Just to give you a fair warning, this is going to be a post in which I'm bitching about how something is unfair. In my defense, I think it really IS unfair. However, if you don't care, then move along.
I got my math exam back today. I was expecting a pretty good grade; there were 8 problems, and I figured I'd gotten 7 of them right, and a good bit of the last. I think it's pretty clear from the title that a good grade is not what I received.
Lets look at the one that I figured I didn't get completely. It was a substitution problem, and I knew I didn't have it all done. But I got the first part of it. And that was validated, because the grade wrote "close" by the part I had. Then gave me a 0/3. Nothing, at all, for being close. This is coming after the professor said that she was making it not multiple choice, so that she could give partial credit.
So yes, 0/3. And that leads to the other big problem, which is that the problems were all out of 2 or 3 points, so even if I did something tiny wrong at the end, I'd lose either 33 or 66% of that problem. Number 1, I went through all 8 steps correctly, on the 9th and final step, I forgot a t. Clearly correct in each step above. Because of the error in the last line, I got a 50% on that problem. Next one, there were 6 parts. Find 3 points, and then classify. I found all 3, classified one correctly, and flipped the other two classifications when I wrote them down. From my markings on the graph, it's easy to tell I understood but wrote them down wrong. Even so, and taking away full credit for both ones I flipped, I got 4 of the 6 parts right, so should get 2/3 points, right? Nope, I got 1 point, because each of the parts I got wrong was half a point, and they both rounded up. One problem seven, there were 5 answers to classify true or false, I got 4 of the 5 right. But it was only worth 2 points, so I got 50% on that one. And with the last problem, it was a story problem. I detailed out the drawing, translated it into an equation, a correct one. There was one step at the end which she didn't specify that was needed, which was to replace W with Winitial - 3 gal/min. I Put in W instead of 50 gal, (as it was on the in class review) because I knew it would change. But, she wanted that extra step. And so by not doing that last step, after doing everything correctly, I got a 50% on that one.
All the problems added together were 20 points. Had they each been worth 5 times more, 100 points, and I could lose points percentage wize, I'd have given myself an 80. Because we could only lose points in chucks of 5%, I got a 12/20, or a 60%. I call shenanigans, and I'm considering dropping the class. Right now it will be an incomplete (equivalent to a widthdraw), which won't impact my GPA. I can try to take it again next semester, or possibly over the summer online. This isn't material I will be using for my career, so I couldn't care less if I understand it, I just need the grade. The problem is that even with understanding it, this professor is going to fail me.
Showing posts with label Hate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hate. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Consequences of Bullying and Intolerance
Imagine you are a college freshman. You are finally out into the real world, away from home. As someone who was in that position 2 years ago, it was fun, but definitely intimidating at the beginning. All the new faces plus a lack of familiar ones, added to an increase in responsibility. According to American College Testing (ACT), more than 1 in 4 students drop out before completing their sophomore year. And that number is a broad average, for all students.
Tyler Clementi had to worry about all the normal stresses of being a new college student, plus the stress of dealing with intolerance and hate because of his sexuality. And he was doing just that, until one day his roommate decided it would be a good idea to use a webcam to record Clementi and his boyfriend while they were having intimate relations.
This could be looked at as a prank. It could also be looked at as a hatecrime. The problem is determining why the roommate did it.
Why is it so bad? People post sex tapes all the time, it's true. But posting one yourself is one thing. Having someone else post it without your knowledge or consent is entirely another. This is added to the fact that the video advertised to the world in a very graphic way that Clementi was gay, when it should have been his choice whether or not to tell people. Personally I think hiding it isn't a good idea, it makes it seem like it's a bad thing, but there's so much negativity surrounding the issue that coming out is difficult sometimes. Even so, it's still just a really bad prank, right? Yeah, until Clementi committed suicide because of it.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/01/new.jersey.student.suicide/
Now we come to the question of why. Why did he commit suicide? Quite obviously the invasion of privacy, the fact that his private relations were shown to the world (twice), had a large impact, because the suicide happened right after them. However, was it the only reason, or simply the last straw? Personally I suspect there were other things going on; other people he was afraid of. Think about it. If he asked his roommate for the room both nights, he had to realize that the roommate probably knew. Yet he didn't commit suicide after the first night, didn't even refrain from telling the roommate. IE, the roommate knowing didn't bother him, or not enough to commit suicide at least. It was only when other people became aware of the problem that he jumped.
