Lunatics running the asylum. When I attend a public or community meeting, where comments/feedback are requested- sometimes I am mentally lazy because I am not being graded. The grading-scheme serves a purpose, is misunderstood and not defended.
Although “not the real world”, grading mimics the competitive reality of many competing for few positions. At work, I competed in the area of job performance based on my experience at school. At school and work, I wanted to become an elite performer and I admired those who were.
The highly-paid administrators/directors are not doing their job. Historically; grievances over “grading” are expected to demonstrate relevant or physical circumstances. During 1980’s undergrad, I complained about a narrative comment from professor because I was referred to as “she”, and I wanted it changed to “he”.
This particular comments section is fairly strong evidence as to why Dr. G and Mr. Sussman have to regulate some of the language around here. If they didn't, this place would turn into yet another haven for White nationalists and their sympathizers. I've seen it happen on too many boutique platforms.
Dr. G and Mr. Sussman are not friends of that movement, but Dr. G's politics are on the right and that's where that lot lives. That's just fact.
Ergo, it's tricky. Most of us around here value free speech in a big way. Most of us also value decency, intellect, logic and the universality of humanity. But White nationalism? Let's just say they don't check all those boxes.
Grade Inflation: Yep. I recently went to a university graduation ceremony where roughly half the graduates were "honored" for being Summa Cum Laude, which in this case meant they had a GPA of 3.9 or higher ... evidently a "B+" at this institution of "higher learning" is equivalent to the classic "C."
"...equal in God's eyes..." When the apostle Paul talks about equality in Christ (Rom. 10:12; Col. 3:11) he's not talking about talent, ability, or accomplishments -- he's talking about intrinsic value as an adopted child of God. This is likely the model for the Declaration of Independence statement that "all men are created equal." It is folly to claim that equality in Christ means everyone has equal talents and abilities, given the discussions of differing spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12 through 1 Cor. 14), differing individual purposes (Jer. 18:4-11; Rom. 9:21), and differing outcomes and roles throughout scripture (Abel vs Cain; Abraham vs Lot; Esau vs Jacob; Joseph vs his brothers; Levi vs the other tribes of Israel; the laborers hired late in the day vs the laborers hired early in the day in the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard in Matt. 20; Stephen vs Saul of Tarsus; etc.).
Culture: I am currently convinced that your point about many blacks in American suffering because of culture is correct. I saw a Hoover Institute interview with Dr. Thomas Sowell in which he described his research on this. He found evidence that black immigrants from other cultures do well in the US. He found evidence that black children born in the US do as well as white children when they are removed from black culture in the US and placed into schools near military bases in Germany. He found evidence that white children who are raised in a "ghetto" culture do poorly. The really interesting thing he asserted is that the modern "ghetto" culture is directly related to an older "redneck" culture that has largely died out in the southern states, and originally came from a specific region of England (through immigrants) where it has also largely died out. This was surprising to me, in large measure, because there seems to be this idea in the current zeitgeist that popular black culture originated in Africa ... but if Sowell is correct, it is instead a very poorly chosen cultural appropriation from old England.
Love your insights. Thank-you both. My understanding of the intelligence disparity of races is primarily due to amount of Neanderthal DNA one has. In order of most Neanderthal DNA to least it is Asians, Indians, Whites, Blacks and average IQ scores correlate to this 100%. I believe we are all created by Jesus equal in soul and spirit but certainly not in average height, athleticism, disease profile, skin color or intelligence. And of course many Blacks are smarter than many Asians and Whites; these are averages but they nonetheless are a compelling argument on how DNA impacts IQ.
Look at ratings systems. If you give less than five stars (out of five), it's seen as a death sentence. The vast majority of ratings are either five or one -- people don't understand the concept of nuance, of degrees. It's all or nothing anymore.
I know mentioning The Bell Curve is supposed to be absolutely taboo. I've read it completely.
But, what I've never heard is the possibility that chapter 18 might be stating the truth.
Have any of our education policies ever taken into consideration that approximately half of our population has below average IQ? Some not ever intelligent enough to feed themselves in America, The Land of Opportunity!
