Professor Penalizes Student: '"Mankind" Does Not Mean "All People” To All People'

This (my bold) is what did my head in.

Actually no, our word choices don't mean a great deal, they are merely reflections of our educational standard and/or personal or social culture. The overall meaning of what we say is what matters.

This idiot of a woman is demanding that everyone speaks as though they grew up in the same town, were born to the same parents, and went to the same school.

And yeah, our words do reveal (trivial) stuff about us. Life's rich tapestry.

 

These young adults just don't get it and I mostly fault the Leftist indoctrination system that is trying its best to create a vast Left voting permanent underclass, but I also fault the individual for being unable to set their ego aside and realize when somebody is making the better argument.

Any adult should have the common sense to realize the conflict with:

1) A capitalist free market world that will not be changing.
2) An anger and entitlement driven anti-capitalism and anti-free market Leftist ideology that is incompatible with practicality.
3) A so called "institute of higher learn" who's core focus is to prepare the student to excel in the professional world doing everything except that.

I just don't see how people can be so blind.

Not only to this simple 1, 2, 3 assessment but to the fact that if America produces an entire generation of failures then we will fail as a country in the world market.

 

I've noticed a pattern in your posting.

You never talk with people you just talk at them.

People come to you with facts directly relevant to the topic, and you just launch into "blah blah blah CONSERVATIVES" diatribes.

In our exchange here, you couldn't touch upon any of the 9 different points I came at you with.

Pathetic.

 

Heh.

Young man/woman, I leave you with very serious advice.

If you want to succeed in this capitalist world you best drop the radical bigoted Leftist programming because we business professionals and working very hard to make sure we don't admit your ilk into our fold.

 

What. The hell. Have I been reading?

 

It is not 'trashing' a dictionary to understand what it does. It records usage patterns for words, their history and common meanings and reflects those in its content. When it says that "man" is used as collective for both genders, it is not legislating or writing a policy on what we ought to do with the word, it is documenting what is has been happening in oral and literary standard usage. It is not deciding what is proper or what ought to be done with the word.

The Professor and many academics /university are suggesting that how it has been being used, actually reflects a historic bias and contributes in a subtle way to minimize women and their importance and it literally discounts half the population even if common usage suggests differently. They have noted a percentage of women in academia are offended by the practice, and will not contribute or recognize the collective meaning the dictionary describes. I don't have to take a stance on any of this. I just recognize that the professor is the 'decider' of what she accepts in essays in her class and if she announces she will mark down essays that use pronouns 'inappropriately' by HER standard, consistent with University views, she is entitled to do so. .

 

There is no censorship. The students are allowed to use these as collective nouns, Nobody is stopping them anymore than they are stopped from using the F word or using contractions. There is, however a consequence to refusing to comply with the professors preferred format and usage. The grade is reduced by one point. Uncensored writing does not mean writing content without any consequence or any negative reaction.

 

And so your argument is the consequence of using the word mankind is justified? Or are you simply arguing semantics to avoid the bigger issue? And trying to compare the word mankind to tuck is ABSURD!!!! How about students with cultural differences who use lingo that's 'not the preferred formT or usage'. Are they treated the same? Double speak bullcrap.

 

What I am saying is that the usual American conservative knee-jerk reaction to anything that strays from orthodoxy...is laughable...

...AND PREDICTABLE.

I am saying that I think it is cute that American conservatives get this worked up so often over minutia. ..and often trying to make it sound like a reasonable campaign to protect America from the boogey man.

That is what I am saying, Doc.

 

Let me speak directly to you, Mr. 6.

I am sorry you think what I have to say is pathetic...but if you think that the few words I speak in return to the mountain of words of scorn directed by American conservatives to anyone not willing to be an American conservative marionette are worthy of that assessment...

...so be it.

I will try to bear up under the weight of your contempt.

 

I don't know.

What have you been reading?

 

Wow, 7 pages about this. Impressive!

Lol.

