I was insulted by a Liberal...

[Autolycus]

I am in a Sociology class. We were discussing stratification and how it impacts everyone. My teacher started to talk about how welfare is a great program and started sharing some statistics. I asked him about his statistics because they seemed skewed to make it seem as if the system is designed to keep poor people poor and to only feed the rich.

Basically he said that a young woman who has 2 children and works at McDonalds or some other fast food job is not able to live above the poverty line. I suggested that instead of having the kids she should have thought her decision through.

He said "Your gonna say she should have kept her legs closed. Isnt that what your gonna say. Now I dont usually insult my students, but it is a shame that your mom didnt keep her legs closed and you would not be here."

I did not insult him nor say anthing but he rants and raves about how society is racist, designed to keep women down, how the U.S. should help support other nations, how terrorists are freedom fighters, and the wonders of national healthcare for everyone. I simply do not feel that if your gonna teach then you should not tell everyone to drink your koolaid nor should you insult people who doubt your words and question what you are trying to teach them.

I am a very large supporter of a free market and feel that welfare is not a good idea. Even if only 16% of people who are eligible for welfare are on welfare. (He wont give me a source for his statistics but always says he will bring them in.) I am tired of dealing with his bull****, and it sickens me that if you not take his word as gospel he will insult you, twist your words, and harass you.

For example I suggested adoption instead of abortion (we did an exercise where the mother made $8.23 and worked at Walmart) simply because she was not able to pay for all the expenses. We got to pretend some hypotheticals (that Walmart paid the benefits for a fulltime worker, that she needed a car as the daycare was to far to walk her 2 year old and 4 year old kids, and the father was out of the picture not paying child support). My hypothetical that she join the military, let her mother and family watch the children, and then use the military to help pay for her expenses and make a decent life was "NOT A VIABLE OPTION." When I suggested adoption to my group for the exercise he was there listening and he turned "Jovan (Me) suggest selling her kids!".

I am so pissed that I cannot think straight. I made a realization as I listened to a bunch of whiny little liberal college kids, that you guys are right about liberals. I listened to them and was insulted. I used no name calling or insults. Nor did I drag their personal lives into the argument or debate.

If my teacher says some **** like my mother should have aborted me because I believe that a person should be responsible and know the person they are gonna have father/mother their kids... I dont know what I will say. But I could have said some personal information about him that he told us. His wifes suicide, his fathers suicide, and a cousin's suicide. But I dont want to stoop to his level. Simply put he really pissed me off and I dont know what to do.

I got back from class a few hours ago and I am still fuming. I just rolled with the punches but I feel that a teacher should not be allowed to insult his students because they disagree with their beliefs.

I am gonna write the Chancellor of our school (he already dislikes this teacher because the teacher was head of some committee that butted heads with him) and speak to the department head.

Any advice would be aprreciated.

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I posted this on another forum. I figured I would also post it here and see what you all say.

This teacher is a huge fan of Socialist Cuba and the healthcare system they have. I am furious at him because of this.

 

[mnrivrat]

I am gonna write the Chancellor of our school

That's as good an approach as I can think of without doing what I would like to do to some people like that.

Education should be about learning and not about being indoctrinated into the teachers line of social thinking .

 

[gazpacho]

He said "Your gonna say she should have kept her legs closed. Isnt that what your gonna say. Now I dont usually insult my students, but it is a shame that your mom didnt keep her legs closed and you would not be here."

Find a good ambulance chaser and ask if this comment is actionable.

Ask the chancellor if this behavior is acceptable to the college. If yes, write a letter to your local paper, explaining the position of the school. If no, demand a verbal apology by the professor in class, and a written apology on college letterhead, the orifinal to go to you and a copy to go in the professors permanent employment file.

Also, I would state that the blatant hostility you have received from the professor makes you feel that you can no longer participate in his class. That you feel any grade you may deserve will be negatively impacted by the hostility the teacher feels towards you. Put this in writing and CC your ambulance chaser.

If you don't get satisfactory results from the administration, put up flyers (if you are allowed to) asking fellow students if they also have felt hostility from this teacher. Ban together.

See if the local TV news programs are interested in your story.

 

[Sindawe]

I am a very large supporter of a free market and feel that welfare is not a good idea. Even if only 16% of people who are eligible for welfare are on welfare. (He wont give me a source for his statistics but always says he will bring them in.)

