What's this education worth anything?

[oldfort]

<p>

Actually, I think I am learning a great deal about China’s problems on the edge if its empire from this thread. The combination of contempt for others, inability to recognize how culturally bound oneself is, and willingness to prescribe rigid standards for social activities is pretty frightening.

</p>

<p>This is also a rediculous comment. POIH is not Chinese. Even if he was, he was just voicing his own personal view, he wouldn´t be representing a larger population of Chinese or Indian. I have met many well educated, tolerant Indians.</p>

[ParentOfIvyHope]

<p>

The view that an important function of education is to make ethnic minorities abandon practices and beliefs not shared by the ethnic majority is frightening enough all by itself without trying to imagine the larger thought system that supports that view.

</p>

<p>The point of the education is to enable the young mind to question the belief system whether or not there exists a logical reason behind it.</p>

<p>Isn’t this frightening that you want to block reasonable expression of thoughts if they don’t adhere to your way of thinking?</p>

[Pizzagirl]

<p>JHS: I may be mistaken, but I am fairly certain that POIH’s native country is India, not China.</p>

<p>

Add to that an extreme inferiority complex (and anger at having a “B/C student” as a boss? who showed up with ashes on his forehead one Wednesday in March?)

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<p>Whoa. Are you saying that there was a post from POIH over being angry that a boss showed up with ashes on his forehead? Now you’re going to tick off my Catholic side :-).</p>

<p>Really, POIH, how would it affect you in any way, shape or form if a practicing Catholic puts on ashes on Ash Wednesday? How does that impact you any more or less than if a Catholic wears a cross around her neck or a Jew wears a kippah? Barring safety issues (such as a dangling cross in a factory setting), I can’t see how anyone can have much issue with it. It’s a free country.</p>

<p>Besides, what do you care what this school does? It’s just a cruddy, average public hs. It’s not Harker or anything.</p>

[Pizzagirl]

<p>I’ve just skimmed, but if I am reading the story correctly, the family of the young girl is not themselves observant, but the girl has grown more towards Jewish observance, likely facilitated by Chabad. She’s likely a ba’al teshuvah (BT). In that sense, she IS a free thinker who HAS forged a new path vs what her parents taught her.</p>

[ParentOfIvyHope]

<p>Pizzagirl: I’m not sure what the poster is talking about with this

Add to that an extreme inferiority complex (and anger at having a “B/C student” as a boss? who showed up with ashes on his forehead one Wednesday in March?)

</p>

<p>I’ve no problem with people showing up to work with ashes, dot, swastika or some other indication on their forehead as long as they do their jobs.</p>

<p>It’s a free country but somehow on CC it seems free only for those who have a belief system but not for those who question the belief system.</p>

[mathmom]

<p>^Too true.</p>

<p>Thanks for putting it so succinctly!</p>

[mokusatsu]

<p>

I also thank my education to provide me the ability to understand that all the problems plaguing this world stem for superstitious beliefs.

What’s this education worth anything? </p>

<p>Is the valedictorian attending Harvard?
That might explain the hostility.</p>

[bovertine]

<p>

Actually, won’t THAT be proof there is a God? This agnostic, fairly secular Jew with a past heaping of Catholic upbringing is anxiously awaiting THAT revelation!

I picture God somewhere saying to him/her/itself -
“Cause POIH to post something agreeable and non-inflammatory? Come on. I may be omnipotent and everything, but let’s get real.”</p>

[jym626]

<p>Beginning to wonder if someone is playing on POIH’s cc account. Usually he is not this “prolific” during the work day.</p>

<p>If this is really you, POIH, people do not have a problem with the questioning of a belief system, they have a problem with the offensive, inflammatory, abrasive, obnoxious tone of the posts. Even the most “educated” person can come across as an ignoramus if they couch their comments in insensitive ways which is suggestive if poor social skills. </p>

<p>In this particular story, the Val was able to succesfully and easily meld her religious issues with her school graduation activities. It involved a simple audio (not video) taping of her speech, which will be played at the graduation. She will stand up at the podium while her speech is played. Really, whats it to you?</p>

[JHS]

<p>I’m sorry if this wasn’t clear – I did not mean to assume that POIH was Chinese. I didn’t know WHAT he was, except I thought he came from somewhere in Asia. I made my comment about China because POIH’s stance was so strongly majoritarian and assimilationist that it made me think about Tibet and Xinjiang (and also, as I wrote, about American policy towards its own ethnic minorities).</p>

[teriwtt]

<p>Wow! That’s what I get for not actually watching the video link and assuming what was going on. I thought this girl was not attending the graduation and had to have it videotaped (which might require a few minor adjustments to the ceremony).</p>

<p>But I was WRONG. She will be there; she just can’t use the microphone, so they have audio taped her speech and it will be delivered as she stands at the podium. </p>

<p>Again, I ask, WHAT mockery is being made??</p>

[Brooklynborndad]

<p>"Isn’t this frightening that you want to block reasonable expression of thoughts if they don’t adhere to your way of thinking? "</p>

