On the subject of racism / political correctness

[fromderinside]

What is a parent who tells his dog owning son to blow the whistle he just gave him when the dog crosses the street?

 

[Metaphor]

It’s racist in every form

I think the assignment -- in its current form -- is (gulp) problematic, but it's difficult to understand what it would mean for the assignment to be 'racist'. The assignment could, however, uncover the racist (and other prejudiced) beliefs of the students.

The real problem with the assignment is the description of the overboardees essentialises one aspect of a person as if they had no other characteristics. There's a 'girl doctor' and a 'Hispanic woman' -- what's the girl doctor's ethnicity, and what's the Hispanic woman's occupation?

I remember a similar assignment that I did in early high school (around year 7-8), although race was not as prominently featured, and I specifically recall we had a priest and not a minister on the human jetsam list. It doesn't seem like a 'team building' exercise though, more like a thought experiment for a philosophy class. (I can't remember what class I had the assignment in, but it might have been the 'personal development' part of Health/P.D./P.E.)

Actually, I've thought of a way to break the assignment: the girl doctor is also a pregnant Hispanic woman, and the guy doctor is also the 'black guy', the 'ex-convict' and 'the minister'. So there's actually 10 people, not 15.

Toss Trump over and everybody who isn't a known douchebag lives!

 

[RavenSky]

It’s racist in every form

I think the assignment -- in its current form -- is (gulp) problematic, but it's difficult to understand what it would mean for the assignment to be 'racist'. The assignment could, however, uncover the racist (and other prejudiced) beliefs of the students.

The real problem with the assignment is the description of the overboardees essentialises one aspect of a person as if they had no other characteristics. There's a 'girl doctor' and a 'Hispanic woman' -- what's the girl doctor's ethnicity, and what's the Hispanic woman's occupation?

I remember a similar assignment that I did in early high school (around year 7-8), although race was not as prominently featured, and I specifically recall we had a priest and not a minister on the human jetsam list. It doesn't seem like a 'team building' exercise though, more like a thought experiment for a philosophy class. (I can't remember what class I had the assignment in, but it might have been the 'personal development' part of Health/P.D./P.E.)

Actually, I've thought of a way to break the assignment: the girl doctor is also a pregnant Hispanic woman, and the guy doctor is also the 'black guy', the 'ex-convict' and 'the minister'. So there's actually 10 people, not 15.

Toss Trump over and everybody who isn't a known douchebag lives!

As a thought experiment for philosophy classes is the only way I've seen this activity used ( with or without the race elements). That's why I don't get the "team-building" claim.

I agree with you that it -as used - seems more like a means of showing who in the class is racist

 

[J842P]

I think the assignment -- in its current form -- is (gulp) problematic, but it's difficult to understand what it would mean for the assignment to be 'racist'. The assignment could, however, uncover the racist (and other prejudiced) beliefs of the students.

The real problem with the assignment is the description of the overboardees essentialises one aspect of a person as if they had no other characteristics. There's a 'girl doctor' and a 'Hispanic woman' -- what's the girl doctor's ethnicity, and what's the Hispanic woman's occupation?

I remember a similar assignment that I did in early high school (around year 7-8), although race was not as prominently featured, and I specifically recall we had a priest and not a minister on the human jetsam list. It doesn't seem like a 'team building' exercise though, more like a thought experiment for a philosophy class. (I can't remember what class I had the assignment in, but it might have been the 'personal development' part of Health/P.D./P.E.)

Actually, I've thought of a way to break the assignment: the girl doctor is also a pregnant Hispanic woman, and the guy doctor is also the 'black guy', the 'ex-convict' and 'the minister'. So there's actually 10 people, not 15.

Toss Trump over and everybody who isn't a known douchebag lives!

As a thought experiment for philosophy classes is the only way I've seen this activity used ( with or without the race elements). That's why I don't get the "team-building" claim.

I agree with you that it -as used - seems more like a means of showing who in the class is racist

It may simply have been a vehicle for getting a dialogue started in class.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

As a thought experiment for philosophy classes is the only way I've seen this activity used ( with or without the race elements). That's why I don't get the "team-building" claim.

I agree with you that it -as used - seems more like a means of showing who in the class is racist

It may simply have been a vehicle for getting a dialogue started in class.

I agree. The parents are the real problem.

 

[TSwizzle]

As a thought experiment for philosophy classes is the only way I've seen this activity used ( with or without the race elements). That's why I don't get the "team-building" claim.

I agree with you that it -as used - seems more like a means of showing who in the class is racist

It may simply have been a vehicle for getting a dialogue started in class.

Not these days. No, the kids that stray from PC orthodoxy will be tagged as having committed a thought crime and that will catch up with them later in life.

 

[Juma]

It is a vad assigment. The categories are unusable, the problem (who is to live) unnecessary loaded. And worst: the categories included them selves (whites, blacks etc)

 

[RavenSky]

As a thought experiment for philosophy classes is the only way I've seen this activity used ( with or without the race elements). That's why I don't get the "team-building" claim.

I agree with you that it -as used - seems more like a means of showing who in the class is racist

It may simply have been a vehicle for getting a dialogue started in class.

What sort of dialog? If the list had been more like lists I've seen used in similar exercises I might agree. But what sort of useful dialog would come from any student's decision to toss the "Hispanic woman"?

 

[AthenaAwakened]

generally these kind of prompts list people by occupation/skills, gender, maybe age. this is the first one I have every seen that used race and religion.

 

[Toni]

generally these kind of prompts list people by occupation/skills, gender, maybe age. this is the first one I have every seen that used race and religion.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

A pregnant woman: Normally, we should get rid of the lying whore, but then that would hurt the baby. Wait for the baby to be born, then throw them both overboard.
An ex-convict: Sounds dangerous. Keep him, but put him on corner arrest.
A guy doctor: Since I don't carry around my insurance card with me, he's of no value. Buh-bye.
A girl doctor: Same with her.
A black guy: This guy sounds needlessly superficial. Get rid of him.
A white guy: This guy also sounds needlessly superficial. Plus, he's just copying the black guy. Get rid of him.
An Hispanic woman: we could probably use her to clean up the life raft after meals. So we should keep her.
A minister: Would be good at story-telling which we do not need.
Donald Trump: Also good at story-telling but is way more dramatic. Keeper.
Mr. Hagerman: It sounds like if I said this guy would be useful, that he'd give me a good grade. So we should keep him.
Mr. Babor: Probably Mr. Hagerman's friend. So keep him, too.
A rabbi: If we needed to know what the original Hebrew text said about how many cows to trade for a virgin, then he would be essential. So he's absolutely necessary.
Barack Obama: We won't be able to shut him up when we're trying to sleep. Get rid of him.
Justin Bieber: Competition. Must eliminate.
A police officer: Normally, we would have needed the police officer to shoot the black guy in case he wasn't moving in the raft when being told to do so by the police officer. But since we already got rid of the black guy, we don't need the police officer.

Wait, we were supposed to keep 9? Wow, this assignment really is difficult.