alright...
As promised, here's about what I would have written last night.
So, I saw Bill Nye Monday night. He was very interesting and engaging, and talked about a lot of fascinating topics - water on Mars, global warming, and my personal favorite, the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. A lot of people were leaving by this point. I've heard numerous theories as to why (upset with the lack of experiments seems to be a common one) but my personal feeling is that they were getting offended by the fact he was saying intelligent design is not a scientific theory because it is not testable and should not be taught in a science classroom. He's completely correct, for the record. Plus he does a good William Shatner impersonation. So yeah, good stuff.
I should preface the next rant by saying my Spanish professor is a knee-jerk, reactionary liberal of the worst sort. There is nothing wrong with liberalism, I can be accused of practicing it myself. It's a fine school of thought. But, as with any ideology, the problem results when you say incredibly stupid shit without backing it up.
For example.
Monday he said that he "doesn't believe in race". Which ranks pretty high on the list of the Most Asinine Things I've Heard This Year.
I mean, let's break this down. He's clearly saying this from the standpoint that having no "race" would ensure equality - I guess taking economic and social factors out of the equation. So we'll take it from there.
If you say that you don't believe in race, two things happen. One, you're apparently blind and should see a doctor. Two, you basically ignore everything that makes people special.
Think about it. Race isn't just a skin color. Race is the combined result of generation upon generation of history, culture, religion, and invention. All the triumphs and all the struggles of those who have come before you have helped define who you are today. By saying race doesn't exist, you essentially take all that away. All the sacrifices that have been made are now meaningless. All the culture and history that are shared among a people - that's gone too.
In fact, by saying something like that, I submit you are doing far more harm than good. Because by saying that race doesn't exist, you're also implying that we're all the same. Which, physiologically, we are - or at least we are very similar. We all bleed red (except for emo kids, who bleed the darkest shade of black to match their emotions), we all need oxygen to survive, etc.
By denying that race exists, though, we're endorsing this idea that everyone is the same. That rather than embracing our differences, we should push them aside and focus on the fact that we're all the same. This is fine, if you're a hippie. But the fact is, our differences are what make life interesting. Think about it! If you lived in a world of people who were just like you, wouldn't that just suck? It would drive me crazy. I don't even like me very much. I am so glad I live in a world of people who are different from me, who look different, act different, laugh different, and do all kinds of other things that are not similar to the things I do. It makes every day unique and interesting. And part of that is because I am surrounded by people of different races. And they're all special. And it's because they're different.
When did that become such a bad thing?
(Please respond, I would love to clarify and respond to any questions or comments.)
So, I saw Bill Nye Monday night. He was very interesting and engaging, and talked about a lot of fascinating topics - water on Mars, global warming, and my personal favorite, the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. A lot of people were leaving by this point. I've heard numerous theories as to why (upset with the lack of experiments seems to be a common one) but my personal feeling is that they were getting offended by the fact he was saying intelligent design is not a scientific theory because it is not testable and should not be taught in a science classroom. He's completely correct, for the record. Plus he does a good William Shatner impersonation. So yeah, good stuff.
I should preface the next rant by saying my Spanish professor is a knee-jerk, reactionary liberal of the worst sort. There is nothing wrong with liberalism, I can be accused of practicing it myself. It's a fine school of thought. But, as with any ideology, the problem results when you say incredibly stupid shit without backing it up.
For example.
Monday he said that he "doesn't believe in race". Which ranks pretty high on the list of the Most Asinine Things I've Heard This Year.
I mean, let's break this down. He's clearly saying this from the standpoint that having no "race" would ensure equality - I guess taking economic and social factors out of the equation. So we'll take it from there.
If you say that you don't believe in race, two things happen. One, you're apparently blind and should see a doctor. Two, you basically ignore everything that makes people special.
Think about it. Race isn't just a skin color. Race is the combined result of generation upon generation of history, culture, religion, and invention. All the triumphs and all the struggles of those who have come before you have helped define who you are today. By saying race doesn't exist, you essentially take all that away. All the sacrifices that have been made are now meaningless. All the culture and history that are shared among a people - that's gone too.
In fact, by saying something like that, I submit you are doing far more harm than good. Because by saying that race doesn't exist, you're also implying that we're all the same. Which, physiologically, we are - or at least we are very similar. We all bleed red (except for emo kids, who bleed the darkest shade of black to match their emotions), we all need oxygen to survive, etc.
By denying that race exists, though, we're endorsing this idea that everyone is the same. That rather than embracing our differences, we should push them aside and focus on the fact that we're all the same. This is fine, if you're a hippie. But the fact is, our differences are what make life interesting. Think about it! If you lived in a world of people who were just like you, wouldn't that just suck? It would drive me crazy. I don't even like me very much. I am so glad I live in a world of people who are different from me, who look different, act different, laugh different, and do all kinds of other things that are not similar to the things I do. It makes every day unique and interesting. And part of that is because I am surrounded by people of different races. And they're all special. And it's because they're different.
When did that become such a bad thing?
(Please respond, I would love to clarify and respond to any questions or comments.)