<p>sarah palin, like i said. </p>

<p>Or Glenn Beck, more likely. </p>

<p>HOw did this start, this whole “I get to say whatever I want about you, and when you say something I dont like about ME, its a denial of my freedom” thing.</p>

<p>Cause its really annoying.</p>

[soozievt]

<p>POIH…still waiting for your response as to how this girl’s observance of her holiday impacted anyone else at the grad ceremony. Her speech was recorded. Were anyone else’s rights violated? How were any others in attendance affected by a recorded speech? You asserted that she “interfered with others.” How so?</p>

[SlitheyTove]

<p>

Nu uh. the most strictly kosher observant Jew can share a meal with a person of a different faith - as long as the FOOD is kosher.</p>

<p>Here, have a banana.

</p>

<p>LOL! Kosher humor points to BBD. :)</p>

<p>

This may be a bit off topic, but it would certainly be quite interesting to have POIH as a young person at a Seder. He would sure ask a LOT of questions!!!

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<p>Another LOL. I’m trying to decide which of the four sons POIH would be. </p>

<p>

I have found a huge difference between Western atheists and Asian atheists. For the most part, Westerners generally respect the beliefs of others and wouldn’t dream of calling religious beliefs “superstitions.” POIH reminds me of Japanese atheist friends; there’s a complete, total void of acceptance of any sort of religion, especially Judeo-Christian beliefs.

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<p>As a counteranecdote, I once heard a (reform, iirc) rabbi speaking about his experiences living in Japan in the 1970’s as the “head” of the Jewish community there. He talked about carrying out a ritual that takes place at the start of the Jewish new year, where one symbolically rids oneself of one’s sins by casting bread crumbs on water. Apparently, having a small group of people standing next to a stream?river?pond?whatever in Tokyo and emptying their pockets into the water was bizarre enough to have the prefecture police come and question the group about what they were doing. The rabbi figured that it was going to be too complicated to explain the ritual, so he said they weren’t doing anything. The police didn’t believe it, and kept asking what the group had put into the water, “so we can neutralize it.” </p>

<p>Finally, the rabbi said “we were putting our sins into the water”. At which point the police backed off. They said that ritual, they understood.</p>

<p>And hey, MIT has a religious studies interdisciplinary concentration. :D</p>

[whartongrad08]

<p>wow did not know POIH’s daughter was at MIT…makes total sense for a person with no social skills or EQ to have progeny that attends a place known for having a student body that lack social skills and EQ…lol.</p>

[Marian]

<p>MIT has kosher and halal dining options and an organization that answers Orthodox Jewish students’ questions about how to reconcile their religious observances with other aspects of their lives at MIT.</p>

<p>[MIT</a> Admissions: Food / Dining Options](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/life/food_dining_options/index.shtml]MIT”>Eating at MIT | MIT Admissions)</p>

<p>[Orthodox</a> Minyan FAQ](<a href=“Home | MIT Hillel”>Home | MIT Hillel)</p>

<p>If the student mentioned in the first post had enrolled at MIT, she could have been quite comfortable there.</p>

[lake42ks]

<p>I respect Orthodox Jews for at least their discipline, and part of the power of any religion may lie there as well.</p>

<p>

Beginning to wonder if someone is playing on POIH’s cc account.

</p>

<p>That could happen to any of us. We all are the nice ones.</p>

<p>

…makes total sense for a person with no social skills or EQ to have progeny that attends a place known for having a student body that lack social skills and EQ…

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<p>Someone took over your account?</p>

[mimk6]

<p>As brilliant as CC posters are, there is nothing anyone will say that will convince the OP out of his position. There two interesting verses in the Tanakh, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him.” Proverbs 26:4. Also, the following verse says, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” Proverbs 26:5. It takes some wisdom to know which proverb applies to which situation, but I’m starting to think the first one applies here. The second one was attempted, the OP wants to continue as he thinks. Therefore, it may be wise to stop answering.</p>

[Brooklynborndad]

<p>now THERE’s some practical mussar. </p>

<p>“I am holding by the opinion of mimk6”</p>

[JamesMadison]

<p>Once again, I must stress that I wholeheartedly agree with the OP.
It is obvious to me that “tolerance” and “free speech” are nothing but buzzwords with no real value. I can see that based on many of the responses to this thread that are downright hostile. What does it mean if you only “tolerate” the speech of people who agree with you? Do you guys really think, even for a second, that you are tolerant people, from your behavior here?</p>

<p>What kind of a religion does not allow you to talk during graduation? How naive must one be, to think that this actually brings you closer to understanding life, god, and our existence? What kind of backwards-nonsense is that. WHY should our society accommodate diseased mentalities like that, that serve no useful function in our society and only hold us back??</p>

<p>If this girl was doing raindances, animal sacrifices, drinking goat blood and singing to the sun god ten times a day, no one here would have the guts to say there was a problem. ALL in the name of “religious tolerance”.</p>