NationStates Jolt Archive

I have, of late, heard many Republicans talking about how colleges have a liberal bias. The funny thing is, in my experience, all schooling up until then had a bias against liberalism. Not towards conservatives either, it was really more of a "white straight Christian men" bias. You know, the "Homosexuality is wrong, women are inferior, Christianity is the only religion thta should be allowed, abstinence-only education is where it's at" crowd.

An example was that when a teacher in my 9th grade year made a statement about Wiccans being full of hate. I corrected him and stated that Wicca doesn't advocate killing others and sacrifice like he had stated. He sent me out of the classroom. For my next paper, I wrote about what Wicca is about, just so I could possibly have a chance of showing some people that all this propaganda the teacher was spreading was just that: propaganda. Of course, the teacher then stated that I was lying, and that on top of that Wicca doesn't even count as a religion. So I got a nice big 0.

Just last year, in my senior year, I wrote a paper about why separation of church and state is necessary for proper freedom. In it, I had a section about what happens when religion is taken too far. As an example, I had the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades. I was suprised to have my paper handed back to me with a 0 on it. It was claimed that my paper was anti-Christian, bigoted, and advocated violence. Funny thing was, in my argument against the Crusades, I decided to use argument from a Christian standpoint. I used quotes from the Bible and from Christian historians. I wanted to show that when religion is taken too far, it almost always goes against its very ideals. I never said a word about my standpoint, and never said a word about whether I belonged to a religion or not.

It turns out one of the papers that *was* permitted was about how the Crusade was justified by Muslims being hateful and not worthy of existence. Hmm, spot the bias?

Same teacher made a few racist remarks to a student of Asian heritage in the class, and to a black student that came on a student exchange program from somewhere in Africa that I cannot seem to remember at the moment.


Has anyone else had experiences like this, or did I just get annoying bigoted teachers?

Um, just annoying bigoted teachers. I even went to a Catholic school *shudder* and never got anything like that.

Um, just annoying bigoted teachers. I even went to a Catholic school *shudder* and never got anything like that.
Hmm, I was at a public school, in Vermont even! Vermont is a rather liberal state, or at least it seems so...

Oh yeah. I had a history teacher that as far as I could tell just made stuff up about Hinduism, at one point writting the lowest social class as the 'chief god' of thier religion, which caused my Hindu friend in the class to laugh uncontrolably. Finally he just took over the class and laid it straight. The teacher was very very VERY much Born Again and told us about it constantly. Crackers helping the heathens is how that class went.

Junior year of high school.

There where good teachers, too. Funner to talk about the dolts, though.

Meh, par for the course in certain parts of the country. If your school is in a heavily "red" area, teh teachers have to be bigots to keep their jobs--otherwise, they'll get run out of town by angry "Christian" parents.

Meh, par for the course in certain parts of the country. If your school is in a heavily "red" area, teh teachers have to be bigots to keep their jobs--otherwise, they'll get run out of town by angry "Christian" parents.
My school was in a very very liberal community, in a state that I had thought was blue.

Vermont was blue, right?

My school was in a very very liberal community, in a state that I had thought was blue.

Vermont was blue, right?
And I'm in Nor Cal, the hippiest place this side of Vermont....

My school was in a very very liberal community, in a state that I had thought was blue.

Vermont was blue, right?

Does VT have a teacher shortage?

You might have had an out of state teacher who isn't yet assimilated into teh local culture :)

Does VT have a teacher shortage?
Well, it didn't seem so, as the schools I were in were quick on the fire and quick on the new hire.
You might have had an out of state teacher who isn't yet assimilated into teh local culture :)
I had thought so at first, until I was presented with a solid string of them from 6th grade on, with only one break. I probably just had the bad luck to pick the wrong classes.

Christ, you're unlucky to have had teachers like that. I've never had the misfortune of being taught by anybody even approaching that level of bias.

My favorite was the college professor who lectured every day about why prop 13 was such a ripoff. On the other side of the coin was the college professor who lectured class one day about 'how to treat a woman'. In either case the professor made no attempt to make their opinion dogma.

