# Idiot Teacher Strikes Again **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 24, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449 "2006-01-24T21:31:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/161 "2006-01-26T02:07:48Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > I don’t feel the need to apologise for it. Neither should he. OK, but I still find him impertinent. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/162 "2006-01-26T02:09:51Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Man, I was criticizing **Casey** ’s parenting skills way before that Johnny-come-lately **Polycarp** showed up, and did I get called dogshit? No, I got a fuckin’ _compliment_! There ain’t no fuckin’ justice, I tells ya. Sorry :smack: . I’ll make it a point to call you dogshit in some other thread. Okay? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/163 "2006-01-26T02:11:00Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > Sure. I remember high school; it was The Land of the Dicks. Straight women and gay men _loved_ it. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/164 "2006-01-26T05:45:46Z")
> [@The Mad Hermit](#): > > Stranger, you didn’t see that I said it went too far? Just like the other assholes, you seem to think I apporve of the treacher’s actions- so I assume you think that the student’s side is th only one to hear and what do you propose to do about it? > > NO, IT DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT, it’s a little out of proportion. he didn’t have sex with the student, did he? What I object to is the apologist minimization: “a little out of proportion.” Sorry, wrong number. A little out of proportion would be overenthusiastic heckling. Taking the student’s desk away, making him sit on the floor, surrounding him with his classmates, and then not just encouraging but requiring students to bombard him with paper wads while taking an exam is going right over the line and onto the next county. That’s not an accidental _faux pas_; that is a deliberate, extended attempt to ridicule the student and encourage–no, sorry, require–other students to do the same. > [@The Mad Hermit](#): > > The “harmless fun” was probably the first thirty seconds. The teacher was too stupid to stop it befor eit went too far- and he didn’t mnake iyt very clear that he intended it to be a lesson, not a personal attack. I’m sorry, which part again was the “harmless fun”? Making the student sit on the floor? Having his classmates surround him? Requiring them to throw paper at him? And "the teacher was too stupid to stop it [before it] went too far? Nay, by all apperances he instigated and amplified it. Having been subject to teachers like that–and the aftershock where students, already encouraged by an authority figure, continued the abuse outside of class–I’d have to argue that the damage goes beyond a few easily ignored paper wads. And what the hell kind of lesson was this supposed to teach? To listen to the apologists here, the morale is that one shouldn’t “wear [a Broncos jersey] in the middle of Steeler Nation, on the weekend before the game.” Great lesson for a class on **ethnic relations**. > [@The Mad Hermit](#): > > No, each of you spin what is said to make yourself look better. Jerks. And you spin it to eliminate any sense of impropriety. It’s just “a joke” that got “a little out of proportion.” I’d like to believe that among Steelers fans there are a significant, if silent, component who would find this behavior abhorent, but the respondents here certainly don’t encourage that view. And thanks for referring to me and others as “jerks” and “assholes”; the _ad hominen_ both bolsters your argument and presents the group you claim to represent in a mature and respectful light. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/165 "2006-01-26T10:34:32Z")
By the way **Hermit** , is there going to be a retraction or apology for some of your wackier claims/insults in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/166 "2006-01-26T22:37:23Z")
Did everyone miss the fact that this was an honors class (which would be elective right?), in which every student signed a waiver stating that they knew object lessons in discrimination would be given?? Before that little item was noted I was right with everyone on the ‘that teacher is a dick that needs to be fired’ wagon, but now I have to say…the kid knew what he was getting into and needs to get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/167 "2006-01-26T23:05:07Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Did everyone miss the fact that this was an honors class (which would be elective right?), in which every student signed a waiver stating that they knew object lessons in discrimination would be given?? Where does it say this? None of the stories I read mention anything about such a waiver, and a thorough search of Google news turns up nothing, other than the story we’re all now familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/168 "2006-01-26T23:13:46Z")
First, for perhaps the sixth or seventh time: this was not an object lesson, it was a “joke”. The closest it’s come to being described as a lesson was the teacher saying that if everybody is laughing it’s obvious and that if you feel uncomfortable then that’s a lesson. But that’s a palpable copout, as there was no instruction given, only the joke. Moreover, he contradicts himself > [@](#): > > “When you are joking and everyone’s laughing, it’s obvious,” Kelly told the Denver Post. “If he felt uncomfortable, that’s a lesson. That’s what [the class] is designed to do. It was silly fun. I can’t believe he was upset.” Which is it? A lesson, or silly fun? Now, > [@Antinor01](#): > > Did everyone miss the fact that this was an honors class (which would be elective right?), in which every student signed a waiver stating that they knew object lessons in discrimination would be given? Cite? I’ve just re-checked all the posted cites in this thread, and not one of them makes even a passing refrence to what you’re talking about. Did I miss a cite that you saw, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/169 "2006-01-26T23:16:00Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Where does it say this? None of the stories I read mention anything about such a waiver, and a thorough search of Google news turns up nothing, other than the story we’re all now familiar with. post #140 in this thread, he says this was announced on the local news. You’d have to ask that poster for a cite. