Don’t Oppress My People With Your Comprehensible Sentences
Another great moment in Clown Quarter contortion:
“How to assess writing without judging its quality.”
We’ve been here before, of course.
Also, open thread. Feel free to share links and bicker.
We’re in the wrong timeline.
We’re in the wrong timeline.
Perhaps someone clicked on ‘Dystopian Clown Show’ by mistake.
If quality is irrelevant, why do they bother to assess writing at all?
This is cargo-cult education, but paid for as if it’s real.
This is cargo-cult education, but paid for as if it’s real.
Ah, but grading a student’s ability to convey their thoughts in writing – and to formulate thoughts by writing – is a manifestation of “white language supremacy,” a “racist practice,” and therefore to be abandoned in the name of “inclusive excellence.” You see, we mustn’t “kill our students” with even rudimentary standards or expectations of competence.
I have been advocating for some time now, that in fact all Anglosphere universities, especially “universities”, ought to be temporarily shut down for a good, detailed, rigorous and deep inquisitional delve into their vitals. I include places like “The Two British Universities” and also the finest and most revered American ones, since these should know better and be setting a global example. So, not just the 4,265,897 other institutions.
Any departments whose titles or courses contain the words “studies”, “colonialist”, “gender”, “social”, “intersectionality” “climate” etc, or that use the noun “foreground” as a transitive verb for example, would need to be permanently shut down. Ideally, all their records would be burnt, and their archived digital storage devices placed gently into the arc furnace of a steel-foundry. The “academic staff” and “administrators” of these would be of course summariliy fired. Their students would be free to take their chances applying for unskilled jobs of some sort.
Proper science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics departments would all be interviewed at some length. Some aspects of their work, such as those that find out stuff to help people and make their lives better, would be allowed to remain operating in open departments.
Previously sound technical colleges – such as many in the UK – that were magically re-morphed into “unis”, may occasionally be allowed to fully revert to “tech” status, refocusing their reformed departments into “workshop machining”, “mechanical drawing”, “physics”, “agronomy”, “bricklaying”, “electrical training”, and the like.
I have been advocating for some time now, that in fact all Anglosphere universities, especially “universities”, ought to be temporarily shut down for a good, detailed, rigorous and deep inquisitional delve into their vitals.
David, you are right… except that such enquiries would be run by those involved, and would doubtless conclude that we need more of this stuff, not less.
(This is not a joke, by the way. This is what would happen. The only people capable of running such an enquiry properly, such as Roger Scruton or Toby Young, have been hounded out of public life, or will be if they were given such an enquiry to run.)
…and to formulate thoughts by writing – is a manifestation of “white language supremacy,” a “racist practice,”…
Except, of course, if one is studying a Language of Color, in which case any error is a manifestation of white supremacy even if the offender is a POC (who obviously is suffering from repressed yte oppression).
Proper science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics departments would all be interviewed at some length.
Especially medicine, it has been infiltrated, particularly the shrinks, family practice (formerly general practice over here, even the name is moonbattery), preventive medicine, peds, and ob/gyn, as well as the administration, by moonbats for nigh onto 40 years.
I like this idea. In fact, I think we should embrace it. No need for judging anyone, no need for arbitrary hierarchies of value as perceived by (mostly) white academics. Let’s create a cargo cult tradition of just giving everyone a college degree just as soon as they pop out of the womb. Then we can close down all these senseless universities. Think of the billions, nay trillions of dollars that we can save? Not to mention the “learning” that later has to be un-learned in order for there to be any real progress. Everyone can just go out and get a job and learn there. Pretty much what we’re doing now anyway, but we will no longer be burdened with detoxing the SJW crap that young people picked up in universities and such. I’ve learned much, much more from libraries, periodicals, and now the internet than I ever learned in those four years of college. And I went back when there was still some net value to be gleaned. I really think this could be a net gain for society.
Ah, I see David Davis already proposed similar. Though DD didn’t quite go far enough in MNSHO. But that’s the general idea. Great minds think alike and all that.
Oh, good Lord. I’m moving to Boise next week.
I’m moving to Boise next week.
I hope you’ve interrogated your whiteness and those seething racial biases. Two weeks of howling and prostration should do it.