LeBron James has done more for school children through his donations than you clowns. The most successful basketball player of this era has given millions for after school programs. He encourages students to work hard and do well in class. I give this article a C-.
Part of the answer may have been explicated by Alex Haley in The Autobiography of Malcolm X: "If someone is doing the task as you are and having more success, then look at what they do differently and adopt that methodology." [I'm paraphrasing. It's from the parable about hunting rabbits.]
Gents, you missed a big part of this boat. Too much. Ergo, I must opine.
Incidentally, I have been observing Scott Adams' Twitter somewhat closely since this brouhaha began. Evidently, Elon's algorithms insist that we see Adams' dumbest tweets as often as possible for the time being.
Bottom line, Scott is/was playing a silly, race-baiting game. NO one has been "performing" more than Adams over the last week or so. Why? Who knows? But one thing that is clear: He is NOT trying to open up a serious conversation about a serious or timely topic. Period. At best, he's (mostly) amusing himself and his followers.
I say this partly because only days after this so-called "bold and courageous stance on race", he was back-pedaling like a little you-know-what. It has been a PATHETIC spectacle lol
One day, he's like, "Black people are a hate group."
Next day he's like, "Omg, I've been cancelled by the libruhl media!"
Next day, "You know, Black conservatives have been good to me through all this."
Next day, "You know, it's the White progressives who are the problem!"
Next day, "I've been taken out of context, bro!"
The next day, people like me are trying to indulge his butt: "Okay then, Scott, what's the damn context??"
"It's in the original video! The libruhl media keeps misleading you!"
Okay, Scott! Then do us all a favor and repost "the proper context" so we can clear your good name? How about that?
"I'm still a victim! It hurts so bad! Cancel Culture! Omg!"
It's like, man, just shut up lol
Interestingly, he even started tellin' people to distrust Fox News. (I guess Tucker & Friends ain't "rightwing-woke" enough lol)
Trust me, between Elon, Newsmax and American Renaissance, Scott Adams ain't nowhere near "silenced".
At any rate, if we are going to call out the bs we see on the left--and yes, there is a TON--can we PLEASE not pretend like there isn't an AVALANCHE of snowflakey, hypocritical, thoughtless, emotionalist bs on the right--and on a regular basis. Because as much as I hate to report it, there is. And Scott Adams' victimhood is a prime example.
One other thing: John was WAY too nice when he pointed out how Adams avoided nuance in his "assessment" of that poll. It was more like "Yes. Adams left out a MEGATON of nuance"--and very basic truths, too.
Scott basically took 20% of the respondents to a poll and magically turned them into "half", and then made that false half a reason to "get away from ALL of 'em". Because "this"--whatever the hell "this" is--"can't be fixed" (whatever the hell that means lol).
Scott pretended like the question per se wasn't a weird one to begin with. He also pretended like the phrase, "It's okay to be White", wasn't in fact the spawn of 4chan trolls and self-avowed White nationalists. (Which it is, folks. That is a fact.)
Now he wants to back-pedal and play victim. No reason to respect this. The fact that Adams may have stumbled into a subject in dire need of serious exploration is not an indication of his good faith or anybody else's--AT ALL.
He's a 69-year-old adolescent, a joke, a provocateur, and sadly a sign of the times.
It all comes down to IQ and you guys know that and normally are not afraid to speak about it. Until we all accept that fact and work out solutions with that in mind ..... we will never advance. This is not racist thinking .... it's saying it like it is!
So where is Barack Obama on all this? He has his foundation, ok. He is probably spending a lot of time puppeteering this sad administration. Why why why is there no comment from him now about cultural values — there used to be. He made a speech on Father’s Day years ago. Obama would be a powerful voice. Where is he?
I’m wondering if the schools doing this type of grading are run by people who were passed through schools that did the same type of grading for them? Is this the result of failing to educate? Therefore failing to provide the tools and solutions needed to solve the problem with education? Just wondering?
