Common Core Writing Assignment: Think Like a Nazi and Explain Why Jews Are Evil

Let's see. Other than what I already pointed out. The very vital history lesson of understanding the reasons Hitler came to power. Understanding history is the key to preventing its repetition.

Read closer. I said in American politics. Critical reading skills are vitally important, something I'm thinking you weren't afforded in your education.

You don't know the full extent of my political beliefs. As complex as they are, to someone like you, they may seem like socialist beliefs. The core of my beliefs are to preserve balance in everything as possible. Balancing rights to achieve the best result for society, balancing the right of a business to make a profit with the right of their workers to not have to rely on someone else for assistance. Balancing industry with environment. Etc Etc.

My beliefs are so complex, I wouldn't have any hope for you to understand them unless I were to go through them very slowly. I don't waste my time on such trivialities as that though. I have a recital of Swan Lake to prepare my banana slugs for.

 

I think you should stop. Asking kids to write about why Jews should be exterminated is not a good exercise. You can teach the history lesson in a hundred other ways. It's just not good, and when you come out with support for it, granted very little support, you are going to get push back.

 

It shouldn't be for all kids, admittedly, but only for those kids mature enough to appreciate the gravity of the assignment.

 

I don't know, doesn't seem so complex.

As for what I bolded. That does not sound like any kind of moderate position to me. It sounds like tyranny. You actually think that you should be able to balance the rights of others for what you think is best for society?

 

Currently, the About Me that i am working on for this site is a full page of ten-point font, it's barely even started. It deals entirely with my political beliefs. Also, I am not a proponent of equality on anything other than basic human rights. For all other rights, I support equity, a somewhat different concept.

Let me finish my About Me and it should be clearer. It's not what I believe is best for society, but what society overall determines what is best for itself. It's as hard for me to explain as it is for some here to understand.

 

No about you for you.

 

As a student of history, I think this is a great assignment. The hardest part about understanding history (other than it's pretty useless) is understanding the reality of the situation. By putting students in a mindset like this, they'll be exposed to different realities of situations. Great way to think, great way to learn. That's how history is studied and taught.

 

Why didn't the teacher assign a better topic, like if slavery was still the law, our country would be a better place? That's certainly insane enough, but he/she might have been offended. At least he/she and the students would have some personal investment. The teacher could have easily used Avatar as an example instead...having kids try to justify killing off a civilization of people in order to get the gold, which can be applied to a number of parallels in our history. A utter lack of common sense is reason enough to fire someone in my book.

 

Do I still get my soup?

As the old adage goes, "those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

That probably would have been a better choice of topic.

 

Anyone who thinks the reality of the Holocaust can be understood by crafting arguments for atrocities, doesn't think too good.

Actually they'll be learning how to deny reality, and to look down on those who aren't as clever at it as they are.

It's certainly a great way to learn to be an instrument of despotism.

I guess that explains why America is becoming a nation of gutless airheads.

 

Studying the Nazis is an excellent area for this sort of exercise. The absolute thing the Nazis excelled in and pretty much wrote the book on was propaganda. Yes there are lessons to be learned by the study of slavery. Equally the destruction of native cultures are good place to also broaden inquiring minds. However the manipulation of the public memory by a government is as real today as it was in the times of the Nazis. One of the best ways to combat that is to experience it in controlled circumstances. And thats what this exercise is about

 

There are zillions of applicable subjects. Why not the industrialist who justifies degradation of the environment because steel is the back bone of a civilized nation? You have the object of the lesson. Analytical and political thinking, along with writing in general. I think the teachers' motives and social awareness need a very close review.

 

I don't think it is a horrible idea. Maybe they should have had to do a north and then a south rationalization on the civil war instead though. The danger though is what if that assignment taken out of context were to surface 20 years down the road and torpedo a person's career because it would paint them as a neo-Nazi. It could be playing with fire if the student doesn't put in the paper itself that nature of the assignment or their true position on it.

 

This is a fantastic idea.

(*)(*)(*)(*) Jewish offendedness.

 

The Racist Writing Competition hasn't begun yet......

 

Goober, how much of this do you agree, please.

The Black folks do not understand, even those in the educational system -
that this assignment was inappropriate. As inappropriate as assigning students to write anti Black literature.
Antisemitism is so ingrained, so at the heart of the Black community, this assignment does not surprise me.
Too bad the White Liberals don't "get it".
White Liberals still see Blacks persons as unable to do wrong, and should they

WE​

have to understand the unique history of Black folks. No more!
They can pray to their Saint Trayvon for all the respect they deserve.



Moi
Recovered Liberal if any Liberal can truly be termed "recovered".

No ​

 

fire her.

fire her, now!!!!!

Im sickened that my tax dollars pay her salary.

how about we next have students write a 5-page essay justifying slavery, or Jim Crow, or Apartheid?

students, in one page you must explain why blacks are inferior and deserve to be slaves.

 

First, I don't see where the teacher is black, and it doesn't matter.
The teacher is an individual who came up with what they thought would be a challenging assignment.

And the point was, can you argue something that you don't believe.
That was the exercise, and picking the Nazi example is to make the point, that of course you don't believe this, now make an argument for it.

It's racist to paint a whole race of people based on the actions of an individual.
You dropped right into a racist screed, based on the actions of one person, of undetermined race.

 

Oh dear god, another one! Look, this was an intellectual exercise, not a propaganda writing course!

 

You really don't have a clue, do you? This school exercise was not about denying the Holocaust, nor is this thread. It was an exercise in creative thinking and persuasive writing, and a great way of educating kids in ways that you evidently could not possibly figure out!

 

And what is the difference between what I just asked you to do and what that teacher asked their students to do?

 

Defence lawyers have to argue things they don't believe all the time, and need to come up with convincing arguments why such-and-such murderer did what he did. I think the exercise was brilliant and extremely challenging.

 

I like how having mostly black students figure out ways to justify the Holocaust can be appropriate and a learning exercise, but having them justify slavery is probably "inappropriate". Maybe its because that school probably had no Jews at all. Wouldn't black students have far more interest in understanding why slavery could still be a good thing or why they are inferior to others? At least they can relate. Hey, its just an exercise, right?

 

Do you not understand the distinction between what is taught as fact on the one hand, and an exercise in attempting to understand why the Nazis thought and acted as they did on the other?

The latter is what the exercise was about. It was not an attempt at justifying or propagandising anything. Back to school for you...

 

then why not use the Right of the Jewish nation instead of the freakin' Nazi's? Let's put that shoe on the other foot

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remember that next time you jump in a gun grabbing thread, because I will.