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/170 "2006-01-26T23:16:42Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > > [@Antinor01](#): > > > > Did everyone miss the fact that this was an honors class (which would be elective right?), in which every student signed a waiver stating that they knew object lessons in discrimination would be given?? > > Where does it say this? None of the stories I read mention anything about such a waiver, and a thorough search of Google news turns up nothing, other than the story we’re all now familiar with. The source appears to be a local news broadcast that **The Mad Hermit** heard on his television: [ > [@The Mad Hermit](#): > > It was just on the local news again. It seems that the class was an honors courseon ethnic problems, that each student had to sign a waiver because they would be subject to ethnic humiliation as part of the course, and the other students in the class wonder why it was such a big deal. The stuidents are making T-shirts in support of the teacher. > > Do you think they would be this supportive if the teacher was being a dick? ]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7035450&postcount=140](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7035450&postcount=140)) Seems he’s the only one who’s heard such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/171 "2006-01-26T23:17:01Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Where does it say this? None of the stories I read mention anything about such a waiver, and a thorough search of Google news turns up nothing, other than the story we’re all now familiar with. Damn, should’ve previewed. Le sigh. But yeah, I’m very tempted to call bullshit but it’s possible there’s a cite out there that we don’t know of… if there isn’t, however, that’s some pretty bad shit for **Antinor** to be playing at. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/172 "2006-01-26T23:19:20Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > post #140 in this thread, he says this was announced on the local news. You’d have to ask that poster for a cite. > [@Antinor01](#): > > Did everyone miss the fact that this was an honors class (which would be elective right?), in which every student signed a waiver stating that they knew object lessons in discrimination would be given Now at least we know exactly where you made your mistake. The course waver dealt with **ethnic** discrimination. Sports fans are not ethnicities. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/173 "2006-01-26T23:21:19Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > But yeah, I’m very tempted to call bullshit but it’s possible there’s a cite out there that we don’t know of… if there isn’t, however, that’s some pretty bad shit for **Antinor** to be playing at. It’s possible, yes. But considering the demonstrated beligerence of the poster who provided that tidbit, combined with the fact that none of the reputable online news outlets appear to have reported it, I believe I shall take it with an ocean’s worth of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/174 "2006-01-26T23:41:44Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Did everyone miss the fact that this was an honors class (which would be elective right?), in which every student signed a waiver stating that they knew object lessons in discrimination would be given?? If so, I don’t think the school should have allowed the course to be taught, and certainly shouldn’t have allowed this dickhead to teach it. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/175 "2006-01-26T23:45:24Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > It’s possible, yes. But considering the demonstrated beligerence of the poster who provided that tidbit, combined with the fact that none of the reputable online news outlets appear to have reported it, I believe I shall take it with an ocean’s worth of salt. Indeed. And I find it hard to believe that, if there was indeed a waver signed, the teacher and/or the school neglected to mention that when giving statements to the press. And, on preview Ms. **Neville** is spot on as well. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/176 "2006-01-26T23:51:33Z")
If it was not a legitimate item, I withdraw my statement. It seemed that there was new information available and that is what prompted my line of thinking. (I should have done my own research though of course.) Though I do take offense at being told that I’m ‘playing at bad shit’. I may have taken information that was incorrect, but I feel that line was uncalled for. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/177 "2006-01-26T23:53:56Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Though I do take offense at being told that I’m ‘playing at bad shit’. First off, you’ll notice I used the word “if”. Second, you still did change the wording of the claim made, which is not a good thing to do. Third, don’t worry about it, and welcome to the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/178 "2006-01-26T23:55:01Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Though I do take offense at being told that I’m ‘playing at bad shit’. I may have taken information that was incorrect, but I feel that line was uncalled for. I think at that point **FinnAgain** was operating under the mistaken assumption that it was _you_ who first cited the claim, and given the absence of a cite were perhaps playing fast and loose with the facts. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/179 "2006-01-26T23:56:06Z")
Or not. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449/180 "2006-01-27T00:03:18Z")
You’re right, I should have simply quoted the original post. I really shouldn’t even be posting today…I’ve nearly totally lost my voice and I’m sitting at work on the phones. It’s made me really irritable. (I hate not being able to talk, and the next person that asks me to speak up is gonna get it) I’ll just drop out of this thread now. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-teacher-strikes-again/341449.md?page=10)