Tuesday, January 07, 2003
Just so you all don't think I'm picking on the kids, I'm not. I admire their enthusiasm. I enjoyed the class for other reasons, too, but I hadn't anticipated the difference 10+ years would make on things. When I first went to University, everyone in all my classes was shit-scared of the professors, and would never have tried to argue...
University courses are better than TV. I am serious. I had so much fun today. The professor in the "Canadian Criminal Justice" class I hiked over to Burnaby for spent a fair amount of time making fun of how much all the kids in the class didn't know...
He asked, at one point, referring to the Raelians, "How many of you think cloning should be criminalized?" About ten or fifteen of them immediately put their hands up.
He pointed to a brunette in the second row, "Why do you think it should be?"
She replied, "Well, like, it's like, where do you draw the line, you know? Do you know what I mean?"
He waited a second for this to sink in, then he said, "No, actually, I don't have a clue what you mean. Could you be more specific?"
She tried again, "Well, like, who gets to do it? You know?"
Her friend came to her aid, "She means will it be elitist?"
He replied, "No, there will be universal access to cloning, Jean Chretien will make sure of it, because he'll be able to stay in office until he's ninety. Now do you still think it should be criminalized?"
She had nothing more to say. But others did. Everyone who was fool enough to try and answer one of his questions got the same treatment, and like those rats who get an electric shock when they go for the piece of cheese, they all kept going for it. It was way better than TV.
He asked, at one point, referring to the Raelians, "How many of you think cloning should be criminalized?" About ten or fifteen of them immediately put their hands up.
He pointed to a brunette in the second row, "Why do you think it should be?"
She replied, "Well, like, it's like, where do you draw the line, you know? Do you know what I mean?"
He waited a second for this to sink in, then he said, "No, actually, I don't have a clue what you mean. Could you be more specific?"
She tried again, "Well, like, who gets to do it? You know?"
Her friend came to her aid, "She means will it be elitist?"
He replied, "No, there will be universal access to cloning, Jean Chretien will make sure of it, because he'll be able to stay in office until he's ninety. Now do you still think it should be criminalized?"
She had nothing more to say. But others did. Everyone who was fool enough to try and answer one of his questions got the same treatment, and like those rats who get an electric shock when they go for the piece of cheese, they all kept going for it. It was way better than TV.