I have taken plenty of online courses to get gen eds out of the way, but this one is by far the most difficult.

Not because the course material is necessarily difficult, but the PEOPLE I want to kick in the face.

It is all about Global Warming and it is driving me nuts. The chances of me being able to convince people on the internet that they are wrong and there is no such thing as Global Warming is pretty slim so I have just been playing along and trying not to get too butt hurt about the level of retardation. But the discussion question for this week is horrible and I don't even know where to start!

Here is the question for this week:
"This week you have learned a great deal about climates and climate change.  Let’s have a “scientific” discussion about what you have learned.  Based on the material covered so far in this course, to what extent should we be modifying our actions to minimize the effects of the recent trends in global climate change?  What types of actions are you personally willing to modify that can help reduce the expected climate changes that have been discussed?  Other than potentially reducing the global warming, what other positive effects could these modifications have on other aspects of the environment (and even on social and economic systems)?"

Now I'm not looking for answers for this stuff. I can do it on my own. But seriously, how am I supposed to get an A in this class when I have to regurgitate this mindless dribble for the next four weeks without hating myself for jeopardizing what I believe?!

I haven't been rolling over and playing dead, don't worry. I have been fighting back and asking questions no one can answer. I have been pointing out contradictions etc. in their arguments, but I have to be careful or my grade will suffer. I guess the reasoning behind me posting this is so I can rant about how utterly ridiculous this class is and how angry I am for having to drop $800-$900 on a horrible class such as this!

Only two more semesters and I wont have to deal with this ever again (until grad school of course)!


UPDATE:

So I had to do the assignment. I just typed for a few minutes about random stuff until it looked like I had a decent sized paragraph. Here is my post, followed by my professor's response, and two other students.

My response to the question:

"At the risk of sounding redundant, I feel that there are a lot of things we can do to help our environment and make sure that we are not causing an irreversible problem. Based on the scientific evidence that we have now, which consists of only a fraction of information on a planet that is billions of years old, we have noticed global warming and cooling trends that are a result of many different factors. I’m assuming that the question is only asking about the “human” environmental factors and because of this, I think that the options we have to ensure that our contribution to climate change remain minimal are vast. Alternative forms of energy production such as nuclear power have proven much more efficient and safe, education and promotion of the benefits that recycling have on our planet is expanding, and penalties for companies that are in violation of environmental laws are much more severe. Personally, I take advantage of recycling opportunities on campus in my neighborhood. My family also shares cars to cut down on gas consumption. Economically, I believe that any benefits are mere speculation unless we are discussing the direct benefits that are a result of cleaner living conditions, food, and water supplies which I believe everyone here is a strong supporter of. In the twenty-first century, the problems that are affecting third world nations should not be occurring."

My professor's response to my post:

"Foxyhuntress,

You have quite a list of ideas."

Student #1 Response:

"Foxyhuntress, it is hard not to just repeat ourselves, but with all these problems we pretty mcuh have to change and do all the the same things differently. Good points you make."

Student #2 Response:

"You mention that nuclear energy is a good clean source of energy but what about the bi-product of such? Have you ever thought about the effects of the used up fuel rods could have on the environment? I'm talking about the depleted uranium that we store in secure facilities, this is doing untold amounts of damage even when stored deep in mountains. They claim that it's deep enough that it's not effecting anything but lets be honest, there is no such thing. The rocks all around the uranium are become radioactive which slowly seeps as such a low rate. Lets also look at solar energy, destroying country sides to put in these panels are restricting the migration of many animals. Even though these forms of energy are helping with the climate and pollution there will always be a draw back now matter how you look at it. The human race is a parasite to this planet yet we can't just extinct ourselves. I don't mean to be a negative Nancy here but I been learning that Geography encompasses all parts of the earth, not just the climate, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. No matter what we do someone somewhere will always say there is a better way of doing something. In reality all we, the human race, can do is hope to do is continue to evolve and just slow down to damaging effects we have created just enough that our evolution keeps up."


I haven't said anything back. What do you think?!

I had a sociology class like that.

IIRC you are of Asian descent.

You should write an answer explaining how asking you to curtail your activities in anyway is just a continuation of the historical economic and social oppression of women of color.  Bonus points if you can fit the phrase "you people" into a reference to white male liberal professors and students.  Claim that you were born with ethno-gender carbon credits.  Make 'em choke on their own silly bullshit.

You could have just said, "I had a sociology class."  The rest was redundant.

Play the game, get an A, and move on in life. They will always be asshats.




No one will give two shits if you got a 'C' based on your principles.

 

I think you're confusing her with another female poster.

Yeah I'm a "middle-class white woman"

In that case she might just have to claim gender based carbon credits.  That's almost as good.

At least you don't have to look at them.  I had a 100 level English online course where the Professor took any chance he could to tie the weekly discussion to global warming.  Just shook it off and BS'ed through the class.  It was weird how I wrote a pretty good paper about the founding fathers and got a C and then wrote on medical marijuana and got an A-.

I've been through this bullshit before. Don't argue with idiots, just play along make enough work for an A and eject.

Wasn't there a  chick poster that was Hmong descent from Minnesota?  For some reason I thought you were her.

Yes...zombie_huntress.

Manipulate the system to achieve desired results.  Go over the top to get your score, and move on.

Try to imagine it is a debate, and you are arguing the contrary posiion (through the whole class).  Learn HOW and WHAT they think, as a study in kooks, but you don't have to believe the premise.

I feel so dirty lying all the time about what I believe! I'm literally just regurgitating what they want me to say, but I also don't want to ruin my GPA for something so trivial!

