Many of us in class have eluded to the fact that education brings about critical thinking skills and the ability to shuffle through the BS and get to the truth. We have suggested that if you are getting an education; you will have more information, more tools to decipher and analyze information, more ways to evaluate information, and more open and aware thinking-which leads to less prejudice.
This video sadly dismisses these theories- as education seems to play very little in the thought process of the making of this video. Coming from a Duluth University campus, this video shows nothing but bad taste, bad judgment and some may say- bad up bringing and education, not to mention bad moral character.
Instead of a "like" icon, we could use a "slap" icon for this video!
The video contains profanity, (which shouldn't be any different from class:), the "N" word and host of mean, racist language.To view the video click the link instead of the video prompt-as YouTube has removed it from their site.
I think what's missing is that, while education is known to be the basis for an individual's skill in critical thinking, that does not make it a fait accompli. The sort of education we give to a child greatly determines what quality of cognitive thought comes of that child once that child becomes an adult.
ReplyDeleteJohn Taylor Gatto is one of the many familiar with this fact, and one of the few that did not decide to keep quiet about it. The people at the Tragedy & Hope online community recorded a five-hour interview (available free, legally, here) wherein he addresses the hows and whys of American education, and why it--quite frankly--sucks, and is meant to suck.
Thanks for giving that name again. I remember you mentioned it in class, but I didnt write it down. Since I work in the school system this may prove to be very helpful to me as I try and help the public school system change.
DeleteI think that when it comes to issues of racism and privilege, the educational system is complicit in reinforcing the kind of behavior exhibited in the video. UMD was briefly a co-sponsor for a campaign called the Unfair campaign that set out to raise awareness of white privilege. Yet after the campaign caused controversy UMD pulled support for it. UMD was cowardly then and will no doubt act cowardly in how it handles these two students, ignoring the institutional side of individual acts.
ReplyDeleteI agrre and I believe the only reason they agreed to join in the campaign in the first place was because of a racial issue on campus that they handle poorly.
ReplyDeleteI tried to follow up on the consequences of the girls in the video and all it said was the video had been taken down, they were not in support of it and what happens to the students was confidential.
Jennifer: can we really call the educational system complicit? I don't mean to imply they are guilt-free. But, the educational system is an extension of GOVERNMENT. And, in my opinion, that is where the crux of the issue lies. To add to no one else in particular, education is only as good as the critical thinking skills society promotes. And that, I think, is really the problem. Government, mass media, and most other societal groups do not promote critical thinking. Why would they want to? Complacent people content with the current status quo are much easier to control.
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