So yes Polly my point exactly is that the educational system in America needs reengineering and the the truth of the matter is that using the term reengineering is being kind. Yesterday’s meritocracy hinges upon whether not a truly reconciled system exists in the first place. Right now though it looks like the jury is still out. Thanks for your offering regarding because without dialogue when simply cannot reach the best possible solution. All the best. Oh and of course, we thank our professors.
Giving 50% for total failure just sets up the expectation that total failure is not total failure. Experiencing failing is part of one’s overall life experience and we shouldn’t be robbing children of it. Also, incentives are a powerful driver of human behavior. We have to be extremely careful with how we incentivize children. I think the superior approach if we are hoping to keep kids in school would be to remove one or two of the lower marks as components of total grade -- this does not abdicate the child from having to produce
"A C on the transcript means he'll never get in the Yale Law School."
And? Maybe that kid is not Yale material. Not everyone is. Shuffling him through to appease the parents won't make him any more successful than giving the black no-show kid a 50. We are developing this habit of insisting that reality be reshaped into what we wish it was rather than what it is. The longer we make excuses for people - any people - the longer it will take for them to stand on their own. The longer that this grace period extends, they longer it takes for them to stop blaming race or some other outside factor for any negative outcome.
Young people will rise to, or fall to, your expectations. Henry Rogers, like any activist for any cause, is invested in perpetuating anything that allows him to claim that a problem is occurring. If black were kids were to start succeeding en masse on these tests, his schtick would be over. By the way, how did he manage to get by on those tests? How did all of other black "leaders" whose entire deck consists of the race card? The cultural argument is long overdue. That it's not happening speaks loudly about the goals of those "leaders." Like Rogers, they need a permanent underclass of black people whom they can claim to champion but never help, never challenge, never motivate.
Decades after I took the test, and all of the black kids who were later on my college campus took the test, we have managed to devolve in terms of expectations. We're still using 100 year old excuses, and the soft bigotry of low expectations has been institutionalized, now spreading to the C student of Glenn's nightmares. How many more generations must pass before we stop excusing lousy outcomes?
Gravity is still gravity. The bell curve is still the bell curve. Reality still bites when it is ignored. Giving something unearned still injures the recipient.
Lunatics running the asylum. When I attend a public or community meeting, where comments/feedback are requested- sometimes I am mentally lazy because I am not being graded. The grading-scheme serves a purpose, is misunderstood and not defended.
Although “not the real world”, grading mimics the competitive reality of many competing for few positions. At work, I competed in the area of job performance based on my experience at school. At school and work, I wanted to become an elite performer and I admired those who were.
The highly-paid administrators/directors are not doing their job. Historically; grievances over “grading” are expected to demonstrate relevant or physical circumstances. During 1980’s undergrad, I complained about a narrative comment from professor because I was referred to as “she”, and I wanted it changed to “he”.
This particular comments section is fairly strong evidence as to why Dr. G and Mr. Sussman have to regulate some of the language around here. If they didn't, this place would turn into yet another haven for White nationalists and their sympathizers. I've seen it happen on too many boutique platforms.
Dr. G and Mr. Sussman are not friends of that movement, but Dr. G's politics are on the right and that's where that lot lives. That's just fact.
Ergo, it's tricky. Most of us around here value free speech in a big way. Most of us also value decency, intellect, logic and the universality of humanity. But White nationalism? Let's just say they don't check all those boxes.
Grade Inflation: Yep. I recently went to a university graduation ceremony where roughly half the graduates were "honored" for being Summa Cum Laude, which in this case meant they had a GPA of 3.9 or higher ... evidently a "B+" at this institution of "higher learning" is equivalent to the classic "C."
"...equal in God's eyes..." When the apostle Paul talks about equality in Christ (Rom. 10:12; Col. 3:11) he's not talking about talent, ability, or accomplishments -- he's talking about intrinsic value as an adopted child of God. This is likely the model for the Declaration of Independence statement that "all men are created equal." It is folly to claim that equality in Christ means everyone has equal talents and abilities, given the discussions of differing spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12 through 1 Cor. 14), differing individual purposes (Jer. 18:4-11; Rom. 9:21), and differing outcomes and roles throughout scripture (Abel vs Cain; Abraham vs Lot; Esau vs Jacob; Joseph vs his brothers; Levi vs the other tribes of Israel; the laborers hired late in the day vs the laborers hired early in the day in the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard in Matt. 20; Stephen vs Saul of Tarsus; etc.).
