Friday, March 8, 2013

Troubling Trends in Education...



                            Troubling Trends in Education...



   As much as our society seems to promote the idea that pornography and treating women as objects is in poor taste, there are strong currents in the media and elsewhere that are trending in the opposite direction.
   One of the most disturbing realities is that pornography, and the objectification of women is viewed as normal by many in our society today. Sadly, these views, which are degrading to women, are often promoted in public schools by teachers, especially at the college level.

   Recently, one of our daughters, who attends a Community College, sat through a lecture on aesthetics and feminism in which the male instructor verbally belittled the female gender, and promoted the ideas of male superiority. This lecture was in a philosophy class focused on aesthetics. Our daughter came away from that lecture feeling angry and emotionally upset by the ways in which the instructor framed the argument, and skewed it to denigrate women, and promote views of male dominance and superiority.

   As a parent I have to ask myself, is this education? It is more similar to indoctrination, and sexual discrimination. No student, male or female,should ever have to be subjected to gender stereotyping, or lectures that reinforce the putting down of one gender, while raising up another. 

   This isn't my first experience with similar scenarios at other community colleges, and it causes me to question the mindset of the instructor, who gets away with breaking the sexual harassment and discrimination policies of the college that employs him. This type of "lecture" is NOT education, rather it is the foisting of one's views on others. I would call it pollution, because it doesn't seek to raise up, but rather it seeks to bring down. Of particular concern to me is the long-term effects on our communities, and society as a whole, when a teachers' agenda promotes ideas which contribute directly or indirectly to violence against women.

~Kathy~

No comments:

Post a Comment