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Should Math Be Taught in Schools?

  • Jul. 4th, 2011 at 7:12 PM
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((Sad to say, this parody is hardly exaggerated at all. A few of the answers are almost verbatim to the actual answers of the Miss USA contestants to "Should Evolution Be Taught in Schools." Go watch that video on YouTube and see for yourself)).

(((There are days I think I am living in the world of Kornbluth's "Marching Morons." Just look at reality TV, and remember the hit show in his story)))

(((I am vastly pleased that the eventual Miss USA winner, and GAME OF THRONES fan, does "believe in evolution." And presuambly in math as well))).
  • Current Mood: indescribable indescribable

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Ser_Pounce
Jul. 5th, 2011 01:29 am (UTC)
as someone from vermont..
I hope people don't think we have a condescending view of other states like that.
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frootjoos
Jul. 5th, 2011 01:31 am (UTC)
Haha! After I was done being horrified, I laughed, then I felt horrified again. Yay for math and evolution, the InterWebs, and Game of Thrones.
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Joel Burke
Jul. 5th, 2011 01:35 am (UTC)
incredulity
GRRM,

Come to Canada, where facts are allowed to be facts.

Love,

Canada

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acharmedlife
Jul. 5th, 2011 03:17 am (UTC)
Re: incredulity
I am Canadian and I approve this message.
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Re: incredulity - Nicole Jacobs - Jul. 6th, 2011 08:35 pm (UTC) - Expand
misunderstruck
Jul. 5th, 2011 01:37 am (UTC)
My head nearly exploded the first time I watched that (especially the "We really don't know what the square root of 16 is... no one does!"), as I viewed it immediately after the Miss USA evolution and was a bit slow in catching on that it was a parody.
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ningrim
Jul. 5th, 2011 01:45 am (UTC)
There's a difference between observation/evidence-based scientific theory, and math, which is pure logic. Not fair to compare the two.

I'm a believer in evolution, but it is a theory, and I don't begrudge a parents' right to decide the type of curriculum that's best for their children.

I don't think it's fair to characterize skeptics of evolution as "Marching Morons". Ridiculing skeptics into silence is an all to common practice when it comes to science.

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grrm
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:41 am (UTC)
Evolution was a theory when Charles Darwin wrote ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. It has long since been proved, to the satisfaction of anyone with any understanding of science.

"Skeptics" of evolution deserve the same respect we give flat earthers.
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(no subject) - saxster - Jul. 5th, 2011 02:53 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - monksp - Jul. 5th, 2011 06:09 am (UTC) - Expand
Neandrathals - vikjha - Jul. 13th, 2011 08:11 pm (UTC) - Expand
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the missing link? - grrm - Jul. 6th, 2011 10:41 pm (UTC) - Expand
Re: the missing link? - xmalanthax - Jul. 6th, 2011 11:51 pm (UTC) - Expand
Re: the missing link? - douglaswweb - Jul. 7th, 2011 04:33 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - malimar - Jul. 7th, 2011 04:55 pm (UTC) - Expand
(Suspicious comment)
(no subject) - malimar - Jul. 8th, 2011 04:54 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - xmalanthax - Jul. 9th, 2011 11:59 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - Anthony Rosa - Jul. 5th, 2011 07:09 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - blessedrelease - Jul. 6th, 2011 11:48 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - pimpstergust - Jul. 5th, 2011 12:26 pm (UTC) - Expand
Evolution and what is really is.... - tstanton - Jul. 6th, 2011 06:06 am (UTC) - Expand
awesome - vikjha - Jul. 13th, 2011 08:23 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - joeromel - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:04 am (UTC) - Expand
I must say... - dbeschoner - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:21 am (UTC) - Expand
Re: I must say... - spitphyre - Jul. 5th, 2011 06:24 am (UTC) - Expand
Re: I must say... - pimpstergust - Jul. 5th, 2011 12:30 pm (UTC) - Expand
Re: I must say... - tquid - Jul. 6th, 2011 12:38 am (UTC) - Expand
Re: I must say... - pocketfulofposy - Jul. 5th, 2011 01:12 pm (UTC) - Expand
Re: I must say... - dbeschoner - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:59 pm (UTC) - Expand
Re: I must say... - splintercat - Jul. 6th, 2011 06:01 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - sqlrob - Jul. 5th, 2011 04:01 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - monksp - Jul. 5th, 2011 04:55 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - AmberLee Dingess - Jul. 5th, 2011 05:56 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - Blaž Heij - Jul. 5th, 2011 07:34 am (UTC) - Expand
mmhmm - vikjha - Jul. 13th, 2011 09:00 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - spin_the_mythos - Aug. 3rd, 2011 04:20 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - Javiera Carreo - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:26 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - tatterfoal - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:40 am (UTC) - Expand
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(no subject) - calimac - Jul. 5th, 2011 04:19 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - lied_ohne_worte - Jul. 5th, 2011 06:22 am (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - matthewrodney - Jul. 5th, 2011 04:18 pm (UTC) - Expand
sakuraberries
Jul. 5th, 2011 01:59 am (UTC)
Some of the Miss USA answers really, really make me fear for the future of this country.
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fixnwrtr
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:10 am (UTC)
Frightening since all the contestants are supposed to be college students.
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ortomante
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:19 am (UTC)
Brazilian President also a fan.
I read it on the newspaper yesterday and couldn't believe, but apparently the brazilian lady president, ms Dilma Houssef is also a fan of the HBO series, and when she couldn't watch it she recorded it. This appeared across a few papers and websites, just google yourself "Dilma Game of Thrones"

