policy with pop

Evolution Gives Kirk Cameron Growing Pains

Once known for playing troublemaker Mike Seaver on the sitcom “Growing Pains,” Kirk Cameron found God and started the Way of the Master, a Christian evangelical ministry. One of his current projects is to dispel the theory of evolution.

On the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s Origin of Species, Kirk and his ministry will distribute special copies of the book that includes a forward, discrediting Darwinism, at top colleges around the country. Watch Kirk explain his reasoning and plan:

Kirk says, “Our kids can no longer pray in public. They can no longer freely open a Bible at school. The Ten Commandments are no longer allowed to be displayed in public places.” Now, if taken literally, Kirk’s assertions are factually incorrect. But, I think what he is really concerned about it that the government cannot force or coerce a religion Christianity on public school children and people in general. Is this concern valid?

To fight the growing atheism in the USA, Kirk opens up with an attack on Darwin’s theory of evolution… well, not the theory itself… more like attacking Darwin. Kirk calls Darwin a racist and sexist. He also cites Hitler’s connection with the theory. If these assertions are true, are they effective in discrediting Darwin? How about discrediting his theory of evolution?

Isn’t Kirk opening Christianity up to similar attacks? The Bible has been historically used to justify racism and sexism. Hitler also invoked the Lord’s name to justify the persecution of Jews. Do these arguments discredit Christianity? Or God?

But Kirk is not done; he tries to make scientific-based jabs at the theory of evolution. He mocks the notion that “nothing created everything” as absurd. That might be true, but what does the big bang theory have to do with the validity of Darwinism? Kirk also mentions the incredible structure of DNA… But he doesn’t explain how DNA disproves evolution. Last, Kirk states that there is an absence of fossil evidence to support evolution. Finally, Kirk puts a dent in evolution! But just because you can’t see the evidence, doesn’t mean that evolution doesn’t exist, does it? You tell me.

In place of evolution, Kirk would like students to believe in creationism (or intelligent design). Kirk states that creationism has scientific credence because famous scientists, including Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Louis Pasteur, believed in God. Do these endorsements validate creationism in your eyes?

Aside from Kirk Cameron’s arguments against Darwinism and for creationism, what do you think about his grassroots strategy? Does giving out 1,000 special edition copies of Darwin’s Origin of Species at each top 50 college advance his goal of a less atheist nation?

If you attend a top 50 university, will you try to get your hands on a free copy of Origin of Species – a $29.99 value?

Did Doogie Really Need a Degree?

I am without a TV this summer. Torture. Thank goodness for Hulu.com. It has gotten me through the summer with episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D. And, now I can write a post (plus it happens to coincide with Neil Patrick Harris’ 36th birthday).

You may or may not recall my first Doogie posting dealt with white privilege.

Anyway, in the episode "Educating Janine," Janine has decided to drop out of college and instead work at a clothing store in the mall. She has not told her parents yet… Watch the drama unfold on:

Janine is not alone. About a quarter of Americans over the age of 25 actually have a college degree. That means 75% of Americans do not.

Now Janine couldn’t name very many of those non-college graduates. If she were more educated on the issue, she would be able to name some Americans who became rich and successful without earning a college degree. These standouts include: Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, Michael Dell of Dell computers and Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson. They didn’t need a college degree, so why should she?

However, her parents could point to the cold-hard statistics. College graduates on average earn almost twice as much as high school graduates over a lifetime. That’ about a $1,000,000.00 more.

What do you think? Should everyone go to college? Or are there legitimate reasons why people should not go or drop out?

And do you really need a college degree to do well in the business world? Is it just a credential? Or do college students develop skills they otherwise would not gain in the real world or at a trade school?

Saved by the Pill… I Mean Bell

In high school, were you class president, an environmentalist, a pageant contestant, a feminist, part of the glee club, a waitress (The Max), reporter (Bayside High radio station KKTY), a cheerleader, a lead vocalists of a band (Zack Attack), and a salutatorian? 

That long list of achievements describes Jessica Myrtle “Jessie” Spano from Saved by Bell. Don’t you feel like an under-achiever? Anyway, in Zach’s crew Jessie was the ambitious one, hoping to gain admittance into Stanford and the prestigious Ivy League. The pressure of competitive admissions, other people's expectations and her drive to succeed, however, took a heavy toll. Watch this tragic recap:

Okay, so Save by the Bell substituted caffeine pills for adderall and other “study drugs” in the episode “Jessie’s Song.” That is kind of silly. But, the practice of using drugs that keep students awake and focused is a real and common practice, especially at the university level. And the health risk they carry is also real.

Unfortunately for Jessie, she did not get into her dream schools of Stanford, Harvard, Yale or Princeton. She ended up at Columbia University… not too shabby. But was the price worth it?

Is the practice of using “study drugs” understandable or unacceptable? Should we discipline students who take drugs (illegally) for study purposes differently than those that use drugs for recreational purposes? How do we curb this practice?

I’m so excited! I’m so excited to read your comments!

Oh and just so you know:

Acting White with the Fresh Prince

When a black youth from the mean basketball courts of Philadelphia moves in with his rich Bel-Air relatives, comedy ensues. Yes, I am talking about the classic sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith.