Until he validates the statistics he's quoting, he's just a warrior of the big wind and nothing more.

If my teacher says some **** like my mother should have aborted me because I believe that a person should be responsible and know the person they are gonna have father/mother their kids... I dont know what I will say.

Well I'd be sorely tempted to ***** slap him and challenge his pomposity to a duel. But then I have been compared to a loose cannon at times.

But I could have said some personal information about him that he told us. His wifes suicide, his fathers suicide, and a cousin's suicide. But I dont want to stoop to his level.

DON'T even go there. Banish the thought from your mind.

For now. If it gets dirty, let him throw the first stone.

 

[Autolycus]

Here is the thread I posted over at Glocktalk.com

http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?threadid=544891

I decided that the appropriate course of action will be to say nothing personal about him. I do not want to stoop to his level. I also decided that I will be contacting the Sociology department, the Chancellor, and the American Sociological Association (he is the president of the ASA). I will inform them that he has violated their code of ethics along with those of Southern Illinois University. I will also be asking for a public apology (some say not to ask for a public apology for some reason, I think his pride, but the fact is that if a man can insult you in public he should also be big enough to apologize in public) and for a letter of recomendation to another college as I fear my current college career is in jeapordy. I wanted to transfer anyway so I am hoping I can also further that with another letter.

It will be nice to get the hell out of here. If you look at my post history on Glocktalk (I use the same name, Tecumseh) you can read about the joys of Cuba according to my teacher.

 

[Crosshair]

Do what others have done. Rewrite one of Jesse Jackson's speeches to make it seem as if a white person had said it. (Change "black" to "white" and "white" to "black", etc.) Bring up the rewiten speech in class and try to get a discussion going about it. When you teacher declares the "white person" who said the speech a racist, produce the original speech and point out that it was actualy Mr. Jackson who said the speech.

This man is very out of touch with the real world and needs to be removed from his position. Life is not candy and sunshine. If it had been him in the Andes in 1976 he would have died taking what he would consider the "moral high ground".

 

[silversilvia]

sounds like a good decision to me.

I remember the an Ethics class i have taken. we had to argue about abortion. since i didn't really care either way I chose to be pro-choice (I suppose i am more that way than the other), and argue on that side.

my discussion groups were mainly christian girls, who main arguement was basically "that it was wrong, and it is a sin". i think i said something along "the baby is a parasite in mothers body, therefore it is her decision to make if she wants to have it feeding off her or not" OH Man did they get furiouos, and basically i was the"A**hole" of the discussion group from then on, i believe they said i was going to hell. I don't really think that strinctly, but i was just trying to win the arguement. some people just don't know how to take criticism and look at other people point of view, i didn't expect much from students, But a teacher needs to get his crap together.

sorry long post, but basicallyi think u made all the right decisions. perhaps if u have other students with the same experience u should make a petition and get old students of his to sign it too?

 

[Zedicus]

I went through Similar Hell in college in the UK so I have a little experience in this department.

He said "Your gonna say she should have kept her legs closed. Isn't that what your gonna say. Now I don't usually insult my students, but it is a shame that your mom didnt keep her legs closed and you would not be here."

A good Retort to this would have been to say in a Respectfully and Calm But very Firm Tone...
"Sir, I did not speak any Insults, However you Regardless Insulted My Mother and thus crossed the line!"

Then get up and walk out of the classroom to avoid hospitalizing the fool, and say no more of it afterwords, and quietly Implement the Recommendation Below.

Recommendation:
Buy or Borrow a Good MicroCassete recorder, preferably small and with a good Mic, Keep it with you at all times & simply hit record if it seems like a Teacher is heading in that direction, then give a Copy of the tape or a CD of it to the Dean or someone High in the Senior Levels of the College Management along with a formal Written and Oral Complaint, Threaten Possible Legal and Media Involvement and Request A Apology and or Action from the Senior Management.

(Also works without the tape in some cases so is worth a try.)

Said teacher will either have a Sudden attitude change or will get fired/transfered pretty quickly.

 

[billcavazos]

liberal

What your liberal teacher said "Basically he said that a young woman who has 2 children and works at McDonalds or some other fast food job is not able to live above the poverty line." made lots of sense. Whats the problem? What you said that the woman should have thought through about having kids really makes no sense. That is why we have welfare. People are not perfect. You have to think about what you are going to say before saying it...What do you think?