Bullying is rampant throughout our school system, from K-12 through college. Obviously it varies in type and severity from school to school and from grade to grade, but if you look hard enough, it can usually be found. It's difficult though, because our culture idolizes people who can take care of themselves. for example: In the show Freaks and Geeks, at one point the main character, a younger geek, is being bullied, and asks a teacher for help. The teacher does help, but then tells the kid to be more of a man next time. I personally had a bully when I was in middle school, and my problem was that he was a year younger than me. Anytime I told anyone, I got a universal answer of, dude, he's a little kid, he can't be that bad. Finally one day on the school bus, he took an empty soda bottle and threw it cap first into my face. Bounced off my glasses. So I waited until he turned around and cuffed him in the back of the head. I got in trouble of course. The same teachers that wouldn't listen when I said he was starting things were happy berate me for attacking a child. (One year difference, what a 'child' he was). I got out of it with just a detention, and I noticed that afterward, despite the fact that the teachers were angry, I was left alone afterward, never got bullied again. Only because I hit someone though, which shouldn't be the case.
Schools always trying to cut back on bullying, but it's still always there. And it's orders of magnitude worse for LGBT students. Not only are the bullies vindicated by normal reasons of success and friends, they are also vindicated by their pastor preaching homosexuality is evil, their parent talking about the radical gay agenda, and the students around them casually tossing off the word 'fag'.
While bullying might be less prevalent on college campuses, if it does occur, it can be far worse. Most bullies grow out of it, but the ones who continue just get more dangerous. This is what I fear was plaguing Clementi. The day after he found out about the videos, he threw himself off a bridge. What could cause such fear? What could be worse than death? Obviously there was SOMETHING, or he wouldn't have done it. He didn't do it because his privacy was breached. he did it because of what he feared that would cause. Will we ever know what that was exactly? Probably not.
But we do know the both the direct (video) cause, and the indirect cause (hatred and intolerance). The first we can deal with by prosecuting the offenders under the State's Privacy Invasion laws. The second isn't a crime. But we can still fight it. Call someone out if they use the the word 'fag'. Challenge people who try to spread fear and hate. Mostly, be accepting of others, even if they have different lifestyles. Day by day, people are abandoning the hatred which Fundamentalist churches keep pushing. Hopefully we will live to see the day that we all abandon it.
Tyler Clementi had to worry about all the normal stresses of being a new college student, plus the stress of dealing with intolerance and hate because of his sexuality. And he was doing just that, until one day his roommate decided it would be a good idea to use a webcam to record Clementi and his boyfriend while they were having intimate relations.
This could be looked at as a prank. It could also be looked at as a hatecrime. The problem is determining why the roommate did it.
Why is it so bad? People post sex tapes all the time, it's true. But posting one yourself is one thing. Having someone else post it without your knowledge or consent is entirely another. This is added to the fact that the video advertised to the world in a very graphic way that Clementi was gay, when it should have been his choice whether or not to tell people. Personally I think hiding it isn't a good idea, it makes it seem like it's a bad thing, but there's so much negativity surrounding the issue that coming out is difficult sometimes. Even so, it's still just a really bad prank, right? Yeah, until Clementi committed suicide because of it.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/01/new.jersey.s
Now we come to the question of why. Why did he commit suicide? Quite obviously the invasion of privacy, the fact that his private relations were shown to the world (twice), had a large impact, because the suicide happened right after them. However, was it the only reason, or simply the last straw? Personally I suspect there were other things going on; other people he was afraid of. Think about it. If he asked his roommate for the room both nights, he had to realize that the roommate probably knew. Yet he didn't commit suicide after the first night, didn't even refrain from telling the roommate. IE, the roommate knowing didn't bother him, or not enough to commit suicide at least. It was only when other people became aware of the problem that he jumped.
Bullying is rampant throughout our school system, from K-12 through college. Obviously it varies in type and severity from school to school and from grade to grade, but if you look hard enough, it can usually be found. It's difficult though, because our culture idolizes people who can take care of themselves. for example: In the show Freaks and Geeks, at one point the main character, a younger geek, is being bullied, and asks a teacher for help. The teacher does help, but then tells the kid to be more of a man next time. I personally had a bully when I was in middle school, and my problem was that he was a year younger than me. Anytime I told anyone, I got a universal answer of, dude, he's a little kid, he can't be that bad. Finally one day on the school bus, he took an empty soda bottle and threw it cap first into my face. Bounced off my glasses. So I waited until he turned around and cuffed him in the back of the head. I got in trouble of course. The same teachers that wouldn't listen when I said he was starting things were happy berate me for attacking a child. (One year difference, what a 'child' he was). I got out of it with just a detention, and I noticed that afterward, despite the fact that the teachers were angry, I was left alone afterward, never got bullied again. Only because I hit someone though, which shouldn't be the case.
Schools always trying to cut back on bullying, but it's still always there. And it's orders of magnitude worse for LGBT students. Not only are the bullies vindicated by normal reasons of success and friends, they are also vindicated by their pastor preaching homosexuality is evil, their parent talking about the radical gay agenda, and the students around them casually tossing off the word 'fag'.
