Asshats Run My Government
We’ve had our gay marriage debate a few years ago. It’s settled. We like the gay.
Or so I thought.
I also thought that we appreciated science. You know, what with all the innovations made within our free healthcare systems. Even the staunchest conservative and right-wing wacko’s have no qualms about the research being done at the university down the street from me. We all benefit from it in some way.
But today, the education system just had its brain pulled out through its nose while being wide awake. You know, a system the exposes children to differing viewpoints, critical thinking, and the dangers of going ass-to-mouth. All the good stuff thats required to be a fully functioning, reasonable adult.
A bill went through the conservative legislature that was branded a "human rights" bill that "enshrines gay rights and parental rights". When I first read that sentence I thought "sweet, the LGBT community should have the right to not be discriminated against and all that jazz". Then my eyes fell upon the "parental rights" phrase. Well that sounds dubious, I thought.
I mean, don’t parents have the right to raise their children as they see fit within the law already? Isn’t this a little redundant?
I read on and suddenly it dawned on me that "parental rights" just meant "well, we’re giving gays a few rights, so there’ll be an uproar from from right-wing homophobes that we depend on to elect us to office. Thus we’ll give ’em the right to avoid anything that questions their worldview", cause in reality, they’re all pussies.
So now every time that a teacher wants to discuss religion, sexual orientation, or scientific facts like evolution, that teacher has to notify parents that they’ll being doing so. If they don’t, they can be subject to lawsuits or be dragged in front of some human-rights tribunal to explain themselves. If they do notify the parents, parents are allowed to pull their children from the class.
A couple questions:
Before this bill, was it illegal for parents to pull their kids out of class to go on a 5 week holiday?
I think that calculus is Satan’s language; can I pull my kids out of math class? (Ok, I don’t have kids. But I have a cat and would never expose him to calculus).
Since when is it a bad thing to be exposed to multiple points of view?
If teachers are indeed held liable for teaching the curriculum, what incentives do they have to teach anything at all?
I get that people, when their strongly held beliefs are questioned, want to fall into a fetal position and pretend like it’s not happening, but how does it benefit kids to be kept ignorant of such things as safe sex, explanations for the diversity of life, or the fact that LGBT people are fucking people and should be treated as such?
If you disagree with our liberal (and I don’t quite mean this word in the modern sense), western education system, send your kids to subsidized private schools that cater to your world view. There’s a reason why kids aren’t normally educated by their parents – they aren’t fucking teachers. That takes training – college even. To give parents that power within a classroom, is to undermine the brilliant minds that have collectively shaped our amazing, free, democratic society over thousands of years.
School is not a place of indoctrination. It is a place to learn how to communicate with other people, especially people who do not agree with you. You learn how the world works and how to act within. If you disagree with some aspect of the education system, that is what you should learn most about. Our society is growing more diverse with more differing opinions by the second. To deny children exposure to this diversity is to raise them deaf and dumb.
I didn’t know you went through crap like this in Canada too. D:
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Parents have always been able to opt their children out of sex ed class, and sexual orientation is usually a part of that class, so the kids would be missing that anyway. And how often does religion come up in public school anyway? I think what’s really new about this law is the fact that parents can file a human rights complaint if they aren’t notified about controversial topics in the classroom. But just because someone files a human rights complaint doesn’t mean any governing body is going to take such a complaint seriously. Frankly, I think parents should be able to determine, in part, what their children learn in school. I think that’s the prerogative of parenthood. And if a parent finds that too many subjects are being taught to their children that they would rather teach to their kids themselves, at least now they’ll be informed and aware enough to put their children in a school that is a better fit for their belief system.
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if you were a chick, I would’ve married you by now.
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oh, that’s so ridiculous. what’s funny is the right-wing ultra conservative high school I went to had a “philosophies” class. It taught the basic fundamentals of almost every single religion you can think of. It was not taught that any one of them was wrong, or from a christian point of view, but from a matter of fact, almost dry and bland encyclopedic manner. The teacher was a minister at the church attached to this school. I always appreciated the effort to try and make the education there more rounded as to life outside the walls. And there was no “permission slip” given for the class. You had to take it to graduate. I could say a lot of good and bad things about that school, but I liked that they were never worried about offending anyone. Unless you were catholic – and then apparently you were going to go straight to hell for idolizing Mary. Ha.
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I get both sides of this issue but I find myself on the side of educators. Kids are going to come into contact with all kinds of world views in life and it does no one any favors if they aren’t taught how to deal with it.
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I agree. However I remember kids in my clasees getting pulled out of school during sex-ed, christmas, even certain videos in socials and that was years ago. The only people that are going to pay for it is the children, as they have been sheltered from everything.
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Pffffft, wtf makes you think I’m bouncing off the walls? I’m not even thinking about you. Now go away and leave me alone. I’ve got to find a date for next weekend lest I die of boredom.