 

[sacp81170a]

Buy or Borrow a Good MicroCassete recorder, preferably small and with a good Mic, Keep it with you at all times & simply hit record if it seems like a Teacher is heading in that direction

Check your state laws before you do this. In Arkansas only one party needs to know about the recording, but Illinois may be different. Don't break the law unknowingly or you give him an excuse to get you in *real* trouble.

What your liberal teacher said "Basically he said that a young woman who has 2 children and works at McDonalds or some other fast food job is not able to live above the poverty line." made lots of sense. Whats the problem? What you said that the woman should have thought through about having kids really makes no sense. That is why we have welfare. People are not perfect. You have to think about what you are going to say before saying it...What do you think?

billcavazos: Back in the Dark Ages, before birth control, your line of reasoning might make sense. With all the different methods of birth control available, including shots, having a child really is a choice and not an inevitable consequence of having sex. "Keeping her legs closed" is a quaint non sequitur and an attempt to introduce a false dichotomy into the argument. The theoretical female in question has a responsibility to herself and the society to exercise good judgement in her reproductive choices. If she doesn't, then she is legitimately (no pun intended) open to criticism.

 

[RS3RS]

How big is the class? You should contact the other students of said class to see if any of them might have been using tape recorders to take notes. You never know.

 

[Spot77]

Back in the early 90's I was taking a mandatory Sociology class in order to complete my Assciates degree in Criminal Justice.

I hade a real (insert degrading term for a lesbian that dresses like a man) who seemingly praised all things liberal and socialist.

I was taking the class with a friend of mine, a die hard Republican and we consistently challenged her, crossed her, rebuked her and outright made ourselves the enemy. All of it done on quite friendly terms of course (Could the early 90's have been less bitter, or were WE less bitter and partisan in our youth?).

At the end of the semester, she said we were the best students sh'd ever had, and wished more of her students would think and act the way we did. We both passed with grades relative to our sociology related work. And we never worried that our opinions clashing with hers would negatively affect our grades.

I guess my point is to stand your ground if you have facts and reason on your side. Let your opponent say their piece and if you don't agree, be ready with a solid rebuttal.

 

[Desk Jockey]

The fact that this guy stooped to insults right out of the box indicates that he's probably not a reasonable individual who welcomes an opposing point of view. Part of the college experience is learning that sometimes you have to deal with self-important idiots in positions of power. Choose your battles carefully.

Contacting the Chancellor or department head may guarantee a failing grade in the class. Sometimes it's better to keep quiet, put up with the BS, and get the heck out of there as quickly as possible. Sometimes it's not. Only you can decide the best course of action.

 

[Chris Rhines]

Might be useful to start recording the lectures. Discreetly. Digital recorders are about the size of a pack of gum, and you can buy them at Staples for under fifty bucks.

- Chris

 

[Manedwolf]

I posted this on another forum. I figured I would also post it here and see what you all say.

I'd say it belongs on Free Republic or another such sounding board, since welfare and the like HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH GUNS.

Totally OT. There's plenty of boards for that.

Some Republicans have guns and support 2A, some don't. Some Democrats have guns and support 2A, some don't. Some independents...etc. And the latter two likely don't like coming here only to have to dodge social philosophy frothing.

This is completely irrelevant to RKBA.

 

[ravinraven]

Two things I don't do

Answer liberal dumb sh*t blasts and bark back at dogs.

rr

 

[unspellable]

real world?

<< This man is very out of touch with the real world and needs to be removed from his position. >>

Unfortunately, this sort of thing IS the real world. We are plagued with all too much of this sort of nonsense. The guy would fit right in at the nearest university to me.

 

[Juna]

Personally, I would write a polite and professional letter to the Dean/Chancellor stating that the professor made personal insults against you and your family when you presented a dissenting viewpoint in class. You could state that he's always exhibited tendencies toward behaviors like this, but that this time he carried it to another level, which prompted your writing a letter.

I've written letters like this before, and it's important not to be inflammatory or write it when you're fuming mad. Take some time and sleep on it. Write a rough draft, and then give it to someone else you trust to edit it. Have them tell you their honest reactions to it. If you offend the Dean/Chancellor, are too inflammatory, or seem like a fuming nut case, then your power will be lost and you'll create an "us against them" mentality where the Dean/Chancellor will band together with and support the professor. You don't want that to happen b/c they won't take you seriously.