I can only remember one, a history professor, who tried to convince the class that the US soldiers didn't contribute anything to WW I other than being a 'fresh' supply - nothing about their tactics or skills at all. For anyone familiar with WW 1 that was quite humerous. (The europeans were still fighting trench warfare, the US showed up with the odd idea of 'flanking' maneuvers. Weirdos)

Now I don't know what the actual speeches are saying, but up here in Canada when conservatives say "Schools are too liberal" they don't actually mean schools in general. Elementary schools and high schools tend to be run iron-fisted by the teacher's union anyways so that goes without saying, and it's not actually that much of a problem (but there are a great many stories of stupidity from teachers - I think it stems from the school saying "You have a degree in [subject A]? Well then, [subject B] is related, so we'll get you teach that." History majors teaching law or geography, one of my history teachers actually teaching phys ed.... "Oh, you studied philosophy? Here, teach religion classes." and so on.)

What I find the conservatives mean when they bash "schools" for being too liberal is university and college campuses. These institutions often pride themselves on their progressive outlook and they're some of the few bastions of Marxism left that I've ever seen.

My campus (University of Waterloo) is very left wing. The Palestinian Students Association holds at least one week-long show per term that's supposed to be about promoting Palestinian culture - instead, it turns into a week long Israel-bash. Similarly, if the Jewish association tries to put something on, their signs get defaced, protesters come out... not a good scene.

But since conservatives often mean the faculty and not the student body, we have evidence that the profs are even more to the left than the students. One of my professors claims that campuses in Canada and North America are right wing. This comment came after several members of the Canadian Alliance (former right-wing party) Campus club at York University were assaulted by a gang of leftist thugs. University of Toronto hosted "Israel Apartheid Week". It goes on and on (also keep in mind York, UofT and UW are about 100km apart....)

Campuses are also the places you're likely find progressive social attitudes - a small minority of the campus here at UW opposes gay marriage, the overwhelming majority are for it. Generally speaking more students in university are for progressive social policies than the national body as a whole.

(Liberal bias isn't just stuck in Canada either - remember the Kent State Massacre, students protesting the Vietnam war)

Part of the reason why many find the "liberal bias" on campus revolting is the way it indoctrinates young adults who have just come into a more international mindset. The left is largely based more on emotion than reason and it easily appeals to students - especially students from more lower-class families. Not enough money? Increase social security! get sick and don't get the service you like? More money to health care! Your poor friend doesn't have money to go to university? We need more education spending!

Cost? What cost? those rich fat cats can take an increase in taxes. As David Suzuki said two weeks ago at UW, "Economics isn't a science, it's a brain disease." The sad thing is his propaganda gets eaten whole by passionate young students who grow up to be like that one guy I had the misfortune of attending a speech with, who asked why the central bank couldn't pay for everything. But that's a story for another time.

Even though I was in a Catholic School for all my life there was nothing approaching that level of stupidity.

However some things I remember, on the day Freddy Mercury's death my sister was told he died because he was "touched by a bad man."

Probably the most bigotted teacher I had was a convert from Protestantism (Anglican I think). For whom the Catholic Church could do no wrong and anything vaguely left-wing was to be treated with suspicion. He nearly had a heart attack when I bought a copy of the Guardian into class I also remember once when I was working in a class room next one he was teaching in, the class were obviously watching a documentary obout the Russian Civil War (I could here the commentary clearly), and whenever the docu said something like "When the whites captured a Bolshevik the would be executed" at which point he would pause the tape and loudly say something like "they deserved it."

Oddly enough, probably the most Catholic teacher was also the most open minded. He had no problems with me refering to myself as an anarchist or defending the French Revolution or anything like that.

My best friend, who went to a different school, was asked to take his A-levels (or maybe it was his GCSEs) as an independent because they didn't think he was smart enough to get good grades (and therefore drag the school down on the league tables).

I was also threatened with suspension after not going to general theology classes for a term (think, Catholic version of General Studies). I was then threatened with suspension by one of the teachers for constantly arguing with her. A tactic she resorted to after she tried humiliating me by saying "would you like to take this class?" Backed into a corner I had to say yes. I felt I did a pretty good job since I was 'fired' after ten minutes. Even if I did move the topic from Brave New World to Bakunin.