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At some point, probably a million years ago, you posted a list of rules for going to a concert. I was trying to show it to a friend and cannot for the life of me find it. Dammit. Help!
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RyN: I’m applying it to the Mrs. W’s. Her religion says that the government is of the world and therefore ruled by Satan – so taking money from them seems extremely hypocritical.
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r: haha, yes I do talk about my manhood a lot. XD Right? I think people are afraid that they wont be able to instill their values in their children if their children have too many influences in their lives. But if their point of view is an enlightened one, it will likely win out over all the others right? Now, TV is a scary influence on the development of children…
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RYN is like a surgeon, he must do the job that he was trained to do when needs to be done, while the patient is anesthesized there is not space for conference.
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well you’re right about one thing. i am absolutely insane. thank you for clarifying that it’s in a good way though. also, asshat is one of my all time favorite insults. kudos!
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Hi there, thanks for the note. All the people who made negative comments usually didn’t leave names (or were friends only) which makes it hard to actually discuss and explain. 🙁 And yeah, I need to organise travel insurance, and am well aware that most Americans are nice normal people. Also, your entry surprises me – being able to censor your child’s education doesn’t sound very Canadian. o_O
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RYN: It’s still there about 85% complete. I wish I had finished it before school started but now it will just have to wait for a break in the craziness.
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RYN: I’ve mentioned the Jefferson Bible several times, perhaps most recently here – http://www.opendiary.com/entryview.asp?authorcode=C101953&entry=22948 Although I’m very impressed by Jefferson’s willingness to take scissors to the Gospels and cut out all the supernatural nonsense, I’m disappointed that he stopped there and didn’t cut out all the non-supernatural nonsense as well. What would that have left us with, though – anything at all? “Hate your parents”? “Give no thought to the morrow”? “Resist not evil”? I don’t think so…. Although Jesus is sometimes called a great moral teacher, I am hard pressed to think of anything he allegedly said or did that I’d like to see others emulate today.
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ryn: Aww no Willem Dafoe? That’s depressing, really depressing. He was hilarious in that movie. Now I’m going to youtube the second movie. lol
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ryn: why thank you sir 🙂 you have mentioned it.. but you are always welcome to continue telling me when you think to.. normally it doesn’t phase me and i don’t care.. but coming from a man such as yourself.. i glow 🙂 so thank you..
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RYN: But it was my choice. No one changed my note but me. I take this very, very seriously, and I don’t expect everyone to be on my side or fully understand exactly what I’m talking about.
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RYN: I agree, people are getting WAY bent out of shape over the swearing issue. I think it’s funny there are words NOT on the list that can be said – and there is still a way to swear with the asterisks and all, and get one’s point across. It’s just an imperfect system I guess. But you know me, I’m always for some good old fashioned fucking cuss words. 🙂
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oh, and a RYN p.s. – the notes on the DM’s entry is HYSTERICAL. I would still like to have no censoring at all – but reading the back and forth comments on there is just a scream!
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Ryn: Yes, it is. Long time no see. I hope all is well with you too.
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ryn: thank you!!! ^_^ It was .. *laughs* i had no idea until people started noting and telling me.. i didn’t even know there was an editor’s choice! GAH! Its cool to celebrate with people I’ve been chatting with and reading for a while.. very cool 🙂 I’m glad to share it with you. and yeah! i’m surprised they picked me because of my usual content? it also makes a bit nervous *laughs* because i think “ruh roh” .. *laughs* but if they had a problem with it.. well .. then something quite different would’ve happened.
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Ryn: Thank you. If only I can hold onto it. How have you been btw? Are you ever going to post anything again? lol
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Ryn: It’s best not to push or force these things. Sometimes a hiatus is necessary. I do hope you are able to write again and I believe you will one day. I look forward to it. 🙂 You have a good Halloween too. It is my favorite actually!! We’re going to our Annual Moonlight Bowl Costume Contest/Party as Ketchup and Mustard. It’s going to be awesome, lol.
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ryn: *grin* I don’t listen to Etta James but I have heard her, of course. Why do you ask?
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ryn: ah! i like a little blues.. depending on who it is, of course *smiles* what album were you listening to?! I didn’t know you were an Etta James fan. thank you for your notes 🙂
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ryn: well thats how sex was protrayed to me growing up. everyone has different morals and values.
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ryn: yeah…i can’t believe it either lol. i mean i’m very happy that i can make money from trash, basically…but I don’t understand it.
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Ryn: It definitely does.
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Holy crap. We did WHAT now!?
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Ryn: Haha, no, no I have not.
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soooo.. when are you going to write here again? 😛 ryn: i did mean to post it 🙂 but thank you for looking out for me anyway, i appreciate it.
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ryn: aaaw thanks muffin! haha most of my stuff is black.. honestly, it didn’t even dawn on me to wear something with ‘color’.. black is just.. ME 😀 How are you doing?
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