If you write a good letter and ask that it goes in the professor's file, then it probably will. You may not get him fired--you probably couldn't unless you alleged racism or sexual harrassment, especially given that he's the president of his particular national organization. But, at the very least, if you get a letter into his file, then if he does this again, it won't be the first strike. He'll be more likely to get fired if he does this again later and already has letters in his file documenting previous episodes.

Make no mistake about it, the guy sounds like a nut job who has no business teaching sociology since he can't teach topics that lead to open discussion with a variety of viewpoints. Regardless of your opinion or logic, you have a right to freedom of speech. He was in the wrong, not you. Just make sure you don't fly off the handle and end up getting yourself in trouble.

 

[boofus]

If they would bring back legal dueling and you will see far fewer liberals. Or at the very least they will mind their manners better.

 

[The Drew]

You should've told him that If his wife would've just done the right thing and killed them both, then you wouldn't have to listnen to his BS...

Liberals are like terrorists... They don't understand or respect anything but that which is on their own level... and especially when you are completely surrounded by them (like in a college class) you either just take your blows or you spit the fury back at them.

He thinks he won with that comment... You should've nailed him right back. Liberals are NOT civilized no matter what they think.... So "taking the high road" doesn't work with them....

 

[Frandy]

I totally disagree with the taping, writing of letters, and any other tactic that separates you further from the instructor. Yes, he seems to be very left-wing and intolerant of your point of view. I say "seems" because I am hearing it through you. Not that I distrust your version of the story, but I am only reading about one incident, filtered through you.

I recommend the civil thing. make an appointment with him. Speak with him privately. Be polite, be nice, be mature. Explain to him that you interpreted his comments as personally insulting, and give him the opportunity to show another side of himself. Perhaps he's a hot-headed left-winger. There are plenty of hot-heads on both sides of the political fence (goodness knows we have them here.)

Engage with him. Try to come to an understanding that the personal can be separated from the position-taking, if possible. See if he can understand that. See if he can accept disagreement on issues or if he is an idealogue who only wants to preach his politics rather than engage in the exchange of ideas. Tell him you are all ears and will listen to his opinions. See if he can be all ears and listen to open to disagreement on a rational, educational level.

If he is totally closed off, totally and ideologically locked up, then other actions might be appropriate.

Engage...engage...engage...

Frandy

 

[Frandy]

Hey Drew... You wrote:

You should've told him that If his wife would've just done the right thing and killed them both, then you wouldn't have to listnen to his BS...

Liberals are like terrorists... They don't understand or respect anything but that which is on their own level... and especially when you are completely surrounded by them (like in a college class) you either just take your blows or you spit the fury back at them.

He thinks he won with that comment... You should've nailed him right back. Liberals are NOT civilized no matter what they think.... So "taking the high road" doesn't work with them....

Now, what if someone wrote the following:
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You should've told him that If his wife would've just done the right thing and killed them both, then you wouldn't have to listnen to his BS...

Conservsatives are like terrorists... They don't understand or respect anything but that which is on their own level... and especially when you are completely surrounded by them (like in a college class) you either just take your blows or you spit the fury back at them.

He thinks he won with that comment... You should've nailed him right back. Conservatives are NOT civilized no matter what they think.... So "taking the high road" doesn't work with them....
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Food for thought.

 

[The Drew]

I wouldn't have a problem with that... As I don't consider myself a conservative anyway...

You know what happens when you assume...

 

[CAnnoneer]

Complain in writing to the dean about verbal abuse. Use their own laws against them.

As to the mother of 2, sorry but other people should not be made pay for her reproductive choices. That is fundamentally wrong and unfair. Pregnant is not a congenital condition or a mental defect, etc. Pregnant is a perfectly preventable situation.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I am gonna write the Chancellor of our school (he already dislikes this teacher because the teacher was head of some committee that butted heads with him) and speak to the department head.

Any advice would be aprreciated.

Write the letter -- now.

Wait 24 or 48 hours before sending it, then re-read it, and edit it to be CERTAIN that the letter is factual, objective, and based on reason rather than anger.

Then hand deliver it. Make an appointment, and hand it to the chancellor personally. It's probably more difficult to draw a firm line between subject matter and personal opinion in a Sociology class than in a Physics class, but a remark such as "Your mother should have kept her legs crossed, you don't belong here" is completely unacceptable in any classroom.