This was also the teacher that told us "Having sex with a condom is like eating a Mars Bar with the wrapper on." No wonder she didn't teach any real subjects.

Australian teachers are generally apolitical but then that reflects apathetic Australia. That's until they want a pay rise and shift left with their unions.

Australian teachers are generally apolitical but then that reflects apathetic Australia.
Lucky Australian children...

Lucky Australian children...

We don't have that flag waving nonsense yet, but the current Australian government tried to change that.

Vermont was blue, right?

Oh the insular perversity of those united states. I have to double take every time i here you mob colour in your political map. Did you know in the whole of the rest of the world Red is the colour of the left (USSR, China, Red Flag, Communism etc) and Blue is the colour of the right?

I can only remember one, a history professor, who tried to convince the class that the US soldiers didn't contribute anything to WW I other than being a 'fresh' supply - nothing about their tactics or skills at all. For anyone familiar with WW 1 that was quite humerous. (The europeans were still fighting trench warfare, the US showed up with the odd idea of 'flanking' maneuvers. Weirdos)

The trench line of the western front was several hundred miles long. How did the US manage to outflank it?

All I got to say is wow … 7 years of catholic school
6 more of public school

Now 4 years of collage and I still have not seen anything approaching that … even being slightly liberal myself (well more libertarian of late I have noticed) that at my school there is a slight left lean. Its not too bad … and I am so deep into networking now that most of my classes don’t really have much to do with anything other then computers anymore.
I really didn’t see this “leaning” in the profs as much as just general administration … which groups got more funding … which ones got the better and larger and more convent rooms lent to them for rally’s and such. Which ones got the better / more advertising placements in the school paper and so on so forth. I mean its not much lean but over the years you can pick up on it. I’m not really politically active on campus so I don’t know how those groups see it but it does seem a little leaned.

Wow that is really horrible. I can't believe...well never mind, I can believe something so stupid would happen in the school system. I think teachers need higher regulations on their treatment of students. When I was in 1st grade we once had to stand outside in 5 degree weather for a half an hour because some idiot kids were being bad. The teachers got coats but the students weren’t allowed. I think that schools are just plain stupid with their "I am the master of you" policies and I think there should be monitors in every classroom to determine whether there is bad behavior or not. Now I am not saying all teachers are bad I am just saying that some of them not only should not have a job but be put in jail for child abuse. A teacher’s worst fear is someone smarter than them. That is why I now go to online school.

When I was in 1st grade we once had to stand outside in 5 degree weather for a half an hour because some idiot kids were being bad.
That routinely happened to us when there were fire scares or bomb threats, but the teachers refused to allow us to keep our coats with us in winter. Also, on three occaisons we missed lunch due to those thing, on two of them it was simply because they wanted us to stay outside longer in case something more would happen. I suppose the third one couldn't be helped, as the firemen were inspecting the building, but they could have at least taken some time out of classes to let us eat.

That routinely happened to us when there were fire scares or bomb threats, but the teachers refused to allow us to keep our coats with us in winter. Also, on three occaisons we missed lunch due to those thing, on two of them it was simply because they wanted us to stay outside longer in case something more would happen. I suppose the third one couldn't be helped, as the firemen were inspecting the building, but they could have at least taken some time out of classes to let us eat.
No bomb threats ... but fire scares deffinatly

And I am from minnesota, it was not how you say ... warm in january
(once I remember it was -30 out)

No bomb threats ... but fire scares deffinatly
There was about 1 bomb threat a year at my high school. Mostly because there were some very dangerous individuals that most likely should have been in counseling beginning in middle school, but the system thought nothing of it as these kids were good at pandering to the teachers' whims.


And I am from minnesota, it was not how you say ... warm in january
(once I remember it was -30 out)
Wow. That's awful!
Usually it stayed around 0 here.

That routinely happened to us when there were fire scares or bomb threats, but the teachers refused to allow us to keep our coats with us in winter. Also, on three occaisons we missed lunch due to those thing, on two of them it was simply because they wanted us to stay outside longer in case something more would happen. I suppose the third one couldn't be helped, as the firemen were inspecting the building, but they could have at least taken some time out of classes to let us eat.

