Brainwashing our children?
Recently, my middle-school age daughter informed me that she was working on a global warming project in class, which immediately grabbed my attention - since I am (as previous readers may have noticed) largely a opponent of the current global-warming theories, and ‘facts’ surrounding this subject. Within this context, it made me realize that this is essentially one of the reasons that I have decided to pursue a doctorate degree in a bid to further my teaching ability and career… to combat ‘this’ ability of teachers and professor to either deliberately or unintentionally promote unfounded, biased, or just downright garbage to their students around the world. Are they trying to brainwash my child?
As I have already mentioned, when my daughter informed me of this science project, I couldn’t help but ask if this school project was based on global warming only, or if it also included global cooling, or any other climate change THEORY that is part of our current events today. Although my daughter was unaware of any ‘other’ issues surrounding this controversial subject, it did prompt an email to her school’s teacher for further clarification… I’m still waiting for it…
To further keep this subject in people’s minds, Al Gore has continued his crusade by announcing a $300 million effort to convince everyone that this subject the paramount subject of our time (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/30/AR200803...). This continual appeasement by many media outlets (just check the 24,000 + hits to a Google search on ‘global warming’ http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=&q=%22global+warming%22&btn...) makes me wonder whether or not our teachers are following the footsteps of media’s obsession to deliberately ignore facts and other (relatively unbiased) theories, or if they firmly believe what they read from main-stream media sources.
Regardless of any expected (or not…) email from my daughters teacher, Al Gore’s marketing efforts, scientific facts both supporting and rejecting claims and media propaganda; it has once again shored up my drive to achieve a method to combat this insane fear-mongering, and has also promoted further interaction within my family to instill in them an ability and willingness to both understand and strive for information in the face of a powerful and influential force which I have no problem labeling “the teachings of the media”.
Regardless of your love or hatred of this individual, I once heard Rush Limbaugh make a statement which I both practice and tell everyone who will listen, and this time is no different: If you don’t believe me, look it up!
I’m willing to look in many (other) places for answers… are you?
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