Ah, but grading a student’s ability to convey their thoughts in writing – and to formulate thoughts by writing – is a manifestation of “white language supremacy,” a “racist practice,” and therefore to be abandoned in the name of “inclusive excellence.”
AKA black privilege.
“The Woke 8-year Old Manoeuvre” returns:
https://twitter.com/DrJaninaRamirez/status/1184943340485333000
She’s an Oxford academic, you know.
AKA black privilege.
Faculty must, we’re told, “foreground diversity and inclusion in considerations of assessment and grading practices.” Which, as someone noted on Twitter, sounds like the modern, woke equivalent of the so-called ‘Gentleman’s C,’ whereby the ungifted children of statusful parents could expect to be indulged with an unearned pass grade. In short, a kind of corruption.
I have been advocating for some time now, that in fact all Anglosphere universities, especially “universities”, ought to be temporarily shut down for a good, detailed, rigorous and deep inquisitional delve into their vitals.
Just stop funding them. Cease government support for student loans. Maybe keep a few quid for scholarships in areas where we have skills shortages.
This reminds me of when I had to write mission statements for some departments in a Fortunate 500 company.
Mission statements should be fairly straightforward. They should be short, unambiguous, and should answer the employee’s question of “what am I doing at this company?”. Too often, though, they become arcane, obtuse, buzzword-laden gibberish.
The mission statement for our technology group was “To research and investigate new technologies, determine which can be used in our business, and implement them for internal use within the company”. Every member of my group knew it, could recite it, and it really did describe what we were doing.
And that was the point. They could recite it because it described what we were doing. Remembering it wasn’t a chore; if it is, then your mission statement is wrong.
In contrast, when we asked one of the business types what their mission statement was, he had to walk us over to a plaque on the wall, where there was a 300+ word explanation of strategic values, empowerment, customer satisfaction, and the like. What this had to do with the business guy, he couldn’t say, and I doubt one in a hundred of the business guys even knew what their mission statement was.
Scott Adams of Dilbert fame mocked this mission statement fad. To show just how absurd it was, he convinced a group of executives to come up with a mission statement that was not only completely unintelligible, it was actually meaningless. Not one person had any idea what their “core values” were, despite them being the cornerstone of their business.
Well, when you judge the content of your output by title and branding, and consider the actual content to be irrelevant, then of course you’re not going to care about the quality of that content. So why bother pretending?
Twenty years ago, Scott Adams was a parodist. Looking back, he was more of a prophet.
“The Woke 8-year Old Manoeuvre” returns:
Heh. That’s nothing. You should hear the things my neighbor Sam’s dog tells me. Well, not so much tells me. They’re more like instructions. Demands, actually. Fortunately I bought a white noise device that cancels him out.
Actually, I’m less bothered by these idiots engaging in stupidity than I’m agog at the idea that “ridicule” is actually a criminal offense.
[Jeff:] I’m moving to Boise next week. … [David:] I hope you’ve interrogated your whiteness
Umm, David, he said he was moving to Boise, so a bit superfluous no?
Attended a friend’s wedding. Cishet male (Jewish) and cishet female (fashionably atheist), mid-30’s, tastefully progressive politics, guy’s in tech and girl is a freelance writer.
Best part was all the little quirks they felt the need to throw in, such as:
– Father and Mother walking them down the aisle (Jewish father was visibly displeased)
– Presided over by groom’s sister, who said “by the power vested in me via three clicks on the internet”
– She also said in a mocking tone, “They take these vows in front of their family, and god – or whatever.”
– “You may now kiss the husband”
– Flipped a coin at the end to decide on their new last name*
I love these people but Christ Almighty it was cringe-inducing to see how hard they were trying to be “cool” doing the most mainstream, traditionally conservative thing imaginable. The bride didn’t forgo the pretty dress, or the event itself, or shy away from talking about having kids and staying home, but TAKING HER HUSBAND’S NAME?!? What is this, medieval times?
*The Jewish parents finally convinced the groom to keep his name and pass it on to the children. Maybe something to do with the family name surviving numerous horrors only to have the last son bearing it treat it like last year’s fashions.
to see how hard they were trying to be “cool” doing the most mainstream, traditionally conservative thing imaginable.
