Sociology Class: More Manure Than The Barns At The Kentucky Derby
Hey, college students! Got a shovel? If you're taking sociology, and using a text by James M. Henslin, it sounds like you'll need it. A college student named Matt, taking a summer course in sociology using the Henslin textbook, explains what's so utterly cracked about it in a terrific YouTube video:
Who needs an evidence-based education when you can have a victimization-based indoctrination!?
Thanks, Robert
I'd give Matt 100% and a class of his own to teach. Students would actually learn something worthwhile in his lessons.
lizzylights at June 20, 2008 2:20 AM
I never went to college and never learned sociology but he sounds so right just based on what life has taught me. I understand Matt's frustration with his fellow students. It's the same one I've been having with our society lately.
Be a victim, submit to control. Those are the mainstays these days and it's nice to hear a young person take issue with it because so many have given up and conceded the battle and when I rant look at me like I'm just another one of those hippy, dippy babyboomers.
I've figured something out in the last week with the mess with my daughter. I have been wondering for a while why the Gen Y carry such a lack of personal responsibility while maintaining such an attitude of entitlement. Believe me, she's a large part of why I have been wondering this because I know I taught -- or made every effort to anyway -- differently.
It's this societial nanny state thing where everyone's a victim that must be taken care of by the government. They screw up, they use this vicitimization thing and not only don't take responsiblity from their actions (thus learning from them) but put their hand out saying I must be compensated for being a victim. It's lazy. It's easier than having to work and strive for what they need and want out of life. The thing they don't seem to get is what they're giving up more than they're getting. That the handouts come at the price of being able to be them and not state sheep.
Unfortunately, if any part of this video ever makes the news, we all know the sound-bites that will be played. The non-serious bit about being a white male in power. In context, we know he was making a point. They'd play it out of context and make him sound like the worst heel. Because the media has certainly played their guilty part in creating this situation.
Donna at June 20, 2008 5:24 AM
This video remembers me why I have flunked the sociology class at College.
Toubrouk at June 20, 2008 5:28 AM
Thank the gods for this kid - he's brilliant!! Hopefully he can talk the others in his class out of being brainwashed.
And Donna, I totally agree with your assessment, and have been literally pounding it into my daughters' heads that they must accept and practice personal responsibility at all times. So far, they both seem to be getting it.
Flynne at June 20, 2008 6:16 AM
My computer at work doesn't have sound - can anyone give me a brief version of what he said? I remembered hating Sociology in college, so I'm pretty intrigued.
CornerDemon at June 20, 2008 6:30 AM
The fact that he still scores high on the exam means the prof recognizes he is bright even if he disagrees. Isn't that what University is supposed to be about?
That "economics" and "genes" have nothing to do with human behaviour is indeed hogwash. The student who said the former is one of those who misunderstood conflict theory.
I too took sociology from a bunch of marxists and none of them suggested genes had nothing to do with human behaviour. Quite the opposite.
I'm sorry this student is having a hard time with his sociology course. I remember having many heated discussions about an individual's "agency" (personal capacity and responsibility) within an "oppressive" society. I found it exhilerating to intelligently debate different viewpoints. Looks like the quality of student/education has slipped since my University days.
RS at June 20, 2008 6:33 AM
Flynne,
I hope you have better luck than I did and it seems from here that you are. They seem like good kids from what you've shared here.
My daughter's got issues steming from her father's abuse too and it's hard to draw the line from sympathetic to you can't let that hang you up. It's not as bad as being sexually abused but my parents beat me and I'm damned if that's going to keep me from living my life.
It's a mess right now. Hopefully, the troubles this week will force her to take a good hard look at herself and realize what being lazy about growing up and being responsible is costing her. (Just possibly her son. Though that's part of my point. She screws up like she has this week and if his father gets him, the court system views it as temporary until she gets it together?)
At this point, I don't know if she can or will. Sigh.
