DNAunion

DNAunion: The following are good enough for me, especially considering the intent of my statement.

DNAunion: If you want to bicker about the eye not being an eye, then you are completely missing the point I was making.

DNAunion

DNAunion: I guess I will have to explain things to you guys like you were a bunch of two-year olds.

The board I setup has very strict rules, and that is made abundantly clear at the site. All the posts I made at that site followed all the rules that pertained to that site. Wolf’s posts did not, so he was banned. Simple enough for you guys?

Now about here at Infidels. Yeah, I used some bad words. So what. Any rules that are on the books here are apparently just for show: they’re not being enforced from what I can see. I mean let’s look at the language I found being used by others at this very site using a quick word search.



DNAunion: When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

So let’s recap. I setup strict rules at my site and as I forewarned, I made sure they were followed by ALL participants who posted there, including myself.

At Infidels, words such as fuck, asshole, bullshit, and bitch are used by others posting here, and I didn’t see any of them getting reprimanded or banned (or could someone point me to those things?). I am doing no worse than they. Now, if Infidels wishes to begin enforcing their "paper-tiger" rules sometime, then I would again do as the Romans would be doing and cease. (Who knows, I just might cease anyway, all on my own).

************************************
PS: Here are a few more gems posted right here at Infidels in the last 24 hours, in a thread that was just closed called something like "White guys rule".


[ April 16, 2002: Message edited by: DNAunion ]</p>

katerina

Hi, Michael.

I'm going to ignore the evolution right or wrong issue because I really don't care about it.

Let me address the 'teaching moment' that you had with your student.

Now, I really feel your frustration with your student. They come out with the darnedest things (tend to believe in romantic love, and that it's okay to colonize hunter/gatherer societies, and that every female is a feminist, and that they will make a lot of money when they graduate)!

But I question sincerely the rhetorical efficacy of challenging your audience that "If you believe X, Y, or Z, then you are ignorant!" Way to make them shut their ears to anything you might wish to say to persuade them of a new opinion. Why should they listen to you? You already think they are ignorant.

The reason that your students did not challenge you on it could be one of many of the following:

1. They all agree with you (highly unlikely)
2. They really weren't listening (nope: your TA challenged you later)
3. They really just don't care (obviously not true: your ass't ta challenged you).
4. Hi Opal!
5. You have the power; they don't.
6. Why challenge you when they can just fill in the little bubble sheet that says you are a lousy instructor. Revenge is sweet.

Last I checked the Chronicle of Higher Education (a year ago), only the top ten percent of American high school grads did a four year degree. So I hardly think that we can count anyone who makes it into our classrooms as lacking in intelligence.

Man, you had a real 'teachable moment' there. And obviously you care and are passionate about your material.

I wonder what would have happened if you had tried a little Socratic dialogue on your student. Draw him/her out--have him/her explain what they think Creationism is and let others in the class contribute what they think. Let them discuss it between themselves (and crash your lesson plan for ten minutes or so) and find out where people are at. Go along with the Creationists for a bit to lead them down the garden path. Then...enter into the debate and debate the points with them.

You would have earned a lot of respect.

I am glad that you have such a relationship with your Asst TA that she could challenge you on this instead of shrugging it off.

RufusAtticus

DNAUnion,

You appear to haven't grasped the difference between a competent vet and an excellent one.

Sure you can take your poodle to a competent vet who doesn't know the first thing about evolution or that the body is made up of cells. However, excellent vets and physicians are the ones that can not only treat problems they have studied but deal with new ones. The surest way to be an excellent vet/physician is to understand everything science can tell you patients. And that includes biology and evolution.

You might be satisfied with universities producing competent vets and physicians. However, I would expect the education system to have higher standards.

-RvFvS

[ April 16, 2002: Message edited by: RufusAtticus ]

[ April 17, 2002: Message edited by: RufusAtticus ]</p>

leonarde

Hear, hear!!! (what Katerina said)

[ April 16, 2002: Message edited by: leonarde ]</p>

DNAunion

Original post moved to moderators forum.

DNAUnion, your comments have been forwarded to the appropriate channels. Don't take this thread where it doesn't belong.

If you would like to lodge a public complaint, follow me: <a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=7" target="_blank"></a>.

Thanx, -RvFvS

[ April 17, 2002: Message edited by: RufusAtticus ]</p>

Automaton

Yay, I got 2/7 of the naughty posts! I fu... er... I really rule! Oh hello, mister moderator, what are you doing with that soap? No... NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Oolon Colluphid

DNAunion, ref 'naughty' words, the point is quite simple. You are not practising what you preach. If 'Wolf's posts qualified as abrasive and inflammatory somehow, then what are yours?

There is also a difference between using words and phrases in general currency in the 'normal' way, eg "creation 'science' is fucking useless", with directing them as abuse or for simple shock value, as in "go fuck yourself". Moderators should, IMO, clamp down on offensive and abusive comments whether or not they contain 'naughty' words (within the bounds of common sense), but to censor out words per se is prudish nonsense.

So I appeal to your better nature: rise above the foul-mouthed infidels (or Infidels). Set an example. IOW, please tone it down a bit.

Oolon

Oolon Colluphid

Well as I said at the start of that quote:
"It’s only about a 1/10th of the article, so hopefully this is fair usage", since it was directly relevant too this thread. But if anyone thinks otherwise, I'll happily remove it, and refer people back to the pdf

Oolon

Godless Dave

Bingo. I'm aghast at how many people don't understand this.