A friend of mine attended a wedding last week where the reception served broccoli tacos & vegan donuts on paper plates. Also paper straws for the cold drinks. Cuz vegan and plastic-is-bad.
The modern day academy; where Idiocracy meets Atlas Shrugged.
No good will come from the current educational system, but that is the point, isn’t it?
but TAKING HER HUSBAND’S NAME?!? What is this, medieval times?
The complications that can ensue have been touched on here before.
She’s an Oxford academic, you know.
And yet she confuses ridicule with hate and vitriol. Bubble dwellers aren’t used to being the butt of the joke.
Scott Adams of Dilbert fame mocked this mission statement fad. To show just how absurd it was, he convinced a group of executives to come up with a mission statement that was not only completely unintelligible, it was actually meaningless. Not one person had any idea what their “core values” were, despite them being the cornerstone of their business.
Many years ago, when this thing was a fad, Adams’ Dilbert web site had a mission statement generator. For my performance evaluation/summary one of the things they required of us that year was a personal statement of value or some such. I went out to the mission statement generator and hit it a few times until one came up that I could easily wordsmith into applying to an individual. Thought only my boss would read it. Unbeknownst to me at the time, these things were being read and evaluated by the several managers in our whole department. After that meeting, my boss came back to my cube and congratulated me on what a fantastic statement I had made. All of the other managers were very impressed. When I told him what I had done, he was even more impressed that I hadn’t wasted valuable time on it. IIRC, that was one of the best ratings (ratings were done by the whole department, not just your manager within his staff) that I ever received. While I had worked rather hard that year it wasn’t what I would consider as my hardest, best work. For my hardest year, under a very different manager, I got one of my worst reviews. They had abandoned the individual value statements by then. That first manager still brings that up when ever we get together for lunch a couple times a year.
Cuz vegan and plastic-is-bad.
Plastics are derived from petrochemicals, and petrochemicals are liquified dead dinosaurs. QED. 😀
“The Woke 8-year Old Manoeuvre” returns:
Right, totally believable, because in these days eight year olds are totally familiar with the concept of white noise and the sound of static one gets while turning a knob to tune stations on an analog radio. Happens every day as long as they don’t have to go out and get some new tubes (valves, I think you heathens call them) for the Philco..
Just as believable.
When I told him what I had done, he was even more impressed that I hadn’t wasted valuable time on it.
At one job, I did something similar when I asked what my objectives were, my first week there. “Define them yourself“, I was told.
Okay.
So “game the system to do as little as possible” was my short-term goal, “implement a coupe, and seize control of the means of production for the proletariat” was my long-term goal, and “evolve into self-aware retrovirus, traveling the galaxy at a frequency of 22.9Mhz” was my very long-term goal.
Those were my formally submitted objectives.
A co-worker read it, and was horrified. He said I’d get fired for submitting something so flippant for approval.
“Don’t worry“, I said. “$BOSS will read it, see it’s a joke, and tell me what sort of things he actually wants me to put in there. I’ll update it, and that will be the end of it.“.
I was wrong.
$BOSS didn’t tell me to change them.
At the next team meeting, $BOSS berated the group, instead. “Everyone was supposed to submit their objectives by last Friday. There are nine people in this group, and only one submitted them. And that was the new guy! Finally, we have someone who knows how to follow process, around here“.
Meanwhile, horrified co-worker is trying to get $BOSS’ attention, saying “psst.. have you actually read those objectives you’re complimenting him for submitting?“.
Was anything learned here? Yes. My co-worker realized that I wasn’t wrong when I said that nobody ever reads those objectives, let alone care about them.
and petrochemicals are liquified dead dinosaurs.
Actually, that’s not true (though perhaps you know this). Bacteria, plankton, mostly much smaller life forms. Dinosaur fossils are often found near deposits of crude oil. I think the association had something to do with the Sinclair oil company’s marketing campaigns. Not positive though. You can find much conflicting info out there and no time right now to sort it all out. I cringe a little bit (I’m getting better at this) whenever I see that association with dinosaurs or even the term “fossil fuels”. Though the latter can be justified in the broadest, though least popular, sense of the word.