While bullying might be less prevalent on college campuses, if it does occur, it can be far worse. Most bullies grow out of it, but the ones who continue just get more dangerous. This is what I fear was plaguing Clementi. The day after he found out about the videos, he threw himself off a bridge. What could cause such fear? What could be worse than death? Obviously there was SOMETHING, or he wouldn't have done it. He didn't do it because his privacy was breached. he did it because of what he feared that would cause. Will we ever know what that was exactly? Probably not.
But we do know the both the direct (video) cause, and the indirect cause (hatred and intolerance). The first we can deal with by prosecuting the offenders under the State's Privacy Invasion laws. The second isn't a crime. But we can still fight it. Call someone out if they use the the word 'fag'. Challenge people who try to spread fear and hate. Mostly, be accepting of others, even if they have different lifestyles. Day by day, people are abandoning the hatred which Fundamentalist churches keep pushing. Hopefully we will live to see the day that we all abandon it.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Fred Phelps - Hate Mongerer
I have been reading recently about a man named Fred Phelps. Basically, one could call him the anti-christ, except that would indicate power along with utter evil. Phelps, no, he is just evil, and deserving of contempt. He is a hate-mongeror, who has targeted groups as diverse as Sweden, Army Veterans, homosexuals, and even victims of the Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse.
Ironically, he started out good, as many people do, as a lawyer fighting Jim Crow laws. However, he has become fanatical in his homophobia, attacking everyone who is even tolerant, denouncing everyone.
He hates Sweden, and has said the heavy Swedish losses in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, initially overestimated to be near 20,000, were "God's punishment of Sweden for the promotion of homosexuality".
He created www.godhatesireland.com, (which thankfully is no longer online) to "expose Ireland as the Emerald (now Pink) Isle of the Sodomite Damned, –saturated with fags and dykes at every level of society and government."
He supported Saddam Hussein, although later declared that Hussein was in Hell now.
He worst crimes in my oppinion, are picketing funerals of US Soldiers. He and his bastard "church" go to funerals, citing freedom of speech, and then yell and taunt the mourners.
Now, to an anarchist, this solution is simple. If he came to a funeral of someone in my family, and yell at me that that person was in Hell, along with other things, I'd simply show he was wrong by letting him see Hell for himself. However, as a rational person, I have to ask myself, despite the fact that he would deserve it, killing him, or them, wouldn't be worth giving up the rest of my life. And, sadly, that is what would happen, because the Law doesn't recognize killing as different than murder except in self-defense cases.
What really makes me happy though, is one of the events Phelps was picketing more recently. Students at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prarie Village, Kansas, voted for Matthew Pope as their homecoming king last year. Last Friday, Pope returned for a ceremoney, and Phelps, along with several members of his "congregation" showed up to picket. However, the students fought back, with a massive counter-protest over over 450 people. Thank God for highschoolers, right? Here is a video of the Counter-Protest, from the blog Classically Liberal:
Ironically, he started out good, as many people do, as a lawyer fighting Jim Crow laws. However, he has become fanatical in his homophobia, attacking everyone who is even tolerant, denouncing everyone.
He hates Sweden, and has said the heavy Swedish losses in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, initially overestimated to be near 20,000, were "God's punishment of Sweden for the promotion of homosexuality".
He created www.godhatesireland.com, (which thankfully is no longer online) to "expose Ireland as the Emerald (now Pink) Isle of the Sodomite Damned, –saturated with fags and dykes at every level of society and government."
He supported Saddam Hussein, although later declared that Hussein was in Hell now.
He worst crimes in my oppinion, are picketing funerals of US Soldiers. He and his bastard "church" go to funerals, citing freedom of speech, and then yell and taunt the mourners.
Now, to an anarchist, this solution is simple. If he came to a funeral of someone in my family, and yell at me that that person was in Hell, along with other things, I'd simply show he was wrong by letting him see Hell for himself. However, as a rational person, I have to ask myself, despite the fact that he would deserve it, killing him, or them, wouldn't be worth giving up the rest of my life. And, sadly, that is what would happen, because the Law doesn't recognize killing as different than murder except in self-defense cases.
What really makes me happy though, is one of the events Phelps was picketing more recently. Students at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prarie Village, Kansas, voted for Matthew Pope as their homecoming king last year. Last Friday, Pope returned for a ceremoney, and Phelps, along with several members of his "congregation" showed up to picket. However, the students fought back, with a massive counter-protest over over 450 people. Thank God for highschoolers, right? Here is a video of the Counter-Protest, from the blog Classically Liberal:
Monday, January 26, 2009
The KKK Today
A few months ago, a women from Oklahoma, recruited over the internet, was brought Louisiana for an initiation ritual at a remote campsite. After trying to back out, she was shot and killed. After the body was found, the local Sheriff arrested 8 people, one of which being a KKK leader, who is charged with 2rd degree murder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