Culture: I am currently convinced that your point about many blacks in American suffering because of culture is correct. I saw a Hoover Institute interview with Dr. Thomas Sowell in which he described his research on this. He found evidence that black immigrants from other cultures do well in the US. He found evidence that black children born in the US do as well as white children when they are removed from black culture in the US and placed into schools near military bases in Germany. He found evidence that white children who are raised in a "ghetto" culture do poorly. The really interesting thing he asserted is that the modern "ghetto" culture is directly related to an older "redneck" culture that has largely died out in the southern states, and originally came from a specific region of England (through immigrants) where it has also largely died out. This was surprising to me, in large measure, because there seems to be this idea in the current zeitgeist that popular black culture originated in Africa ... but if Sowell is correct, it is instead a very poorly chosen cultural appropriation from old England.
Love your insights. Thank-you both. My understanding of the intelligence disparity of races is primarily due to amount of Neanderthal DNA one has. In order of most Neanderthal DNA to least it is Asians, Indians, Whites, Blacks and average IQ scores correlate to this 100%. I believe we are all created by Jesus equal in soul and spirit but certainly not in average height, athleticism, disease profile, skin color or intelligence. And of course many Blacks are smarter than many Asians and Whites; these are averages but they nonetheless are a compelling argument on how DNA impacts IQ.
Look at ratings systems. If you give less than five stars (out of five), it's seen as a death sentence. The vast majority of ratings are either five or one -- people don't understand the concept of nuance, of degrees. It's all or nothing anymore.
I know mentioning The Bell Curve is supposed to be absolutely taboo. I've read it completely.
But, what I've never heard is the possibility that chapter 18 might be stating the truth.
Have any of our education policies ever taken into consideration that approximately half of our population has below average IQ? Some not ever intelligent enough to feed themselves in America, The Land of Opportunity!
LeBron James has done more for school children through his donations than you clowns. The most successful basketball player of this era has given millions for after school programs. He encourages students to work hard and do well in class. I give this article a C-.
Part of the answer may have been explicated by Alex Haley in The Autobiography of Malcolm X: "If someone is doing the task as you are and having more success, then look at what they do differently and adopt that methodology." [I'm paraphrasing. It's from the parable about hunting rabbits.]
Gents, you missed a big part of this boat. Too much. Ergo, I must opine.
Incidentally, I have been observing Scott Adams' Twitter somewhat closely since this brouhaha began. Evidently, Elon's algorithms insist that we see Adams' dumbest tweets as often as possible for the time being.
Bottom line, Scott is/was playing a silly, race-baiting game. NO one has been "performing" more than Adams over the last week or so. Why? Who knows? But one thing that is clear: He is NOT trying to open up a serious conversation about a serious or timely topic. Period. At best, he's (mostly) amusing himself and his followers.
I say this partly because only days after this so-called "bold and courageous stance on race", he was back-pedaling like a little you-know-what. It has been a PATHETIC spectacle lol
One day, he's like, "Black people are a hate group."
Next day he's like, "Omg, I've been cancelled by the libruhl media!"
Next day, "You know, Black conservatives have been good to me through all this."
Next day, "You know, it's the White progressives who are the problem!"
Next day, "I've been taken out of context, bro!"
The next day, people like me are trying to indulge his butt: "Okay then, Scott, what's the damn context??"
"It's in the original video! The libruhl media keeps misleading you!"
Okay, Scott! Then do us all a favor and repost "the proper context" so we can clear your good name? How about that?
"I'm still a victim! It hurts so bad! Cancel Culture! Omg!"
It's like, man, just shut up lol
Interestingly, he even started tellin' people to distrust Fox News. (I guess Tucker & Friends ain't "rightwing-woke" enough lol)
Trust me, between Elon, Newsmax and American Renaissance, Scott Adams ain't nowhere near "silenced".