Heh. Barman, please Beer Mr. Bill on my tab.
Mum of the year: https://twitter.com/_SJPeace_/status/1186654340087533569
Damn it, my eyes are damp. Someone’s been dusting the bar again.
Barman, please Beer Mr. Bill on my tab.
[ Cranks enormous, hitherto-unnoticed winch, raising equally enormous ledger into view. ]
And yet she confuses ridicule with hate and vitriol. Bubble dwellers aren’t used to being the butt of the joke.
Quite. It’s the bubble dwellers who’re usually the ones making the jokes about “gammons” or “deplorables”. I’d suggest to them that if they can’t take it, they shouldn’t dish it out, but as such people tend not to have anything approaching reciprocal principles, the endeavour would be pointless.
hitherto-unnoticed winch
That reminds me…whatever happened to that hitherto-unnoticed wench? Sigh…I guess that’s a dumb question. I thought she was rather cute, however.
such people tend not to have anything approaching reciprocal principles, the endeavour would be pointless.
As a longtime occupant of the copy desk, I have found newspaper reporters to be cut from the same cloth. They are also the most incurious bunch of people, which is curious considering the point of their profession.
And yet she confuses ridicule with hate and vitriol. Bubble dwellers aren’t used to being the butt of the joke.
She confuses nothing! She knows exactly what’s happening, but her desperate need to protect her brittle ego and reputation cannot allow the possibility that she’s been caught out saying something stupid in public and having the lumpenproles direct their righteous mockery at her.
They only option that allows for maintaining a semblance of self-worth is to pretend that she’s under attack and claim victim status, so that’s what she does. In the end, she’s not only foolish and weak, but also deceptive and manipulative. I just hope that a few members of that great pile-on decide to stick around and haunt her for weeks and months to come.
The BC Human Rights Tribunal rules against Jessica Yaniv. Odd to be cheering a common sense decision.
https://www.jccf.ca/aestheticians-justified-in-refusing-to-handle-male-genitals-against-their-will-bc-human-rights-tribunal/
For those unfamiliar with Yaniv. She’s the transexual who has been harrassing independent, immigrant estheticians for refusing to wax her bollocks.
The BC Human Rights Tribunal rules against Jessica Yaniv.
For that comment, anyone want to make book that even as we speak hate crime complaints are being filed against Mr. Cameron, and protests outside his house being organized ?
Woke pumpkin carving, both the stupidest and funniest twit threat of the day.
“Woke pumpkin carving”
And I thought those pussy hats were stupid…
Farnsworth – her bio lists “sexologist” and “certified sex coach” (produce your certificate madam! lol). Have you noticed how many people who purport to teach sex wear bangs, the least sexy hairstyle?
…the least sexy hairstyle?
Depends on the woman, depends on the bangs, our alleged sexpert OTOH…
I was certain that the first link would bring up Bettie Page. But no, that would be too cliche.
Well played, Muldoon.
Actually, that’s not true (though perhaps you know this)
Yes, but it sounds funnier my way, and that’s what’s really important. What?
Proper science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics departments would all be interviewed at some length. Some aspects of their work, such as those that find out stuff to help people and make their lives better, would be allowed to remain operating in open departments.
Also known as the Japanese Model.
The “academic staff” and “administrators” of these would be of course summariliy fired.
I likes the cut of yer gib. But I’d like it even more had the final word been ‘executed’.
Hmmm…
…sounds funnier my way…
True. Just a tic that I get. Kinda like when someone says girls in bangs ain’t sexy. Per Muldoon, I also searched out pics of Ann & Nancy Wilson and Chrissie Hynde. Had them embedded but I musta hit reload on a preview instead of a post. As Stevie Nicks might say, oh well…yeah, I know. Funnier (barely) my way.
Here’s some bangs for you…
https://youtu.be/tC1xr44Ow5U
Here’s some bangs for you…
I really wanted to see them that year but they didn’t come to Toronto. Had to wait until ’78 when they played the CNE Grandstand. Shitty venue but I really wanted to see them. That summer I drained my car battery playing Dreamboat Annie in a loop over night on a camping trip.