Took an online sociology class this summer. It was the hardest class I have ever taken. My mind does not work the way the class wanted it to and I did not have near enough white guilt.

Passed it with a C

Sometimes, mollifying the idiots mockingly can have its own little thrill.

Why? It's a simple course. You can write about solar flares to blame for increased world temps and leave it at that. You don't have to drop it because 99% believes in global warming and they are looking for an easy grade.

Did you cover counterarguments?  If not, just regurgitate what you were told and make your professor happy.  Honestly, if you drag external information and arguments into it you will not be sticking to the assignment prompt, so you can feel fine about it.





 

Well...you could write about how in order to "combat global warming" we should loosen our restrictions on high efficiency (AKA high NOx) diesel engines.  Or you would write about nuclear power.  Or you could compare the investment vs effect of investing in "green" power vs. updating our existing coal power plants.



There are plenty of conservative arguments that overlap with the global warming cult.  Go find one.

zombie is.

OK, so here is a question.



Are you a scientist, or studying to be a scientist?

Nope, double major in history and English.

It aint a course in global warming.  It's a class in knowing when to swallow your pride and let morons be morons.

I found those "off-sylabus" lessons to have been the most valuable actually.

Isn't the real question whether or not it is man-made and not if it is occurring? It has happened before, therefore global warming does exist.

This could be interesting.  Have fun being holier-than-thou with these people in a satirical way.

Think A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, and you'll get the idea.

Hoist them on their own petard of outre ideas.  

Just play the game and move on.

Are the women not as hot as they are in their pics?

Excelsior!

I took a psych class at GMU years ago from a libtard professor. She wanted us to perform some public service as a mandatory part of our grade. I read the requirements very carefully and decided to volunteer at the NRA range. The prof was livid, but she knew I met the letter of the requirements so she had to give me a good grade.

You have to have fun with this and screw with their heads. Maybe you will get lucky and make someone's head explode

This thread makes me very sad. I am 48 years old. It reminds me of stories I heard out of the old USSR, back in the 80's. For every bright independant thinker, there are 40 more sucking up the bullshit of the american educational system.  My wife and I were not able to have children and I am sad for that but am incouraged by the families around us in our neighborhood that are raising smart, energenic children. Then I read threads like this and have no hope.
They have beaten us from within. The volumn of bullshit is too much to overcome, it has become "truth".  

Bump for Update

Sounds to me like the fucktard in the update is holding back progress towards a cleaner planet through his leftist idealism.

Tell him not to put politics above the enviornment. Watch his eyes fuck themselves to death as his head implodes.

Too bad because his idea was full of win.

 

I know

I'm dating a black guy! Does that count towards anything?!

pics?

Don't forget the windmills that chop up all the lil birdies that fly by and disturb the natural aura of the land. Also, ask for documented examples of the animals that have had their migration affected by the nasty solar panels, you know, to better educate yourself.

Ask them to cite evidence to the 'damage' nuclear reactors cause, and if they know how many times rods are re-used before finally being scrapped.

That person is an idiot.

Do you really believe there is no global warming? I believe the climate is changing slightly based on the data, but what I am unsure of is how much of that humans are responsible for.

The obvious answer is we need a nuclear war to cleanse the planet of all technologies and rid ourselves of all the extra humans and weaponry in short order.

Instant stoneage!

/me weeps for "modern education"....

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I guess I don't believe in man made global warming that will result in the death of the planet. I should have been more specific.

talk unintended consequences.  point out that the environmentalist opposition to nuclear energy resulted in the explaosion of hydrocarbon use, which environmentalists now consider to be the worst environmental threat of all time.  france meets 80% of their energy needs with nuclear, and have never had a major accident, and breeder reactors now allow recycling of nuclear fuel.  so if environmentalists are correct about global warming, they have only themselves to blame.



talk about MTBE, a fuel oxygenate developed to satisfy the clean air act, but that has poisoned groundwater all over the US.



DDT was replaced by a pesticide that is far more toxic to humans, and also less effective, increasing environmental damage by demanding more aggressive agriculture techniques.



point out that student 2 is presuming that he actually knows that certain programs will actually improve the environment––consider everyone's darlings...hybrids like the prius.  the environmental damage caused by mining for the batteries of hybrids (lithium, IIRC), has done more environmental damage than all the nuclear detonations in world history.  



since this is a science class, it involves epistemic claims––since environmental scientists have a very poor record of accurately predicting consequences, how do they have credibility in the current discussion?  if we had ignored them before, the world would be meeting its energy needs with nuclear fuel now, and "global warming" wouldn't even be a debateable issue.

This is good advice. You get to say something more in line with what you believe, but you're also not explicitly going toe-to-toe with them so you're not jeopardizing your grade. I used to like to take the capitalism/financial approach when global warming was brought up. Carpooling or combining all your trips makes good financial sense (less wear and tear on your car, less gas used), but it also makes the other side happy. Those cloth bags they sell in grocery stores now? Great expression of capitalism in action.

Whether global warming is real or not, intelligent people can use the fervor of the unintelligent to support research and technological development in all kinds of areas. Regardless of global warming, finding ways to get cheaper and more efficient energy or modes of transport is a win. If you want to go the less serious route and have some fun with them, you can advocate research into areas like teleportation or hover cars (to eliminate rubber tires!). If you want to screw with them, you can talk about reducing use of things they actually like and probably don't consider (cell phones––point out the production costs and waste, the "disposable culture" of always needing the newest trend or product and discarding the old but still functional ones, agricultural costs––all those vegetarians cutting down all those trees and destroying ecosystems for their farms! etc).

... ethno-gender carbon credits.

Dear God, perfect ice cubes once again...