Turned off science (Kids victims of Evolution Wars)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8074471/

The battle over teaching evolution is raging in communities across the country, but the headlines rarely focus on the “quiet” impact of this controversy.

Science is becoming a political “hot potato” for some students — transforming what should be a dynamic, fascinating topic into a total turn-off. And some students are choosing silence over losing a prom date.

“Children are very much worried about their place in the world. Some students only ask me about evolution privately, after class,” said Wes McCoy, PhD, who teaches Genetics, Biology and Astronomy at North Cobb High School in Kennessaw, Ga.

McCoy, who has won the Georgia “Outstanding Biology Teacher” award, is active in his Presbyterian church and also serves on the National Executive Board of the Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology and the Christian faith, is saddened by what he has seen in his classroom.

“Students face consequences if they choose to accept evolution in a family or a church or a community that patently rejects evolution ... It might affect whether you get a date to the prom, or whether you get that summer job or not,” McCoy said. “You may even anger close family members. Conversations about evolution can make family reunions very tense.”

[saigon68]

1. Right wing ignorant fundies

Like an ostrich these fuckers stick their heads in the sand

I'll bet they would love to burn Copernicus at the stake.

[thebigidea]

2. summer job bosses quiz potential employees about evolution?

[BattyDem]

3. Well ... in the future, I guess this country can forget about ...

ever contributing to the world scientific community. :eyes:

Other countries are making breakthroughs in stem cell research and therapeutic cloning ... and the US is still debating evolution! :grr: :eyes: :blush:

[BillZBubb]

4. The way the US is imploding,

about all we'll be good at is using military force to take what we need. We'll certainly have a surplus of ignorant, unemployed people to fill the ranks.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. not even that will work for long

those are ahem technologially advanced weapons, requiring technical knowledge, and when gomer cannot read, gomer will have trouble with them instructions. Yes I am aware, we have used toons in Army training manuals, but gear is becoming more complex than toons will do... ok, ok so ignorant moroms will still be able to use a rifle... but not much more

[fujiyama]

8. It makes my stomach churn

the way these nutcases have politicized science.

[mitchum]

6. You can thank the pulpit-dwelling conmen for this turn of events

[WindRavenX]

7. understanding science leads to an understanding of life

Once you realize how fragile life is, you look at things a LOT closer.
This is why I want to teach high school biology- so children will realize life is rare in this universe and what we have should not be so quickly killed by our hands.

[depakid]

9. The Fundies are very sick people

Who promote a VERY sick and twisted culture.

What we really need is to somehow shape kids norms on some level by showing just how uncool and lame they are by acepting it.

Fundies need to be ridiculed at every turn. the people kids look up to as cool need to be doing this. They need to be actively making them out to be the fools that they are- not accepting them or tolerating them- because they ARE NOT acceptible- any more than racists are.

Kids need to get the message that if they want to be cool and accepted, they need to be independent thinkers and defy their parents' dysfunctional beliefs- not go along with them like a bunch of sheep.

[scarletlib]

10. A sad situation

My husband and I watched the movie Kinsey last night. You can see why the right wing wacko's hated it.

I don't know how true the movie is but its portrayal of a man (Kinsey) thoroughly trained in the scientific process (and who is honest and decent) who seeks the truth is outstanding.