Donna at June 20, 2008 6:37 AM
Geez, Donna, I'm so sorry you're going through all this; I wish there was something I could do to help.
I think that people who get into that mindset of victim mentality are pretty depressed and feel hopeless about their situation and it becomes a self-prepetuating feeding frenzy. It's really hard to break that kind of cycle. And she's been through so much, she's still probably overwhelmed by it all and trying to reconcile her feelings with how she sees herself, whether subconsiously or with even a little bit of clarity. A lot of it could be stemming from denial, too, about what happened to her when she was abused by her father. The best thing you can do for her at this point is probably to be as supportive as you can without enabling her. Easier said than done, I know. Has she been seeing a counselor of any kind to help her through this? Meds alone won't do it. Maybe getting her into some kind of group thing with other people who've been through the same thing she has will bring about an epiphany of sorts for her. Maybe it won't, but you can't give up. And you can't let her give up either. Damn. I wish I could help!
Flynne at June 20, 2008 7:01 AM
...self-PERpetuating...
yeah, I can spell. o_O
Flynne at June 20, 2008 7:02 AM
Thanks, Flynne. That kind of support helps so you are more than you know. I went back to group support for families of the mentally ill that I'd been to before but slacked off over the winter months because I'm a bus person and we weren't on a good bus line. It felt good to be back and I need to keep up with that and am on a better bus line in my new apartment so plan to. It's worth it, both in support and the education you get from sharing experiences.
I'm also going to see what there is in way of anger management classes out there because she's good (and I've found out from group that the mentally ill in general are of those closest to them) at pushing my buttons and getting me to argue and then I feel like what the hell is wrong with me for being dragged into it like that with her? If I get anger management, I might develop better skills at walking away from a fight instead of being dragged into one and that's got to be better. Plus I do have a short fuse and it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to work on that anyway!
Where it stands right now is CPS has said she has to clean house, get back on meds and treatment (and, yes, our family therapist is also working with her individually because her insurance switches lost her her therapists) and get her life working so that there's adequate food in the house and all. She has to apply for benefits. (Yes, I'm cringing.) But also needs to have a goal of working and I'm glad for this both so she won't be on Social Services and because it will be better for her self-esteem if she stands on her own two feet.
Until she meets these goals, my grandson stays with his father. He has not yet decided what he wants to do and if he does go for custody and she finds out I'm supporting that... well, we'll have to deal with that as it comes. I'll certainly explain why but I already know she isn't going to hear it -- at least not immediately. But I do think the family therapist will help with that.
My grandson's father did say to call him this evening to arrange a visit with my grandson this weekend for which I'm relieved because he seemed a bit down and said he misses his mommy and his grammy. He's growing a pumpkin in my flowerbed and brightened a bit to hear that it's gotten some buds. Don't you just love kids?
I do think we'll get through this. And I'm ain't gonna give up on her that easily. If she thinks so (which I doubt she actually does in the end), she should know me better than that. I think on one level, her actions this week may have been somewhat designed to force herself to stand on her own. This does seem to have been precipitated from my moving out and telling her she has to.
Keep your fingers cross. And thanks for the support.
Donna at June 20, 2008 7:45 AM
"we have the answers already...but we're going to look at the evidence to solidify our beliefs." - on the way sociologists approach evidence and the world.
Sounds EXACTLY like very religious people! The bible already holds all the answers and they filter all data through that lens and draw their conclusions based on their biased views...answers which they already had anyway so why even look at data?! You can't even deal w/ these people they're so out of control.
Gretchen at June 20, 2008 7:55 AM
Why is he taking a sociology class in the first place? Economics, psychology and poli-sci would be better bets for social science courses.
If you want to read a sociology blog which is not overtly politicized check out OrgTheory.Net
TGGP at July 18, 2008 1:10 AM
I learned from sociology that it's not rape if you put it in the girl's butt.
Ibod Catooga at July 23, 2008 1:54 PM
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