January 25, 2004
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This is the most fucking awful, asinine thing I've ever read. Instead of whining about how the honor roll makes your kid look like the lazy jag off he/she is, try getting them off their ass and doing some homework.
This fairly reeks of Kurt Vonnegut's short story Harrison Bergeron.
In "Harrison Bergeron", Kurt Vonnegut presented a scary view
of a future society, where everyone was equal. "Nobody was
smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody
else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else."
(Vonnegut 1988:7). It was the job of the agents of the United
States Handicapper General to keep it this way. Beautiful people
had to wear ugly masks. People not heavy enough had to wear
handicap bags full of lead. Clever people had to wear a radio in
their ear tuned to the government transmitter, which sent out
sharp noises to keep people from taking advantage of their
brains. It was a world where competition was the greatest of
sins.
- quoted from "Uniformity and Deformity in 'Harrison Bergeron' ", an essay by Marek Vit.
Comments (26)
I love that story.
What's left to say about the article? Amazingly stupid.
I see why you may think this is so stupid, and when legal action is taken, it definitely is.
However.
The honor roll sucks for smart people, too. It makes the school out to be like a communist labor camp. These awards are like incentive for people to work, and rather than focusing on the student, they end up treating human beings like mindless cattle; focusing on grades rather than how well they actually understand information. Instead of "hey, good job," I get "hey, let me see your homework so I can copy it. You don't want to give it to me? You fucking cunt I hate you." So in a case like this, I'd much rather not have an honor roll. My grades are my business.
What the?... now we know why so many kids are messed up. Their parents are freaking nuts and oodle coodle them.
I read that story. Brilliant.
I'd love to kiss you for giving me a Vonnegut suprise in the middle of my mindless Sunday! Thankyou!!!!
As for the reality...truth IS stranger than fiction.
That has happened at my brother's Elementary school here in Houston. Course it's not the children who care, it's the parents. Absolutely ridiculous.
logon to AIM so I can duke it out with you.
MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm
Vonnegut!
Bed. I still think you're wrong.
What I'm having difficulty with here is the assumption that those who make the honor roll are "the smart kids". I'm pretty certain that they are the kids that work hard. I think the honor roll is a way of tangibly saying "hey, nice work". I made the honor roll this last semester (president's list, I rawk!), and was fit to bust from pride. Why should we deny people the recognition they deserve in order to avoid hurting the feelings of the undeserving?
As an aside--I was an *extremely lazy* smart kid, and I never made the honor roll until I actually studied. And I still had people trying to crib off my homework. The only thing that made that stop was to say "fuck you, do your own damn work".
that's disgusting...
"This is as backward as it gets"...i agree, miriam mimms, even though i could also apply your words to your rediculous name...
I thought the writing was on the wall when I began to notice that trophies were being awarded to every one who participated... regardless of if they were the best, worst or mediocre...
Now that's fucking ridiculous.
Assinine is a cool word
When it comes to grades, the only objective is seeing a 100 on the paper. Students will do anything to get that, whether it be by studying or by cheating. And the only reason why is to please mommy and daddy, to make the transcript look nice, or both. How well the student understands the lesson is not even taken into consideration. I have consistently placed in the top 5 throughout my four years... either because I'm smart or most likely because I'm surrouned by jackasses. I am perhaps the laziest person on the planet yet I manage to maintain an A average. Some kids just learn better than others, it's that simple. If I get a C on a test it's not normal. People assume that something's wrong at home, I'm just not myself, etc. Since everyone knows my business, it's expected of me to do well. My point is that the concept of the honor roll is entirely fucked up and should be eliminated not because of the stupid kids who suck and do nothing but bitch about it, but for the well-being of those who do well, and who want to succeed, without having the entire school population knowing their personal information.
I don't really see the correlation to the KV story. They illustrate two different points. KV was painting a portrait of an extreme communist society. Everyone is exactly equal, and trying to achieve personal success is sin.
Eliminating the honor roll is not about keeping all students equal, rather an attempt at placating parents and trying to keep their childrens feelings from being hurt, resulting in frivolous lawsuits.
This is more a study in how our lawsuit-happy, greed-driven society can manipulate our schools and our students right to recognition.
These are the moronic people who didn't get on the honor roll when they were in school! Now they're breading this 5hit to their kids!? Gimme a friggin break!
*shakes head* If those parents spent half the effort they used to declare the honor roll as bad with their kids and their homework...
I'm a little freaked.
Sinister Political Correctness at its worst.
hmm, yes i read that story this year in my honors english class....
and then we watched the movie
the movie is awful, and it was sad.
and the honor roll... some kids have to work hard to get on the honor roll and to some kids it just comes natuarally. ive made the honor roll once or twice when i actually worked but usually im too lazy and i dont give a damn... but theres no reason for it, it just makes all the other kids who dont make it look incredibly stupid
earthlings suck, yo.
I like dinner rolls better
happy birthday.
your fuckin sit sux! so does mine but damn!!! your fugly too.
I posted the same article, but was steered over here. Much better discussion here.
I don't know, as someone who was on honor roll and dean's list, I was pretty pround of my achievements. Why take away the positive reinforcement for doing well academically? As someone else said, are they ever going to stop giving out trophies and letterman's jackets to those good at sports? Doesn't that make the non-athletic feel bad about themselves? Where will is stop?
But how do you feel about Stephen Chbosky, are you familiar with Amanda Urban?
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