Teachers showing the Berg video

by blacksheep 15 Replies latest social current

• 

  FirstInLine

  I recall another instance in which a Bush critic was targeted for removal from teaching by prominent right wingers. The case of a Florida teacher who criticized Bush's Iraq war to his students was targeted by none other than the Fair and Balanced Bill O'Reilly.

  According to him it was "irresponsible" for him to criticize the president on the eve of war because... well lets just pretend its "dangerous." It seems Bill was confusing politics for religion but that is no surprise.

  People need to quit over re-acting and that is my point. How poor was this man's judgement? Was it so bad that it demonstrated negligence that could lead to serious injury to his students? No. Was it something that was motivated by malicious desires toward his students? No. This teacher by all accounts is an excellent one.

  What if he only had supplied the name of the website where the video can be seen? These students if they wanted to see it could have done it anyway and that is not a crime. As Far as I am concerned it is much better to watch this video with a group of people you know who you can relate to after seeing it than to watch it by yourself. This is not even an illegal or even a rated video.

  Fox News has brought up the question themselves of whether or not it should be shown in its entirety on cable News.
• 

  Simon

  I wouldn't like my kids being shown something like this. I'd be surprised though if many (even any) kids of that age didn't have access to the video on the internet themselves anyway so it's not the big deal that people are making out IMO.
• 

  xLaurax

  I guess simon what your saying is right but if you think about it alot of people have access to the net but not all that do will want to watch something so terrible. It's the fact that the teacher chose to show parts of the video and play the audio without showing and concern to those that could be sensitive to this kind of thing.The teacher DOES deserve to be sacked, what she did was not professional and could cause alot of children to be very scared.

  I don't hate Bush or Blair for this either. I still say that the war was a necessary act that had rid the world of an evil dictator. The only problem now is that we have no way of being able to handle muslim extremists. They are going to cause so much pain to so many innocent people and the sad thing is.... they don't actually belive they are doing anything wrong. Makes me sick really , how something so grusome could be seen as the will of God!!!

  xLaurax
• 

  Simon

  What's the deal around here, are only conservatives thrown of the board for "inciting hatred?"

  This is simply not the case and is, I think, someone jerking your chain. Could you give an example?

  I guess simon what your saying is right but if you think about it alot of people have access to the net but not all that do will want to watch something so terrible.

  You may have missed the part that it was after school ... I would strongly disagree with it being shown as part of school but it remains the persons choice whether they want to watch it or not.
• 

  FirstInLine

  This instance of showing the video reminds me of something that I was shown in school.

  In the 7th grade at 12 yrs old I went to the model building club one time and my home room teacher is the one who runs it. We were doing the subject of Vietnam in class at that time so after school my teacher ran "Tour of Duty" a late 80s miniseries drama on Vietnam. There was one part where one of the grunts stepped on a landmine and he was blown in half. Then he begged another rifleman in his squad to kill him. So he reluctantly under great stress shot him in the head with his .45. I remember being shocked seeing it. It was horrific. I knew what was on the video though. It was my choice and it gave me a perspective.

  My teacher was a good teacher but I wouldnt be surprised if some knit picking bureaucrat from the Care Bear squad decided to make a federal case out of it.
• 

  Euphemism

  With all due respect, Corvin, I believe that your daughter's teacher made the correct decision. A 17-year-old should be mature enough to make a responsible choice to either view or not view the video.

  Showing it to the whole class, OTOH, would be grossly inappropriate; as would be making a blatantly opinionated political remark. I don't believe that the teachers who did that should be fired (it's not as if they showed it to 10-year-olds!), but they should be reprimanded. IMHO.