do no harm:


idit dobb-weinstein: "teaching is action and thinking at once. What I try to guard against most when I teach is not speaking as if my answer were conclusive, so as to avoid (to the extent possible) any kind of dogmatic appropriation. It is understandable why students might wish to imitate their teachers, but there are different modes of imitation. I try very hard to avoid the mimetic appropriation that is immediate, passive, and occludes thinking. One other reason is that if I made clear what my views were, and my views appeared as if they were final, it would preclude the possibility of first, students challenging me and second, learning from my students. The relation between the student and teacher is, to me, a dynamic relationship . . . Teaching and learning is a movement that occurs between. In other words, we are at once both agent and patient, both teacher and learner. If we are not very careful, we can do a great deal of harm. And that, too, I have learned from my teachers, Maimonides especially.

I believe my task is to provoke students to think and to engage them in genuine dialogue and questioning. To paraphrase a rabbinic saying, 'I have learned from my teachers, and I have learned from my peers, but I have learned most from my students.' And that is a continuous process of learning."

Thursday, 20 January 2011

the cycle of violence can begin in language


an anonymous person has come forward with complaints of similar poor treatment in philosophy department of PSU.

any philosophy which enforces gender prejudice is not so true to the preposterous aspiration: "love of wisdom."

for PSU and LACC, my sexist schools,

feel fortunate to have escaped the american ozone spacetime warp momentarily, for a vacation in a land where women are far more respected.

consequently, i feel so much like a human, that i really care not to engage my energies with many of the barbaric elements of american culture i seek to avoid, including the subservient women who make modern american sexism possible.

i wish i could inspire you more.

in the future all humans will be respected.
in the meantime, your government supports torture, extrajudicial assassination orders, and yes, sexist professors.

for inspiration, i suggest you turn your eyes to the harassment suits of keith fink against dov charney of american apparel, or the work of civil rights attorney gloria allred, the work of icelandic parlimentarian birgitta jonsdottir, amy goodman's persistent advocacy on democracy now, or the brilliant vandana shiva.

brilliant women are everywhere, so are brilliant men.  we should start respecting eachother.
and language is where it starts.

when people use words that inflict pain, to strategically humiliate women, who are financially destroyed by unequal pay, and underrepresentation in government, and humiliated by domestic violence and barbaric media----

violence begets violence.

bless you all, and for all women who seek education and employment despite institutionalized systemic discrimination

for the sacrifice you make to your dignity

and for the purveyors of cruelty and injustice, that you might begin to see your error

incitation to disrespect

your vulgarities can create an atmosphere literally life threatening

and as you destroy our self esteem, secret violence unto ourselves can destroy

words of hatred can incite multitudinous violence

for those who suffer anorexia, bulimia, drug addiction, self-harm

i cannot tell you how kind and respectful the men are in sweden, they have a totally different culture---

its wonderful to be treated like a human

when i describe what happened with sexist professors, they gasp and say, that's not right.
of course not.
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