There wasn't even a bomb threat. Some kids were just acting out so we had to be PUNISHED for all of the crimes of the idiot kids. It was only 5 or 6 people and they (the teachers) knew who they were. They just believed the stupid idea that if you punish everyone then all the kids will be mad at the other kids and not play with them or something. All that did was make us mad at...THE IDIOT TEACHERS. It made us all mad at the teachers and more and more kids were being bad so they could piss off the system. I say it's child abuse.

There was about 1 bomb threat a year at my high school. Mostly because there were some very dangerous individuals that most likely should have been in counseling beginning in middle school, but the system thought nothing of it as these kids were good at pandering to the teachers' whims.


Wow. That's awful!
Usually it stayed around 0 here.
I take that back I seem to remember a bomb threat … it was my last year, but I don’t remember what it was all about.

Oh and there was another time where I was abused in the school system. Once I said I wanted to shoot myself and a teacher heard the word shoot so they took me into a room and asked what I had said earlier was true and I said yes so they thought I meant that I was going to shoot someone else. Then they took me downtown to a hearing and expelled me for 10 days. I didn't want to shoot anyone untill after that meeting. Because oddly enough the principle said that I was alone and by myself all the time when the truth is that I wasn't (I had a small select group of friends). He was making me fit the profile. I was really pissed not to mention that it worsened my depression. I wish I would have killed myself then so my parents could have pulled out a big ass lawsuit on thoes bastards. Oh and not to mention that after I got back in school kids threw rocks at me ext. but nobody would listen to me becuase I was the kid that "was going to blow up the school".

Then again most of my cases don't really apply here since you’re talking about bias and I am talking about abuse.

There was about 1 bomb threat a year at my high school. Mostly because there were some very dangerous individuals that most likely should have been in counseling beginning in middle school, but the system thought nothing of it as these kids were good at pandering to the teachers' whims.


we had bomb scares all the time...then again, middle of belfast...

you say that your school was very "gay is wrong, straight is right", how did they treat you?

you say that your school was very "gay is wrong, straight is right", how did they treat you?
Well, nobody actually had proof of anything, but me being a guy at the time and acting very effeminate because of my gender identity disorder, I got the shit beaten out of me for acting faggy on a semi-regular basis.

Of course, since I was in counseling for depression and had attempted suicide once, everything I said was actually just a cry for attention and should be ignored, or at least that's what it seems the school thought.

You know what I've just realized?
Fuck this!
I never got my degree, and after looking back, I now refuse to. I only just figured out that even though I take college courses for the sheer hell of it, they'll only let each full year course count for 1/2 of a high school credit! Fuck, each credit hour should be worth 2 high school credits! On top of that, they wouldn't let me take final exams to qualify for the creditsfor no reason whatsoever.
I don't want a degree from an institution that does this, and I don't care at all if I'm supposed to need one.

Well, nobody actually had proof of anything, but me being a guy at the time and acting very effeminate because of my gender identity disorder, I got the shit beaten out of me for acting faggy on a semi-regular basis.

Of course, since I was in counseling for depression and had attempted suicide once, everything I said was actually just a cry for attention and should be ignored, or at least that's what it seems the school thought.
Its sad how much that happens … I got drug into a few out and out fights because some guys were whaling on a but of mine, sent me to the hospital standing up for him. The first of 2 times I’ve gotten stabbed.

Well, nobody actually had proof of anything, but me being a guy at the time and acting very effeminate because of my gender identity disorder, I got the shit beaten out of me for acting faggy on a semi-regular basis.

i hate ignorant fucks like that...i used to get reguarly involved in fights because my best mate was gay, so we always helped him out, and of course that led to the usual "you hang around with a gay guy so you must be gay"...urgh...

Its sad how much that happens … I got drug into a few out and out fights because some guys were whaling on a but of mine, sent me to the hospital standing up for him. The first of 2 times I’ve gotten stabbed.
Luckily I learned not to fight back. There are some cases when standing up for yourself is good, but there are others when it will only lead to you getting knifed in an alley. I learned that if you quit struggling they beat you a bit less.

