My family left a church in the mid 80s because (1) a majority believed that AIDS was a curse sent by god and (2) out of fear of AIDS the congregation switched from a communal chalice to shot glasses.
At the height of the AIDS crisis, when zealots would spew misinformation and hatred, I would tell them, “Yes. AIDS is indeed sent from God. But it’s not a punishment. It is a test that they, as Christians, are failing horribly.”
– Robertson and Falwell are extremists in the same class as those who use Islam as a tool against the West. The best response is education.
I agree, The sad thing, though, is that as an educator I have actually lost a lot of my faith in the redemptive power of education. The pernicious force of confirmation bias and our insane public belief that ‘freedom of speech’ means you can say and believe whatever you want regardless of fact make it hard for education to gain much purchase.
Sorry, it is the third week of the semester and I am already realizing how little I will accomplish.
ADignorantium 
There are some things I wish I could forget.
My family left a church in the mid 80s because (1) a majority believed that AIDS was a curse sent by god and (2) out of fear of AIDS the congregation switched from a communal chalice to shot glasses.
People are stupid everywhere.
At the height of the AIDS crisis, when zealots would spew misinformation and hatred, I would tell them, “Yes. AIDS is indeed sent from God. But it’s not a punishment. It is a test that they, as Christians, are failing horribly.”
– Robertson and Falwell are extremists in the same class as those who use Islam as a tool against the West. The best response is education.
I agree, The sad thing, though, is that as an educator I have actually lost a lot of my faith in the redemptive power of education. The pernicious force of confirmation bias and our insane public belief that ‘freedom of speech’ means you can say and believe whatever you want regardless of fact make it hard for education to gain much purchase.
Sorry, it is the third week of the semester and I am already realizing how little I will accomplish.
It can’t be easy.
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