11 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

I think these lessons should be reserved for teenagers and high schoolers, and I think that the best way to get people engaged and motivated about something is to show them that they have a personal stake in it. Maybe the threat isn't directly existential to them, but yes, even white people are negatively impacted by white privilege. We all live in a nation together that is negatively impacted by inequality, and all of us feel disruptions from that in some way, whether it be experiencing prejudice directly or merely living in a time and place of great instability brought on frustrations with it, being the object of animosities arising from minority groups feeling that their grievances are being ignored or unheard, or by missing out on the opportunity for the personal growth that can come from gaining knowledge and an expanded worldview that gives someone a better perspective on their lives.

Exhibit 1-1000 on why we're churning out more illiterate morons who can't do basic math and are woefully unprepared to become successful contributors to society than ever before. At least we've taught them about how the specter of white privilege is everywhere! Pathetic.   

6 minutes ago, Kz! said:

Exhibit 1-1000 on why we're churning out more illiterate morons who can't do basic math and are woefully unprepared to become successful contributors to society than ever before. 

 

We know that you have personally suffered a great deal from illiteracy and an inability to work with numbers, so at least you're speaking from experience here!

Just now, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

We know that you have personally suffered a great deal from illiteracy and an inability to work with numbers, so at least you're speaking from experience here!

"You're illiterate" shrieks the public school teacher whose sole means of communication with me has been through written words on a football message board. Great comeback.  

Can we start by teaching them the proper use of there, their and they're? 

 

Because we seem to suck at that based on my experience.

2 minutes ago, Kz! said:

"You're illiterate" shrieks the public school teacher whose sole means of communication with me has been through written words on a football message board. Great comeback.  

 

I mean, you're doing a great job of showing us what results in actuality from the dismal failures of public education in this country. This is basically the point you're driving at anyway, so you should be proud!

43 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

Sorry, I don't see it. If the main premise is ""We derive benefits from being male or white or straight or able-bodied wiithout taking any personal action against a woman, a person of color, etc." that is fundamentally true and I don't see how deconstructing this is harmful or misguided, so long as it is properly contextualized and the discussion is well-managed for the right age group. But I think 8th grade is the absolute earliest that kids could really engage these topics effectively.

The last two are fine if we are talking about 8th graders.  Those can bring in an entire slate of parameters and be used to clearly show that each individual has an entirely unique perspective even if they share many elements of the overall puzzle.  Each kid can be encouraged to think about their own situation but I certainly wouldn't want any sort of public measuring going on.

The first two are only focused on one item, white skin, and needs to be very very carefully presented.  The titles alone are just simply not good  I think the topic can be acknowledged and covered as a general condition but I'd want to wait until the kids are say into their junior/senior years of high school and even then I think it should be part of a larger context and extremely nuanced.  In any case, the way these two shots present themselves isn't optimal and certainly should not be taught in grade school.

 

6 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

Can we start by teaching them the proper use of there, their and they're? 

 

Because we seem to suck at that based on my experience.

Nope, we need to teach them how blacks are relentlessly oppressed and whites are propped up by "white supremacy" without providing specific examples or acknowledging that there are absolutely no laws on the books that put blacks at a disadvantage. 

4 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

I mean, you're doing a great job of showing us what results in actuality from the dismal failures of public education in this country. This is basically the point you're driving at anyway, so you should be proud!

You've spent your entire life in the public education system with predictable results. 

1 hour ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

Sorry, I don't see it. If the main premise is ""We derive benefits from being male or white or straight or able-bodied wiithout taking any personal action against a woman, a person of color, etc." that is fundamentally true and I don't see how deconstructing this is harmful or misguided, so long as it is properly contextualized and the discussion is well-managed for the right age group. But I think 8th grade is the absolute earliest that kids could really engage these topics effectively.

So, do we mention any benefits from being a woman?  Like cops giving you a pass on a speeding ticket?  Or time off from work for the red lady?  Or athletic benefits from being black?  Or the benefits of coming from an Asian culture that stresses success?

There's a lot to nitpick in the world on how it's unfair for people for any number of reasons and there could be infinite analysis of it but in the end, it's all pretty divisive and in no way is it creating a better world for anybody.  That being said, there's certainly a place for it, because there's a place for analyzing everything about the world we live in.  But it's by choice in a college curriculum, not in K-8.

But again, all this is based on a false premise because the source is almost certainly BS.