Luckily I learned not to fight back. There are some cases when standing up for yourself is good, but there are others when it will only lead to you getting knifed in an alley. I learned that if you quit struggling they beat you a bit less.
There are sometimes with the consequences are not worth the risks I agree (even though its not easy to admit standing up for yourself can be one of thoes times it is like everything else ... costs and benifits)

But he would have been dead ... there were 6 of them and by the time I got there he had a broken nose and 2 broke ribs

and they were not slowing down

As much as I detest hurting people but in this case I am glad 3 of them came to the hospital with me and the rest were hurtin.

There are sometimes with the consequences are not worth the risks I agree (even though its not easy to admit standing up for yourself can be one of thoes times it is like everything else ... costs and benifits)

But he would have been dead ... there were 6 of them and by the time I got there he had a broken nose and 2 broke ribs

and they were not slowing down

As much as I detest hurting people I am glad 3 of them came to the hospital with me and the rest were hurtin.
Wow, that's awful.
I find it funny how people can say that hatred of homosexuals is not widespread in the US, when every openly gay male I've ever met has been beaten up or in a fight at least once because of it.

Luckily I learned not to fight back. There are some cases when standing up for yourself is good, but there are others when it will only lead to you getting knifed in an alley. I learned that if you quit struggling they beat you a bit less.

Wow...that is really depressing. I don't know what to say to that. I just can't imagine people being so ignorant.

Wow, that's awful.
I find it funny how people can say that hatred of homosexuals is not widespread in the US, when every openly gay male I've ever met has been beaten up or in a fight at least once because of it.
It generaly is pretty awsome in minnesota (even mid to northern which is populated by fanatical roman catholics generaly) but we managed to get down into the twin cities (st. paul to be exact) and my frend nathan went off with his bf and another girl and he went to the bathroom (his bf I mean) along with the gurl and I happened to be meeting them there with my gf

So essentialy he was wating outside for them when some guys came up and started whaling on him cause they saw him and his bf hold hands for a minuit) yeah kind of sad

Australian teachers are generally apolitical but then that reflects apathetic Australia. That's until they want a pay rise and shift left with their unions.
In Belgium the public schools have a policy of being apoltical (but I have a teacher who is clearly liberal).

In Belgium the public schools have a policy of being apoltical (but I have a teacher who is clearly liberal).
My highschool techers did a pretty good job of being apolitical (well a little bit if it involved school levy stuff but bit of self intrest there)

My favorite was the college professor who lectured every day about why prop 13 was such a ripoff. On the other side of the coin was the college professor who lectured class one day about 'how to treat a woman'. In either case the professor made no attempt to make their opinion dogma.

I can only remember one, a history professor, who tried to convince the class that the US soldiers didn't contribute anything to WW I other than being a 'fresh' supply - nothing about their tactics or skills at all. For anyone familiar with WW 1 that was quite humerous. (The europeans were still fighting trench warfare, the US showed up with the odd idea of 'flanking' maneuvers. Weirdos)what flanking?

what flanking?
Seriously?

I am going to take it as such (and this is a deff from memory so dictionary it if you think I am wrong) generally a maneuver to move troops (usually unseen until it is too late) from one or the other sides of a line of scrimmage

Essentially if we are fighting in two rows

------
------


They would come at you from one of the sides moving along the line of scrimmage

Seriously?

I am going to take it as such (and this is a deff from memory so dictionary it if you think I am wrong) generally a maneuver to move troops (usually unseen until it is too late) from one or the other sides of a line of scrimmage

Essentially if we are fighting in two rows

------
------


They would come at you from one of the sides moving along the line of scrimmage

and the Europeans never "Flanked" before the 1900s?
and we invented Flanking...and showed the Euros how to "Flank" in WWI?

one of my teacher is a meglomaniac nazi, and everyone naturally hates him and most of the teachers seem to be biased and not respecting human rights of free speech and innocent before PROVEN guilty. giving mass Detentions for a few troublemakers and ridiculous pounishments and coporal punishments the UN would scowl at.

i however am a subersive communist , who rebels at the system and runs an underground socialist group, well not yet. but soon....................