Over the past year, I have perused Elon Musk’s Twitter. It is a much more open website than it was previously and virtually all types of opinions and ideas are ventured and discussed. Most are in the nature of current events. However, once in a while something really significant is seen, and that is what I address in this brief article.
A student makes a simple claim regarding JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, and her comments on transgenders. The student starts out with the presumption that Rowling’s comments are transphobic, His young teacher then asks him to select an example of the presumed transphobia. What happens next is a dissection of a Rowling statement using Socratic methods. By the end of the discussion, the student reverses his position on Rowling’s supposed transphobia and admits he was essentially ignorant and presumptuous in his assumptions.
A video of the teacher-student interaction appeared on Twitter. The school did not appreciate the publicity and fired the teacher. Said teacher not only lost his job but his computer which had 2 to 4 years years-worth of information he was using to write a book. The unfinished book was also stored on the computer and the now fired teacher had no backup. Lesson: Always have more than one copy of whatever is critical.
Elon Musk has stated that anyone fired as a result of what is posted on Twitter will be financially and legally supported in a lawsuit. It looks like this will be the second case where Musk steps in and supports this somewhat bewildered and beleaguered teacher. (Good for Elon as a lawsuit is obviously appropriate. Maybe the school administration ought to be changed as well.)
Going back in history, Socrates was killed because he literally drove the powerful crazy with his demanding and questing approach to critical thinking. He drank hemlock as a result of a death sentence imposed by the authorities at the time. This modern day teacher should be thankful that today’s authorities don’t have that kind of power – or do they?
An empire built on lies, disinformation, and misinformation fears the truth, and critical thinking by its nature is a search for truth. This teacher found out that the search for truth, even in something as simple as a question in a classroom, can have devastating and immediate personal consequences. The question now is whether said consequences can lead to a brighter future.
By the way, the teacher’s name is Warren T. Smith. He was teaching the student how to think not what to think. America needs thousands just like him.
13 comments
Well, regarding lies, Speaker Johnson went to New York yesterday to support Trump at his trial. He said Michael Cohen had a history of perjury, did he not? Let us go back to the first of December 2023. This same Speaker Mike Johnson told America, the Congress, the President, there would be no aid for Ukraine without border security at our southern border first, and spent the next 5 months saying it until he met with Joe Biden, correct? And then, Speaker Johnson became a liar, and threw the United States of American under the bus. Did he not? What did Joe Biden give to flip Johnson? So yesterday we had one liar, Johnson, calling another liar, Cohen, a liar. Say it ain’t so. Also notice that Speaker Johnson was flanked by Republican billionaires, Ramaswamy and Burgum. What was missing? Well, was there even one woman up on the stage with
Speaker Johnson and the billionaires yesterday in New York? Just one? Who? What’s the messsge being sent here?
There is a difference between perjury and lying. You seem to think they are the same.
You are both writing comedy and lying to yourself. Your comment is itself a lie. Of course if one does not believe in God, everything becomes different.
A drunk goes into a bar and orders a drink. The barkeep says no can do. The drunk says just put it on my tab. Barkeep says you haven’t paid the tab so I am going to have to cut you off. Drunk begs “ just one more time. I am good for it”. Barkeep sighs and gives the drunk one drink. Eventually, bar goes out of business because of too many drunks on the tab. That is the Biden administration.
Speaking of lies, bullshit, and lack of critical thinking skills: Everyone’s favorite horse’s ass, former State Senator Amanda Chase, was in court Monday for an assault and battery charge after an altercation earlier this year at a local GOP event.
Dismissed. Another case of lawfare. I hope she sues in return.
In 1974, the Republican Congressional leadership marched into the White House and told Richard Nixon that he would lose an impeachment vote, that he no longer had the trust of the GOP, and he could resign or be impeached.
Today, the Republican Congressional leadership is falling all over each other to stand outside a NY courthouse and publicly kiss the ass of a convicted rapist, admitted sexual abuser of women, convicted fraudster, who is facing 91 felony counts.
The only word to describe today’s GOP is (not allowed on a public website).
What is your point other than to make no point? There is no crime and all 91 felony counts were fabricated in the Democrat Party’s hysterical latest attempt to concoct an alternate reality. Hasn’t worked, won’t work. Lay off the psychedelic drugs.
The Obama BIDENITES don’t want you know how to think. They will tell you what to think. America was and is built people who know how to think. It is damaged by people, aka democrats, who will tell you what to think and punish you if you do not comply. Democrats want you to play checkers not chess.
Trump told over 32,000 documented lies during his four-year Reign of Error — that’s an average of 22 lies per day.
You MAGAts (rhymes with “maggots”) should not be commenting about people who lie.
You are obviously a democrat. You lie and you can’t stick to the subject.
MAGAts rhymes with maggots? No, it doesn’t. No more than hats rhymes with bots. As for lies, Biden continues to insist that inflation was at 9% when he was inaugurated. He has repeated that lie multiple times. What kind of dimwit would believe that inflation was 9% when Biden took office? Maybe the same kind of dimwit who thinks Magats rhymes with maggots?
“Documented” by who? Do those lies include the time he said it would rain but it didn’t? Or the time he said the soup was good even though he really didn’t much like it? You Democrats are too much.