At any rate, if we are going to call out the bs we see on the left--and yes, there is a TON--can we PLEASE not pretend like there isn't an AVALANCHE of snowflakey, hypocritical, thoughtless, emotionalist bs on the right--and on a regular basis. Because as much as I hate to report it, there is. And Scott Adams' victimhood is a prime example.
One other thing: John was WAY too nice when he pointed out how Adams avoided nuance in his "assessment" of that poll. It was more like "Yes. Adams left out a MEGATON of nuance"--and very basic truths, too.
Scott basically took 20% of the respondents to a poll and magically turned them into "half", and then made that false half a reason to "get away from ALL of 'em". Because "this"--whatever the hell "this" is--"can't be fixed" (whatever the hell that means lol).
Scott pretended like the question per se wasn't a weird one to begin with. He also pretended like the phrase, "It's okay to be White", wasn't in fact the spawn of 4chan trolls and self-avowed White nationalists. (Which it is, folks. That is a fact.)
Now he wants to back-pedal and play victim. No reason to respect this. The fact that Adams may have stumbled into a subject in dire need of serious exploration is not an indication of his good faith or anybody else's--AT ALL.
He's a 69-year-old adolescent, a joke, a provocateur, and sadly a sign of the times.
It all comes down to IQ and you guys know that and normally are not afraid to speak about it. Until we all accept that fact and work out solutions with that in mind ..... we will never advance. This is not racist thinking .... it's saying it like it is!
So where is Barack Obama on all this? He has his foundation, ok. He is probably spending a lot of time puppeteering this sad administration. Why why why is there no comment from him now about cultural values — there used to be. He made a speech on Father’s Day years ago. Obama would be a powerful voice. Where is he?
I’m wondering if the schools doing this type of grading are run by people who were passed through schools that did the same type of grading for them? Is this the result of failing to educate? Therefore failing to provide the tools and solutions needed to solve the problem with education? Just wondering?
So yes Polly my point exactly is that the educational system in America needs reengineering and the the truth of the matter is that using the term reengineering is being kind. Yesterday’s meritocracy hinges upon whether not a truly reconciled system exists in the first place. Right now though it looks like the jury is still out. Thanks for your offering regarding because without dialogue when simply cannot reach the best possible solution. All the best. Oh and of course, we thank our professors.
Giving 50% for total failure just sets up the expectation that total failure is not total failure. Experiencing failing is part of one’s overall life experience and we shouldn’t be robbing children of it. Also, incentives are a powerful driver of human behavior. We have to be extremely careful with how we incentivize children. I think the superior approach if we are hoping to keep kids in school would be to remove one or two of the lower marks as components of total grade -- this does not abdicate the child from having to produce
"A C on the transcript means he'll never get in the Yale Law School."
And? Maybe that kid is not Yale material. Not everyone is. Shuffling him through to appease the parents won't make him any more successful than giving the black no-show kid a 50. We are developing this habit of insisting that reality be reshaped into what we wish it was rather than what it is. The longer we make excuses for people - any people - the longer it will take for them to stand on their own. The longer that this grace period extends, they longer it takes for them to stop blaming race or some other outside factor for any negative outcome.
Young people will rise to, or fall to, your expectations. Henry Rogers, like any activist for any cause, is invested in perpetuating anything that allows him to claim that a problem is occurring. If black were kids were to start succeeding en masse on these tests, his schtick would be over. By the way, how did he manage to get by on those tests? How did all of other black "leaders" whose entire deck consists of the race card? The cultural argument is long overdue. That it's not happening speaks loudly about the goals of those "leaders." Like Rogers, they need a permanent underclass of black people whom they can claim to champion but never help, never challenge, never motivate.
Decades after I took the test, and all of the black kids who were later on my college campus took the test, we have managed to devolve in terms of expectations. We're still using 100 year old excuses, and the soft bigotry of low expectations has been institutionalized, now spreading to the C student of Glenn's nightmares. How many more generations must pass before we stop excusing lousy outcomes?
Gravity is still gravity. The bell curve is still the bell curve. Reality still bites when it is ignored. Giving something unearned still injures the recipient.