"In what country could a professor be fired for showing a documentary in his classroom?"

[marmar]

via MichaelMoore.com:



April 26th, 2010 1:28 AM

Federal money isn’t worth losing freedom in education
By David McGrath / Duluth News Tribune


In what country could a professor be fired for showing a documentary in his classroom? China? North Korea? Saudi Arabia?

How about the USA?

The school was the College of DuPage in Illinois, where I taught English. The teacher was an adjunct history professor who had shown Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 911” in class.

The conflict, in 2004, involved a conservative college president and board of trustees, concerned over the movie’s unflattering portrayal of incumbent President George W. Bush. So they charged the professor with “campaigning” during school time, which could result in his dismissal.

The professor was utterly at their mercy, because he did not have tenure. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-in-the-news/federal-money-isnt-worth-losing-freedom-education

[stray cat]

1. Would you want documentarys from right wing conservatives or religious conservatives

promoted in your kids classrooms? How about films against abortion showing abortions?

[marmar]

2. This was in COLLEGE to ADULTS.....

nt

[xultar]

7. Rofl what do children have to do with this story?

[smokey nj]

8. Someone has to think of the children, xultar.

Especially when they're totally irrelevant to the discussion.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. Do you ever read the articles you reply to? nt

[mitchum]

12. RIGHT on cue

[pintobean]

13. kid - noun 1. Informal. a child or young person

2.Informal. Younger than oneself: my kid brother.

Around here we refer to our offspring as kids. A 90 year old man will refer to his 65 year old son as his kid. I assumed that was standard slang everywhere. I certainly understood what you meant. Just a 3 letter word for sons and daughters.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

14. Is that Buzz Killington on your sig?

:rofl:

[pintobean]

15. Yes

I need to change it. I put him there when I went through a period of thread killing in the lounge. It seemed appropriate at the time.:)

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

16. So, do you really think you're suited to be the fourth guy in our group, Buzz Killington?

Quagmire: Yeah, I mean, we mainly just sit here in the booth and crack jokes, but, you're kind of a buzz kill.
Buzz Killington: Oh, on the contrary, I've quite a mastery of the humorous yarn (laughs). For example, do any of you know the tale of how cornmeal came to be?
Cleveland, Quagmire and Peter: No, No, uh-uh no.
Buzz Killingon: Neither did the miller when he left his house that morning.

[pintobean]

17. Nice

I love the way that ties in with your user name.

Stewie: Oh, God, he's a bigger buzzkill than Buzz Killington.
Buzz Killington: Stewie, do you know why W.S. Gilbert was frequently drunk on his trans-Atlantic crossings?
Stewie: No.
Buzz Killington: Because he was quartered on the port side. (chuckles) Now that I've got you, let's both revisit the birth of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.
Stewie: Ahhhhhhh. (sighs and pinches sinuses like he has a migraine)


BTW: that's been my sig for a long time and you're the 1st to comment on it. That surprises me, considering the popularity of the show.

[Wednesdays]

18. Think of our 65-year-old sons and daughters!

:rofl:

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Academic Freedom... this is a strange concept to some

By the way in the current environment Howard Zinn would not last as a young prof.

Oh and these wars were long gone by on the 1930s, but people like YOU are bringing them BACK.

[KG]

20. bwhahaha!

:rofl:

[Lost4words]

3. these are not harsh tacticts, BTW show me your papers.

got goose step?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. In all of them. Very situational, tenured or not

I certainly disagree with actions taken here. However, I would never waste lecture time on showing a film. That is a Jr High thing. In college I would tell the students to go and see it.

[smoogatz]

10. You would, would ya?

Good luck with that in my neck of the woods.

[RandomThoughts]

5. Tenure decentralizes where the instruction to students comes from

And there is a truth about bad, it needs centralization because it has limited resources, so if it can set up a strict authoritarian hierarchy, it can control millions through one person.

Independent thought, and things like tenure, are a threat to the bad side, because most people are more good then bad.

Same thing with any feelings of security, food security, health security, job security. Anything that can help alleviate fear and let a person express what they think is right, requires bad to devote resources to an extra person to stop or change an action or message.


Note, possible explanation for tower of babel language change?

[raouldukelives]

6. If only he had shown something genuine and unedited

Like any Fox News clips about Acorn.

[pinboy3niner]

9. I have to speak to a history class at the local JC today

I'm invited to speak, as a Vietnam vet, about the war. They have vets come in to recount our experience, and I've done this many times.

Normally I don't talk about politics, but after the '04 election, I spoke about how angry I was that W used his family conections to get into the Guard, and how that--and the Swiftboat campaign--motivated me to become a Kerry Traveler, driving from CA to OH to volunteer for John Kerry in the final two months leading up to the election.

Aside from that one time, I don't raise politics unless it comes up in the students' questions. The funny thing is, if politics doesn't come up, the prof raises it. I think he likes to show that vets are diverse, politically, and not all wingnut war lovers.

Now, reading the OP, I'm concerned. I can't help wondering--Dear Mr. or Ms. marmar: Do I have to worry about being hauled away in handcuffs today?

[riderinthestorm]

21. COD is located in one of the reddest counties in the US. Every Rethug pres candidate comes here

to get money and to be seen. This is the land of Henry Hyde, some of Dennis Hastert's district, Wheaton College, Tyndale Publishing, and more churches/person than pretty much anywhere else. Tammy Duckworth's opponent, Pete Roskam had everyone from George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and more campaign for him, and raise money for him, for that seat.

Very wealthy, very conservative. Dupage County

This particular junior college lies smack in the heart of all that.