Greetings from Brazil.
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Dylan Beschoner
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:25 am (UTC)
Miss Arkansas
As a native Arkansan I am saddened by the fact that a graduate of an Arkansas school claims not to have been taught evolution. I'd just like to clarify that this isn't a universal problem in the Arkansas school system. Please believe me! And honestly evolution and Intelligent Design do not contradict one another. They can both be true, but they both should not be taught in science class. Creationism isn't science. Evolution is. If a class in theology or religion is offered or the school is a private institution then I understand teaching both. One belongs in science class the other in a religion class.

Tell me you agree.
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ziggychaos
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:39 am (UTC)
Just proves my theory that these women win because of their looks and not their brains. Sad.
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spitphyre
Jul. 5th, 2011 06:16 am (UTC)
I think that was established long before this :P (Other than those silly protests from those involved)
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(Deleted comment)
joeromel
Jul. 5th, 2011 03:09 am (UTC)
Well, actually, it does contradict your faith. The Bible lays out a pretty specific history of how life started, and evolution proves that account to be false. It's hard for these two things to coexist because in order for one to thrive, the other has to adjust and concede.

Of course, you can't (yet) disprove the existence of a god with science, but it has debunked the stories of the holy books, and pushed the need for a good so far back that its hypothetical existence is irrelevant.
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(no subject) - sesmo - Jul. 5th, 2011 05:13 am (UTC) - Expand
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(no subject) - xmalanthax - Jul. 5th, 2011 12:36 pm (UTC) - Expand
wrong - James T Delles - Jul. 6th, 2011 01:17 am (UTC) - Expand
Oh, come on! - dorme_dwayne - Jul. 5th, 2011 01:29 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - tully01 - Jul. 5th, 2011 02:22 pm (UTC) - Expand
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Your concern only holds... - dbeschoner - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:15 pm (UTC) - Expand
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Uh... - beardly - Jul. 6th, 2011 01:41 am (UTC) - Expand
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(no subject) - Anthony Rosa - Jul. 5th, 2011 10:50 pm (UTC) - Expand
This is utterly wrong. - death_panel - Jul. 5th, 2011 11:39 pm (UTC) - Expand
A little math - xmalanthax - Jul. 6th, 2011 06:21 pm (UTC) - Expand
Michael E. Brammer
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:45 am (UTC)
Science is not about belief
A far better answer would be to summarize evolution and explain how it is a foundational principle in modern biology. Some examples of common descent would also be useful.
That is how I am teaching my daughters. They won't be beauty constestants - just an engineer and a doctor (or at least that is what they aspire to today).
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saxster
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:50 am (UTC)
Should art be taught in schools? Music? Writing?

Human Evolution remains a theory.
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spitphyre
Jul. 5th, 2011 06:14 am (UTC)
You should probably look below for definition of the word "theory" in relation to evolution...
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(no subject) - Mohammed Ahmed - Jul. 7th, 2011 10:16 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - sqlrob - Jul. 5th, 2011 01:15 pm (UTC) - Expand
Ah the old semantic argument - tonymaacaroni - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:18 pm (UTC) - Expand
(no subject) - 0nesun - Jul. 5th, 2011 06:34 pm (UTC) - Expand
trystan830
Jul. 5th, 2011 02:51 am (UTC)
wow. just.... wow.

the parody and the original. yikes.
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stubbycarey
Jul. 5th, 2011 03:27 am (UTC)
That was an excellent parody - and I agree that it is sad that it was necesssary. Education has failed when people still say things like "evolution is only a theory".

But one thing rings true - you have an amazing spectrum of fans. ;)
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wolfden
Jul. 5th, 2011 03:28 am (UTC)
I should not have watched the evolution video - I'm soooo depressed now.

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tushhog5
Jul. 5th, 2011 04:30 am (UTC)
I teach biology. One of the first things people ask me is "do I believe in evolution?" My first reply is always "what's your definition of evolution?" that term just has too much range nowadays. If you mean do I believe living things can change and adapt over time? Absolutely. Or are you asking that I eliminate my Creator from my thinking? Absolutely not.
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triarus
Jul. 5th, 2011 05:14 am (UTC)
This is by far the best response to Evolution imho. Adaptability does not negate faith or personal belief. They day that one concept is the only allowed concept is the day we burn books and goose-step through Kingslanding.
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(no subject) - crazyfrogger - Jul. 6th, 2011 09:40 am (UTC) - Expand
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quique12
Jul. 5th, 2011 04:51 am (UTC)
The parody was pretty funny. I watched the real answers and to be honest, I thought it would be worse. Most of them answered "Yes", although most of them were for the wrong reason "We should teach both sides" (since there is no other side, creationism is about the origin, evolution is about the road from the origin to now).