Besides causing the chuckles, this show also addressed relevant social issues. In the episode “Blood is Thicker than Mud,” the Fresh Prince brought attention to the social theory of acting white. Watch this clip to get the gist:

Because Carlton is considered a “prep school, Bel-Air bred, sell-out,” his black peers in the fraternity deem him “not enough of a brother to be a brother.” At the end of the episode, Carlton relates the incident to his father. Philip Banks, who grew up poor and worked his way to become a prominent lawyer and judge, asks: Why is there a penalty for success in the black community?

Acting white is generally defined as over-achieving minorities (usually black students but also includes Latinos) being accused of behaving in ways that are perceived to be white characteristics by their minority peers. “Over-achieving” is the operative word for acting white.

Acting white can result in loss of popularity, ridicule and harassment. Apparently, minority students have to be a fool in school to be cool. Many sociologist blame the theory of acting white as one of the causes of the racial educational achievement gap.

Acting white is not a universally accepted concept. There are those who believe acting white is a myth. They cite a North Carolina study that found that black and white students had the same attitudes about achievement – they want it and know school is an important step to get it. Furthermore, some believe the theory of acting white is unfairly placing too much blame of the education gap on the black community, when they believe other factors are to blame.

Do you think acting white is a real phenomenon? Is it responsible for the education gap? And if so, how do you propose we fix it? Or is acting white an inaccurate theory that diverts responsibility away from other factors?

Coldplay Plagiarizes!?!

Sing it ain’t so. Earlier this week Coldplay was accused of plagiarizing from the small unknown band Creaky Boards. Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” surprisingly sounds similar to Creaky Board’s ironically titled song “The Songs I Didn’t Write,” which was written a year before the release of the Coldplay’s hit. Here is the evidence:

Now Coldplay’s official stance is that it produced “Viva la Vida” before Creaky Board’s song and that Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin was not at Creaky Board’s 2007 New York performance as Creaky Board alleges.

According to E! Online, Coldplay’s manager called Creaky Board and explained to the timeline of events. Creaky Board then retracted their accusation and apologized.

Even though we got a nice resolution – Coldplay gets vindicated and Creaky Board gets worldwide publicity – the issue of plagiarism still plagues me. It irks me. But it happens all the time. It happens in school. And it happens at work or so I’ve heard… I’ve heard cut-and-paste stories for companies’ public documents and even government papers. How do people get away with it?

So how do we stop or curb plagiarism? Does a no-tolerance/penalty policy work? An automatic F for the paper? An F for the class itself? Academic probation? How about at work? Should an employee be immediately fired for plagiarizing? Tell us your ideas.

And on the pop side of things, did your view of Coldplay change when the suspicion of plagiarism arose? Admittedly, I bought the new Coldplay CD yesterday (I’m a fan) but now I regret wasting the $9.99...

A Different World for HBCU? Part II

This is part two to last week's post.

Did you know that A Different World underwent major changes after its first season? Oh sure, you noticed the departure of Lisa Bonet. But did you know the show changed the racial makeup of Hillman College’s student body too?

According to the mighty Wikipedia, Hillman had a racially mixed student body in season one and then an all black student body in the following seasons. In the first season, non-black students included cast-member Marisa Tomei’s character, Maggie Lauten, and a bunch of white extras. After season one, Tomei left the show and the extras were typically all-black.

Things have changed since A Different World last aired in the early 1990’s. Unlike fictional Hillman College, many real HBCU are increasingly recruiting non-black applicants, especially Latinos, as a result of the decline in black student enrollment.

Proponents of this change say that a new influx of Latino students at HBCU is positive. They argue that the inclusion of Latinos fits the mission of HBCU because Latinos are also an underserved minority group that HBCU can help. Furthermore, proponents argue having Latino students at these HBCU increases diversity and helps build better relations between blacks and Latinos. Lastly, they point out that the schools that are actively recruiting Latinos actually need more students if they hope to survive financially.

Traditionalists fear that the dilution of the black student population at HBCU ruins what makes HBCU cultural havens for black students and hinders the mission of HBCU – providing black students with quality education. They argue that the increase of non-black students adversely affects the black campus environment and takes seats away from qualified black applicants.

What do you think? Should HBCU aggressively recruit non-black students, especially Latinos, and be more like Hillman College circa season one with Marisa Tomei? Or should HBCU strive to be all-black?   

A Different World for HBCU? Part I

Remember Whitley, Dwayne Wayne and the rest of the crew of A Different World? The Cosby spin-off captivated audiences with the lives of black college students at the fictional Hillman College. It also introduced many Americans to the world of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).

In order to combat blanant and insidious racism past and present, HBCU were created with the mission to educate black students. In addition to having that mission statement, accredited schools must be established before 1964 in order to be an HBCU. Not only do HBCU provide a quality education to their students, they also offer black students a cultural environment that may not be found at predominately white schools. Today there are 106 public and private HBCU, which enroll more than 370,000 black students each year.

While A Different World helped popularize HBCU in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, there has been a drop in the percentage of enrollment of black students at HBCU in recent years. According to the Department of Education, black enrollment at HBCU was 12.9% in 2001. That’s down from the 18.4% in 1976.

It’s not all bad news for HBCU. They still boast educating and producing 30% of all black lawyers, 50% black engineers and 65% black doctors, according to the last Census.

However, with an increasing percentage of black students choosing to attend non-HBCU institutions, do you think HBCU are as relevant today as they were in decades past? Why are more African Americans choosing other universities instead of HBCU? What, if anything, do you think HBCU need to do to increase the percentage of black enrollment at their schools?