- Kids -

By George, I think he's got it.

Posted by: Deep Daddio Nine on March 02, 1999 at 13:42:12:

In Reply to: OK I will posted by Shaun on February 26, 1999 at 11:32:33:

Shaun: Allrighty, my mistake. I'm sorry I wrote READING when you were talking about WRITING. Either way, it makes no difference.


DADDIO: Well, that depends on how you look at it. On one hand, it makes A WHOLE LOT of difference. Writing means recording your thoughts in a medium such as this forum for others to read. Reading means deciphering such writings into meaningful concepts. Two completely different things. Its one of many examples in your posts that demonstrate your propensity for "checking out" of an ongoing conversation you are allegedly a participant in, a classic example of the chronic (though relatively mild and largely undiagnosed) attention deficit dissorder suffered by many of the public school system’s victims.

On the other hand, it really does make no difference since you are not doing either of these two things particularly well, especially considering how much energy went into "schooling" you and how much you think you’ve gotten out of it, which serves only to reinforce my main point, that being: You got screwed over by the public school system.

So, it really makes no difference whether or not it "MAKES NO DIFFERENCE" that you read the word "writing" and translated it as "reading".

: : DADDIO: …..Uh…ehhem…Shaun, that’s exactly my point. You’re a full grown adult licensed professional with great SAT scores but you’re writing at, what is considered in other industrialized cultures and was once considered here in the U.S., a middle school level at best. That’s MUCH more shameful than being a 10th grade highschool student in the same predicament, as I have speculated above. Consider what this says about the SAT exams.

Shaun: I agree with you on the following point : That the SAT's are biased and unfair (I take it you were trying to express that in your last sentence)

DADDIO: (I’ve never worked so hard in my life). Shaun, please read that paragraph again. I’m saying the OPPOSITE of your interpretation. I have made a case for the SAT being TOO fair - not Unfair. Did you get a good reading comprehension score on the SAT? Yes? Then THAT’S my point: the SAT must be a bogus pushover because your reading comprehension is nothing to write home about, as you have just demonstrated in your last comment – AGAIN. No? Then THAT’S my point also: you got screwed out of twelve years of your life – unless of course the reading comprehension portion of the SAT was made so difficult that even somebody who has spent most of their life in school can’t get a good score on it.


Shaun: Actually, I don't even know why I brought up the SAT's. I believe that in no way do the SAT's accurately state a persons intelligence or education.

DADDIO: Well, they might do this to some degree for certain portions of the bell curve, but even there, they are measuring a persons level of social indoctrination as much as they are measuring "intelligence".

Incidently, I know why you brought up SAT’s – because you believed that they were important. But then you finally decided to have your OWN thoughts about it and concluded that they were not important AT ALL. See how different things appear when we do our own thinking? What do public schools tell kids about such tests? That they "in no way accurately state a persons intelligence or education"? Pfff, not hardly! They lead kids to believe that their very life depends on doing well on ALL tests that they are given, not just the ones that get you into Harvard, but the even the dumbass piddly little tests they give you every day in public school that virtually no one gives a damn about once you are out.

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: :DADDIO: How much French do you remember? "Hi, where’s the bathroom?" " And "I’d like to order the snails?"

Shaun: J'ai eu un bon éducation en français, mais il y a une petit problème. J'ai oublie beaucoup de français j'apprende à l'école. Mon français ne pas parfait, je pense,non, je sais cette paragraphe à beaucoup des erreurs. S'il y a quelqu'un ici qui parle cette langue, m'a dit s'il vous plait touts les erreurs.

DADDIO: For those that can’t read French or couldn’t find an interpretter, Shaun’s example of French is not much more useful than "Hi, where’s the bathroom?" " And "I’d like to order the snails?" You graduated with HONORS in French, Shaun? Were you going to live in France at some point? What was the point of all this "learning" French? What did the SCHOOL say was the point? Did they have a point? Don’t wet yourself trying to answer me, I know you’re "educated". I’m not calling you stupid, I’m calling you a VICTIM.


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Shaun: I took 3 years of science. Biology, chemistry and earth science, none of which covered how an electric motor works. In fact, since I'm not interested in that subject, I probably would have forgotton it by now anyway. I can't possibly remember everything I learned in school and neither can you.

DADDIO: Of course I can’t, I went to public school. There you go again thinking that I’m singling you out for torment. Public school attendents are victims. You and I and most of the U.S. population attended public schools and are therefore victims. That’s all I’m really saying here. How many times are you going to make me say this?

