Another week goes by & I have even more evidence that the English language is in serious trouble.
When she was having technical difficulties with her laptop, a student was heard to loudly exclaim "That's so FAGGOT!!". Before I could pounce even her friends turned & stared at her as if she had just crawled out from underneath a rock. Their stares of disdain ignited a small shimmer of hope within me.
Would I not have to be the one to correct her fragmented & innapropriate grasp of english for once?
Would I be impressed by the impending peer assessment?
Would she even listen?
"Uh, you can't like, use THAT word like that!".
"Yeah, it's um, not a noun or something".
It was at this point that I had a Lisa Simpson moment where my internal monologue took over:
"I know, I heard it too. Here's some music *Aria by Balanescu Quartet starts playing*.
We've walked on the moon & have vastly longer lifespans but Artificial Intelligence is NO match for natural stupidity I'm afraid. All my hopes now lie with Darwin's Law!
The irony that really grabs my attention with stories like these is how a)the students feel like they're empowered when they express prejudice this way and how b) this blind recitation is in fact a sign of deepest obedience. I remember it from my own adolescence: a sort of blind acquiescence in my own shaping. When I obeyed, it was in following explicit regulations. When I rebelled, it was in following implicit regulations.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know at the time that queer pride, feminism, being a nerd, being culturally sensitive were in fact truly rebellious. I should've cottoned on to that fact when I noticed how unsettled people around me became when I showed signs of evolution. That unease that they displayed was the surest sign that my rebellion was true.
Regardless, I think just spending time with you would be enough to help these snots & twats change a little. No matter how crass and unthinking they may be now, they will notice that you're different to their delinquent influences, and your persona will remain a model of critical thinking and gentle-minded rebellion to them in the future.
And besides, you have more than a shimmer of hope in you! (He does, readers, believe me! I wear sunglasses around him.)
That said, you have my complete support if you decide that some percussive-cranial therapy would be the best education for these students. It'll be Darwin's Law in action. xx m