14 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

I mean, you're doing a great job of showing us what results in actuality from the dismal failures of public education in this country. This is basically the point you're driving at anyway, so you should be proud!

Honestly though, your responses in this thread show exactly why public school teachers aren't mentally equipped to teach controversial subjects like this one. Acting like "white privilege" is some sort of concrete objective fact rather than just a theory just shows you have no business trying to discuss it with children. There's no way you'll take an objective, nuanced approach to the subject because you're so deeply indoctrinated that you can't even begin to contemplate alternatives to the idea of white privilege.

Just now, Kz! said:

You've spent your entire life in the public education system with predictable results. 

 

Nope, I went to a private university.

6 minutes ago, Kz! said:

Honestly though, your responses in this thread show exactly why public school teachers aren't mentally equipped to teach controversial subjects like this one. Acting like "white privilege" is some sort of concrete objective fact rather than just a theory just shows you have no business trying to discuss it with children. There's no way you'll take an objective, nuanced approach to the subject because you're so deeply indoctrinated that you can't even begin to contemplate alternatives to the idea of white privilege.

 

Yes, I was thoroughly indoctrinated by a theory that wasn't even being acknowledged when I was in school over a decade ago. You could at least get the timeline straight.

10 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

So, do we mention any benefits from being a woman?  Like cops giving you a pass on a speeding ticket?  Or time off from work for the red lady?  Or athletic benefits from being black?  Or the benefits of coming from an Asian culture that stresses success?

 

The main difference that none of those groups are socially dominant.

I can definitely understand the position that this stuff is better left for college classrooms, and I do think that a lot of this is permeating downward too quickly into grade levels that are not ready for it. I think it's generally fine for this stuff to be discussed in a high school setting, though, as it would prepare students for topics that they will be expected to engage more thoroughly when they get to college. It's also reasonable to take the position that most kids today need to focus on basic skills first and not graduate-level social theory.

1 minute ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

The main difference that none of those groups are socially dominant.

Economically and politically but not in other areas.  Look at the last screenshot for a nice set of parameters that feed into the topic.

7 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

The main difference that none of those groups are socially dominant.

Neither is this guy

1 hour ago, vikas83 said:

We can't teach kids math or basic writing skills. Maybe pump the breaks on adding new stuff until we get better at the basics.

A-freaking-men

10 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

Yes, I was thoroughly indoctrinated by a theory that wasn't even being acknowledged when I was in school over a decade ago. You could at least get the timeline straight.

So? You're indoctrinated into liberal dogma, which "white privilege" is a very big part of. So much so, that you're completely incapable of understanding that it isn't an objective fact.

1 minute ago, Kz! said:

So? You're indoctrinated into liberal dogma, which "white privilege" is a very big part of. So much so, that you're completely incapable of understanding that it isn't an objective fact.

 

2 minutes ago, EaglesRocker97 said:

 

Which part of my post is a straw man? You're arguing that kids should be taught about white privilege, I'm saying they shouldn't because you're incapable of being objective about the subject. You should also be banned from teaching about logical fallacies, too.

6 minutes ago, Kz! said:

So? You're indoctrinated into liberal dogma, which "white privilege" is a very big part of. So much so, that you're completely incapable of understanding that it isn't an objective fact.

4 minutes ago, Kz! said:

Which part of my post is a straw man? You're arguing that kids should be taught about white privilege, I'm saying they shouldn't because you're incapable of being objective about the subject. You should also be banned from teaching about logical fallacies, too.

 

I never said it was "objective fact." That's your strawman. I merely expressed that it was a topic worthy of discussion, and that I had faith that many 8th-graders could maturely discuss the topic and consider its merits.

12 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

Neither is this guy

 

No doubt the fact that identity politics can't see individuals as individuals pretty much dooms it to fail from the get go.

2 minutes ago, VanHammersly said:

We basically have the same argument, but you're too stupid to realize it, windmill.  

Just now, Kz! said:

We basically have the same argument, but you're too stupid to realize it, windmill.  

Wrong.  I disagree with EaglesRocker.  I'm just not throwing nonsense against the wall and embarrassing myself like you are.

1 minute ago, VanHammersly said:

Wrong.  I disagree with EaglesRocker.  I'm just not throwing nonsense against the wall and embarrassing myself like you are.

Nonsense? I'm saying "white privilege" shouldn't be taught because it's made-up BS and the people teaching it would be ideological zealots like Eaglesrocker.