classifies veterans as potential terrorists, I'm extremely skeptical that leftwingers just coincidentally attack veterans.
ReplyDelete