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Shaun: I knew it back then, but since I have really no use for it now, and since, frankly, I'm not interested and couldn't care less, I have forgotten it.

DADDIO: You have no use for electric motors? Do you live on some island paradise?

Shaun:…. I have remembered many useless things taught that I am interested in. Otherwise, I'd rather forget it.

DADDIO: Did you just say that the public school taught you many useless things? Wow, you’ve come a long way from your first post. To paraphrase Shaun: "SAT’s are useless and public school teaches many useless things that we’d be better off forgetting."

Shaun, I’m so proud of you! I’m getting all watery eyed. Maybe I’m expecting too much, but I have to ask: Are you going to pass this wisdom onto kids when you become a law officer and you’re asked to run a public school DARE progam?

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::DADDIO : U.S. History? How much gold was an Indian child expected to retrieve for early European explorers to prevent having his hands chopped off? Which tribes did our ancestors rape, kill, and pillage to gain control of what lands? Name a dozen of the thousands of treaties that have been broken with the natives of North America since then. Honors in U.S. history my ass.

Shaun: Who ever said history was pretty? Surely not me. Are you trying to tell me that because of our country's violent history, I, or anyone else, could not possibly have been educated on the subject? That's what it seems like.

DADDIO: Well, yeah, sort of. I’m telling you that the U.S. history you got in public school was mostly from the perspective of dominant, violent, rich, white male oligarchy to which you don’t belong, can’t see, have almost know access to, are instinctively (and almost subconsciously) terrified of, and which runs almost every facet of your life, and has supplied you with almost every thought in your head. Perpetrators of violence and corruption don’t usually endorse books that expose their unethical and criminal activity. To suggest that public school history books are any kind of an accurate reflection of what has really transpired is to suggest otherwise.

In short, even if you could remember even one tenth of the history you studied for 12 years, which by itself would be a sad testamonial, most of it would fall into YOUR category of "better off forgetting". That would leave you with no knowledge of history at all, and that’s the best case scenario most people could have right now.

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Shaun: You're quick to critisize me on how poorly I read and write, but it's all really just talk. You haven't really proven yourself. Maybe I made a mistake or too, or even made a typo, like it's a big deal. It's too bad for you I really am literate. I think, that when compared to the majority of Americans, my language skills are pretty good.

DADDIO: Yeah, I’d agree – compared to the majority of Americans. Compared to shit, sweaty socks smell pretty good so let’s not worry about doing laundry anymore.

And your right, I haven’t "proven" myself. You’ve done most of that FOR me. Why should I labor to make my point when I can just kick back and listen to YOU methodically back up everything that I’m saying?

But I will say again for the 8 millionth time: YOU are not the focus of criticism here – the public school is. You’re just having a hard time coming to grips with what they did to you, and that’s very understandable, but, I am here to sound an alarm first and to supply sympathy second.


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: :DADDIO: Shaun, you’re probably a really nice guy to know in person. I don’t doubt it at all. I think you probably have a big heart and your kids are probably as well adjusted……..


Shaun: Thanks for your kind words. I apologize for calling you a bum last time. The thing is, I don't see anything wrong with education in this country.

DADDIO: But you DO. "SAT’s don’t measure intelligence or education" and public schools "teach many things we should just forget". You’re a boat radical dude, dude! I told ya we waz gonna be good friendz. (I’m not making fun of you. I’m trying to point out that good writing has literary license to talk ‘street’ or use ‘slang’ whenever appropriate). I was making a light hearted comment in the midst of all this seriouness. I wanted to create a more relaxed atmosphere for effect, thus the bad english.

Shaun: Like I said in my first post, it not the schools or government causing the problem, but some parents. I'm sorry I don't see anything wrong with going to school for the first 17 or 18 years of your life, possibly college after that, getting a great job, raising a family and living a happy life.

DADDIO: Because nine times out of ten, it isn’t YOUR life you are living, its someone else’s life you saw on TV – the public "education" tool for working adult americans.


Shaun: It's what we've been doing since the beginning.

DADDIO: Huh? You mean about 100 years, since the advent of the industrial revolution? The universe is 15 billion years old. You mean to say that we’ve been doing this since the last time God blinked? And who the hell is "we"? Native Americans didn’t go to college and then go out and get jobs until we put a stop to that silliness. Now they can go get a job or die on an unfertile, arid reservation in middle of the desert. Are you saying they were unhappy prior to these artificial conditions. Why haven’t they been showering their white european conquerers with flowers and confetti for saving them from their wretched and miserable freedom?

And how does doing something wrong for a long time make it right? You lost me there. Sounds like a public school education hard at work.




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