My favorite answer was the one from Miss Vermont. She was one of the few (or perhaps the only one) who knew what evolution is.

Public schools should teach that the word theory in science means a different thing than the word theory in common parlance. In science, it means it has been tested many times and it is a fact or very close to a fact. What people call "theory" in common speech, scientists call "hypothesis" or "conjecture" (in the case of mathematics).
I think this discrepancy is what creates so much confusion.
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joshua_the_bear
Jul. 5th, 2011 08:17 am (UTC)
This. Very much this.
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(no subject) - vikjha - Jul. 13th, 2011 09:10 pm (UTC) - Expand
yes and no - tonymaacaroni - Jul. 5th, 2011 03:35 pm (UTC) - Expand
Re: yes and no - spitphyre - Jul. 5th, 2011 07:30 pm (UTC) - Expand
spitphyre
Jul. 5th, 2011 06:08 am (UTC)
Alright, we want to teach creationism to kids? Sounds great! Let's make another class called Creationism where children learn the creation myth for every religion ever. No one will have a problem with that!

Also, why is this pageant given so much weight? How is it ok to judge people on these standards? Listening to the actual video is making me annoyed with the world.
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escarboucle
Jul. 5th, 2011 06:09 am (UTC)
As a French, I was shocked when I learned that evolution wasn't taught in all the states in the US. :/

And god, this parody, I don't know if I should laugh or cry X'D
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sistercrow
Jul. 5th, 2011 06:53 am (UTC)
That so many "well educated" women think that Creationism should be taught in schools, rather than in church amazes me.

That so many think that the alternative to evolution to be taught is the Judeo-Christian myth is appalling.

Personally, I was taught both evolution in science class; and mythology (sans the Judeo-Christian myth) in history and literature. I was taught the basics of several other religions in world culture.

Creationism was taught in church (I grew up Christian), where I think it belongs.

I would not have a problem if the Judeo-Christian version of things were part of the world culture classes; but I *do* have a problem with it being taught as a scientific theory.

I also suggest these "well educated" women go back and *read* the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. A creator is mentioned, but there is no reference to God as the creator.
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spitphyre
Jul. 5th, 2011 07:40 pm (UTC)
I took a college course on history and literature where the teacher spent the entire time trying to explain to us why the myths from other religions that we were studying were wrong. Yeah, because I think studying Gilgamesh and ancient Greek myth is going to convert us. *eye roll*
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msconduct
Jul. 5th, 2011 06:53 am (UTC)
To all those who say "Evolution is just a theory!" I can only respond: nnnnrrrgggh.
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Robert Gustavsson
Jul. 5th, 2011 07:21 am (UTC)
What we are
Saw this first and the original about religion after. Why are these girls calling evolution a theory but seem to think that the bible is fact? That's just sad. This is just another example of things that make other countries regard americans as stupid. Get real and teach evolution in school and while you're at it... teach history (not just US but world history) and geography (world geography). Sure BELIVE in the bible if it gives you comfort.... but KNOW about evolution.

This is what i belive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a15KgyXBX24
And yes... Ernest Cline is an american.
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_shinkei
Jul. 5th, 2011 08:04 am (UTC)
Math - and all its subsets
I never understand why not all different theories/agendas can't be taught in math i.e. geometry has a stronger case and these are the reasons why we believe it to be true. But there are those that buy the trigonometry theory and they state their case as this these are both arguments for and against you decide logically which seems the most likely to you on your own and no one can complain because all sides get taught. And then 300 years later the world gets pissed off because algebra was right.

In plain terms the above statement is 2 opposing theories are approached with unreasonable venom from both sides and in the end a third as yet unnamed theory will probably be correct but elements from one or both could be within that theory. Proving once again people are idiots.
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spitphyre
Jul. 5th, 2011 07:45 pm (UTC)
Re: Math - and all its subsets
... I think there's a huge difference between evolution and trigonometry or geometry or algebra. I mean the paragraph is funny but it doesn't really work when you're trying to prove a point about why people should stop arguing about evolution vs. creationism.

Could there be something else out there to clearly explain the origin of life on Earth that will one day make itself clear? Yeah. There could be. But that doesn't make evolution invalid. It's pretty clear that evolution is a fact of life and all it takes to understand this is a little cursory studying of animal development. (Or plant or us or whatever)
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Re: Math - and all its subsets - _shinkei - Jul. 6th, 2011 08:13 am (UTC) - Expand
Heikki Arponen
Jul. 5th, 2011 08:08 am (UTC)
You're not supposed to BELIEVE in evolution, you either UNDERSTAND it, don't understand it... or refuse to understand it, as is the case with the "bible thumpers" (just read the Fevre Dream ;) )

Luckily in the near future evolution will probably become a testable empirical science as we realize that it's the only way to create artificial intelligence/life. Let the creationists try to develop their own AI ;)
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spitphyre
Jul. 5th, 2011 07:46 pm (UTC)
Let the creationists try to develop their own AI ;)

That's kind of a terrifying thought :P
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