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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   33459 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of June 19, 2023

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"When I was in school, I was bullied for my conservative beliefs, even by teachers. So I became a teacher, and now conservative students are my favorites." Would you infer that I am a loser who discriminates against liberal students? Or, would you perhaps draw a more charitable inference, such as that I support conservative students, within the bounds of teacher ethics? I am betting the latter. Yet you do not extend that charity to a member of your outgroup.

Why did you change the example away from race and into political opinions? Please write the same post with the quote being about a white teacher being bullied by black students when he was young, and now whites being his favorites, and tell me with a straight face you'd see absolutely no issue with that.

I am betting the latter.

Well, pay up. Yeah the conservative example seems pretty wildly inappropriate to me. I don't see why he should know his students political opinions, and to the extent they came up in class, he definitely shouldn't be uploading videos on TikTok about how they're his favorites. And yes, a teacher that does upload this sort of stuff to TikTok is very likely engaging in discriminatory behavior. When I was in school some teachers whre playing favorites even when they were doing their best to maintain a front of neutrality, someone who publicly blasts his preferences for everyone to see probably has no breaks in the classroom.

When I was in school some teachers whre playing favorites even when they were doing their best to maintain a front of neutrality,

And note that you have now changed the subject. The claim was that the teacher was "practic[ing] that discrimination against others." I.e., bullying others, or somehow harming others. Not the same as giving a benefit to your favorite student (not that that is necessarily ethical). Especially where, in the context of the quote, that means providing emotional support, or sponsoring an LGBT club, or the like (which is perfectly ethical). There is no evidence that this guy is doing anything other than that, and your insistence otherwise says more about your biases than his.

And note that you have now changed the subject.

No I haven't, but before we get on to that, what I would like to note, is that you're still refusing to say you'd see no issue in the white teacher who used to be bullied by black kids example.

The claim was that the teacher was "practic[ing] that discrimination against others." I.e., bullying others, or somehow harming others.

Yeah, giving preferential treatment to students you like more is, in fact, bullying, and harming others.

Especially where, in the context of the quote, that means providing emotional support, or sponsoring an LGBT club, or the like (which is perfectly ethical).

I see no reason why I should assume that's what it means in the context of the quote. Also, preferential treatment in providing emotional support is still discrimination.

There is no evidence that this guy is doing anything other than that, and your insistence otherwise says more about your biases than his.

I'm not insisting on anything, you asked me whether or not I would be ok with a conservative teacher making an analogous video, and I explained why it would be wrong. Stop putting words in my mouth, and concede you were wrong, please.

Also, preferential treatment in providing emotional support is still discrimination.

It is not discriminating against others, as the OP claimed.

I'm not insisting on anything,

  1. You wrote in defense of someone who made that exact claim.

  2. You said, "a teacher that does upload this sort of stuff to TikTok is very likely engaging in discriminatory behavior."

It is not discriminating against others, as the OP claimed.

How is preferential treatment not discrimination? Aren't they basically synonyms?

You wrote in defense of someone who made that exact claim.

By making an analogy to a white teacher bullied by black kids, which you are refusing to engage with for the third time. Why?

You said, "a teacher that does upload this sort of stuff to TikTok is very likely engaging in discriminatory behavior."

"Given my experience with how people behave, I think it's reasonable to believe a teacher who acts this way is discriminating his students" is not "insisting" a specific teacher must be engaging in specific behavior. You're entitled to believe the guy is a perfectly fine teacher, but you seemed confused as to why anyone could disagree, I was trying to explain where this belief is coming from.

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