I've had my share of bs requests from professors, mentors, bosses, coworkers, family and spouse. Not that hard to comply to be honest.

Duly noted, this might be one of the dumbest requirements I've seen.

 

I assure you no teeth were chipped in my responses. Feigned concern is still feigned.. The problem is that while you attempt vainly to redirect the conversation, you simply ignore the preposterous behavior exhibited by our nice professor. Truly, it is her behavior here that deserves our consideration. Moreover, what truly then get's missed in your express train to myopia is the impact and the experience. The behavior is atrocious. The entitlement apparent. The demand to conform or fail her students seems to be more the point than not. So, on your advice, we are simply to ignore it. So like inquisitorial Spain..

So, we get apologists, like you, when these little lapses in classroom bullying are then publicized. Today, you call it minutia. Tomorrow, you're just as likely to advance a different set of similar circumstances as apocalyptic. Never quite the same air of consistency as one, like you, may wish to portray.

 

The general trend that seems to be prevalent in leftist circles of censorship and distortion of words seems eerily dystopian to me.

It's reminiscent of both Orwell's 1984, where vocabulary is continuously restricted in an attempt to limit human thought, and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, where books are eventually banned due to society becoming increasingly more offendable.

As for this particular case, it's mostly just idiotic. Professors don't get to change parts of the language they teach and alter existing definitions of words. The dictionary definition of mankind is not gender inclusive, nor is the word commonly used in that manner.
You are teaching English, not your own imaginary version of English.

 

A self-defeating argument.

 

As you also duly noted: "Wow, 7 pages about this. Impressive!"

Let's remember, the OP started with the words: "Another example of liberals inability". Half the posts rant about the evils of Liberals. I wonder if guavaball and his fellow Right-Wing-Extremists would have gotten equally upset about similar instances at Liberty University.

They would not. Because they wouldn't have even known about them - because the Librul Media doesn't go around to places like Liberty University looking for silly stories.

 

I gave you exactly where you were challenged and once again you couldn't even be honest enough to admit it.

I just did.

Going to run away again?

My quote to you: because you don't like the source with no factual evidence to support you.

That was the reality of your post.

Either I challenged you or you just admitted I was right and that's why you ran away. Which is it?

 

Can you ever post any facts or is it just empty rhetoric? Show us an example of a teacher on the right refusing to accept the definition of an actual word and instead trying to force their personal one.

Time to put up or shut up. If you follow the pattern you've laid out you'll run again.

 

Like I said...the American conservative knee jerk reaction to things like this...is laughable.

If you want to think I am inconsistent...do so. No skin off my nose.

 

Not sure what you see as self-defeating...but if you do...maybe a change of reading material is in order.

 

Is the word "mankind" gender neutral?

 

Well, I disagree philosophically with the professor, but I do agree with her reducing the student's grade for not following directions. That said, it shouldn't be more than five points.

 

Lol.

1) never heard of liberty university
2) liberals don't go around looking....? Ya right. Both sides absolutely guilty, let's not kid ourselves.

 

Hey, I did not originally suggest this comparison as proving how things like the periodic table and the weights are unyielding to more fashionable academic standards.

I would say that the consequence is 'justifiable' rather than justified. My argument is that if the Professor is clear at the beginning of the process, that using these terms inconsistent with her standard for their use or the University's standard for their use will result in a point penalty subtracted from the essay, and students decide not to comply, then they got it coming. Plenty of students seem to manage to meet this standard so it is not unrealistic to expect this student to. I have not used the word 'tuck' in my posts so I don't know what you are talking about.

As for students with 'cultural' differences, I'd refer that question to the professor. She is the one grading the papers and I assume that between her and the University and the Dean, they have an answer for you..

 

1. You do not know how old I am. 2. I have been fully employed (35-40 hours a week) for over 32 of the 35 years I have been on the job market. In over a quarter of a century I have been unemployed or underemployed for less than six months ( a planned sabbatical ). I don't need your advice.