The City of New York is officially dumber than Kent Hovind.

Started by Goaticus, March 31, 2012, 08:36:43 PM

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Kent Hovind actually believed Dinosaurs existed.

http://io9.com/5896836/nyc-dept-of-education-wants-to-ban-the-word-dinosaur-from-standardized-tests

"Their justification? The word "dinosaur" calls to mind other no-no words, like "evolution" (also on the proposed list of forbidden words), which could offend test-takers who might not necessarily believe in evolution. Or... dinosaurs?

The fear, according to this report from CBS New York, is that certain words and topics could make students "feel unpleasant" while they're taking city-issued tests. Other words on the prospective ban-list include: "Halloween" (suggests paganism), "birthday" (insensitive to Jehovah's Witnesses, who don't celebrate birthdays), "dancing" (but not "ballet," which the city has evidently made an exception for), "video games" and "rap music."

Check out the complete list of words that could soon become forbidden on NYC tests over on CBS news."

Quote from: Goaticus on March 31, 2012, 08:36:43 PM
Kent Hovind actually believed Dinosaurs existed.

http://io9.com/5896836/nyc-dept-of-education-wants-to-ban-the-word-dinosaur-from-standardized-tests

"Their justification? The word "dinosaur" calls to mind other no-no words, like "evolution" (also on the proposed list of forbidden words), which could offend test-takers who might not necessarily believe in evolution. Or... dinosaurs?

The fear, according to this report from CBS New York, is that certain words and topics could make students "feel unpleasant" while they're taking city-issued tests. Other words on the prospective ban-list include: "Halloween" (suggests paganism), "birthday" (insensitive to Jehovah's Witnesses, who don't celebrate birthdays), "dancing" (but not "ballet," which the city has evidently made an exception for), "video games" and "rap music."

Check out the complete list of words that could soon become forbidden on NYC tests over on CBS news."

so dinosaurs are a hoax, therefore there are no songbirds outside my window singing every morning.

oh...wait....

and of course, it totally ignores the fact that Dinosauria has been an accepted taxonomic term, denoting a specific, monophyletic group, since 1842-with the modern synthesis of it dating from as early as the 1960's*. and of course, it has been an accepted fact that birds ARE dinosaurs since the 1990's, with the modern theory dating from the 1960's, and the first proposal of this idea being from the 1860's (Thomas Huxley suggested this).

we even know the exact place on the tree of life it belongs to: it's a diapsid=>archosaur=> "Ornithodira"**=>dinosauriforms=>dinosauria. we know it has two broad sub-groups: the saurischia, and ornithischia, with the former being the group that originated the modern birds.

is it really too hard for these people? is it really this offensive?

I mean: Is Barney offensive? is all of Jurassic park offensive? is the chicken on these people's plates offensive?

Therefore, I officially declare the people responsible to be the "Cunts of the Year".


*end rant*


*there was a period where "dinosauria" was considered a polyphyletic term: largely during the middle of the last century. long story there.
**I admit this may be outdated as a term, but that's the last I heard.
"All you guys complaining about the possibility of guy on guy relationships...you're also denying us girl on girl.  Works both ways if you know what I mean"

-Jesse Cox

One of the biggest reasons people give for the necessity of a giant state is that Government needs to force people to learn subjects like Evolution. Without the state, they claim .05% of parents might keep their kids at home and teach them that the Flintstones was an accurate description of what life used to be like. Now the Government applies that stupidity to everyone.

I don't support a limited Government out of sympathy for creationists. I support a limited Government because I know that anything they can do to them they can do to me as well.

While the issue of creationism is a problem here, I think that there is a bigger picture to look at as well. The bigger picture here seems to be that NYC holds the opinion that if something could seem even remotely offensive, then the best course of action is to simply act as if it doesn't exist.

Quote from: D on March 31, 2012, 11:35:47 PM
While the issue of creationism is a problem here, I think that there is a bigger picture to look at as well. The bigger picture here seems to be that NYC holds the opinion that if something could seem even remotely offensive, then the best course of action is to simply act as if it doesn't exist.

And if you want power in New York all you have to do is be offended by everything.

My main point wasn't so much the issue of creationism as people using the fact some people are creationists to justify the supposed necessity of Government control of education. As we can see here that made the problem worse, not better.

Quote from: Goaticus on April 01, 2012, 12:09:30 AM
And if you want power in New York all you have to do is be offended by everything.

sounds like how people get into power (or just get votes) in Europe.....


I think it can be safely said that people are more easily controlled by fear (in this case, fear of "offending" people) here than any semblance of logic. then again, I'm sure everyone here knows that already.

long story short, the board of education is a collection of spastics, and New York City is little better. I'd say it's the same, but I'm not going to generalize hastily.
"All you guys complaining about the possibility of guy on guy relationships...you're also denying us girl on girl.  Works both ways if you know what I mean"

-Jesse Cox

Quote from: Goaticus on March 31, 2012, 11:29:54 PM
One of the biggest reasons people give for the necessity of a giant state is that Government needs to force people to learn subjects like Evolution. Without the state, they claim .05% of parents might keep their kids at home and teach them that the Flintstones was an accurate description of what life used to be like. Now the Government applies that stupidity to everyone.

I don't support a limited Government out of sympathy for creationists. I support a limited Government because I know that anything they can do to them they can do to me as well.
Not only that, but creationism being taught isn't deterred by state mandated teaching of evolution. Also, Shane, here's a response to your Kent Hovind lies video
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"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." - Frederic Bastiat.