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College essay - updated, see post #58

moonpup said:
I have to say, I'm a bit shocked hearing about this, but not surprised. My daughter called me yesterday and said for her philosophy class, they are being required to write a 5 page essay on why guns are bad and that only police and military should be allowed to have them. She also mentioned they needed to discuss how the 2nd amendment is outdated and needs to be outright removed from the constitution or significantly changed. My daughter, while not fond of guns does understand a civilians right to have them and believes in the 2nd amendment. I think that in the coming years (maybe 15-20) that this country will be disarmed and plunged into socialism once this young generation gets into political power. You can all laugh and think it's not going to happen, but just look at what these kids believe in and what they want to accomplish. We gun owners are severely outnumbered by the anti-gunners and this young generation who are determined to change it.

I'm not looking to start a war of words, but this is what is being taught to our young people... so sad.
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It's a philosophy class.

Sooooo...

I say everything you see is an illusion. Guns are also an illusion and they do not really exist, so there is no point in banning them. Prove me wrong.

Also, more philosophy.

"Guns are bad".
Start by defining what is "bad" and what is "good".
 
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Either report the teacher to the dean and threaten going to Fox News or write a paper on exactly the opposite and then got straight to Fox News when they fail her. I'd choose the latter.

Or leave the school, stop paying them money and sue for the rest back.
 
xtry51 said:
Either report the teacher to the dean and threaten going to Fox News or write a paper on exactly the opposite and then got straight to Fox News when they fail her. I'd choose the latter.

Or leave the school, stop paying them money and sue for the rest back.
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OP rolled back his OP to amend; she (girl) chose it, wasn’t directed.
 
Yeah, this is one of many threads around here these days where the OP needs to come back and change the title...

I think a lot of folks don't realize you can do that.
 
If you're paying for her college, nows a good time to pull the plug then. And I'm 100% serious. I'd yank the rug right out from under my kids if they did that and they'd get a nice quick re-introduction to the real world.
 
eboos said:
Since this is a philosophy class, and thereby a class which should embrace logic and critical thinking: if guns are bad, why should the police and military have them? Are police and military inherently and infallibly good? Are guns in possession of police and military good? Are police and military members selected from a unique group of people possessing superior characteristics and abilities? If police and military members are selected from a group of people highly representative of the population in a given community, if guns are bad, why should police and military members be trusted with them. If guns are not, in and of themselves, bad, why should we not trust the general population with them?
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I am glad someone beat me to it.

If the subject of the paper is to be "why guns are bad and citizens should not have them" and we are to embrace logic and critical thinking, then the outcome of the paper is not yet determined. Everyone is assuming that the outcome would be "true". It could, after exploration, turn out to be unsupportable or false. In my opinion, this would still allow for an A on the paper while not supporting the position. There is of course no guarantee that the professor is intellectually honest enough to entertain a position other than what the premise of the subject appears to embrace.

My thinking is to make a case that guns are at the center of modern evils, but how can an inanimate object be the cause of evil, it is by definition amoral. Show that evils existed even before the existence of the gun. This means that the gun can not be the source of the evil.

While not the source of evil, perhaps it is a catalyst which brings forth the evil in men. If that is the case, then what protects the police and military from this contagion? Are they different from civilians in some way? Are they ordained by God to be free of evil? Are they somehow trained to be free of evil impulses?

If the military and police are not morally superior to civilians and the evil which guns bring out is inherent in all men equally, then there is no point in prohibiting guns from one arbitrarily defined class over another. All are inherently moral and evil and equally susceptible to the influences of the gun.

Even the outright prohibition of guns from all men will not remove the evil as the evil is not in the object, it is in the hearts of men.

At this point, the premise is at best unsupportable.

From here you can move on to the idea that the gun is but a tool subject to the morality of men. If men are evil, the gun will be used by men to express evil, but if men are good, the gun will be used to express good. Unfortunately due to to the flawed nature of man, an imbalance of power tends to lead to an abuse of that power. Thus, removing guns from one part of the population while retaining them in another (particularly if the other is given the task of enforcing the ban) will lead to the expression of the evil in the group with the guns with no corresponding balance from the other side. One could make the case that civilian ownership of guns is required to balance the military and police ownership of guns.

This would be why the second amendment did not have restrictions. It was understood that to prevent the government from overpowering the people, the people needed to be on equal footing with the government. We are ruled by consent, not force. When we collectively decide that we are no longer ruled by this government the legitimacy of the government ceases to exist... but without the power to enforce that position we are subjects, not citizens.


And now I see the position was not assigned but chosen. Fair enough.
 
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xtry51 said:
If you're paying for her college, nows a good time to pull the plug then. And I'm 100% serious. I'd yank the rug right out from under my kids if they did that and they'd get a nice quick re-introduction to the real world.
Click to expand...

LOL... I've told my kids flat out that I'm not paying for their school. My job has a tuition benefit for my kids. They will get that, and the rest they are on their own. I don't believe it's financially sound for me to break myself for them to go to school and not be able to help them when they are adults because I destroyed my finances to send them. They will get enough free money to go to a 2 year community college, and then they can enlist in reserves, or get a job that has tuition reimbursement and work their way through finishing a 4 year degree.
 
The irony that the Second Amendment is the Reason that Professor can question the Prudence of the Second Amendment 250 years later is definitely lost on him.
 
I find this really sad as my philosophy professors in college were by far the best people at creating discussions and debates about embracing all sides and exploring pros and cons.
 
moonpup said:
I have to say, I'm a bit shocked hearing about this, but not surprised. My daughter called me yesterday and said for her philosophy class, they are being required to write a 5 page essay on why guns are bad and that only police and military should be allowed to have them. She also mentioned they needed to discuss how the 2nd amendment is outdated and needs to be outright removed from the constitution or significantly changed. My daughter, while not fond of guns does understand a civilians right to have them and believes in the 2nd amendment. I think that in the coming years (maybe 15-20) that this country will be disarmed and plunged into socialism once this young generation gets into political power. You can all laugh and think it's not going to happen, but just look at what these kids believe in and what they want to accomplish. We gun owners are severely outnumbered by the anti-gunners and this young generation who are determined to change it.

I'm not looking to start a war of words, but this is what is being taught to our young people... so sad.
Click to expand...
I w
moonpup said:
I have to say, I'm a bit shocked hearing about this, but not surprised. My daughter called me yesterday and said for her philosophy class, they are being required to write a 5 page essay on why guns are bad and that only police and military should be allowed to have them. She also mentioned they needed to discuss how the 2nd amendment is outdated and needs to be outright removed from the constitution or significantly changed. My daughter, while not fond of guns does understand a civilians right to have them and believes in the 2nd amendment. I think that in the coming years (maybe 15-20) that this country will be disarmed and plunged into socialism once this young generation gets into political power. You can all laugh and think it's not going to happen, but just look at what these kids believe in and what they want to accomplish. We gun owners are severely outnumbered by the anti-gunners and this young generation who are determined to change it.

I'm not looking to start a war of words, but this is what is being taught to our young people... so sad.
Click to expand...
wouldcec
moonpup said:
I have to say, I'm a bit shocked hearing about this, but not surprised. My daughter called me yesterday and said for her philosophy class, they are being required to write a 5 page essay on why guns are bad and that only police and military should be allowed to have them. She also mentioned they needed to discuss how the 2nd amendment is outdated and needs to be outright removed from the constitution or significantly changed. My daughter, while not fond of guns does understand a civilians right to have them and believes in the 2nd amendment. I think that in the coming years (maybe 15-20) that this country will be disarmed and plunged into socialism once this young generation gets into political power. You can all laugh and think it's not going to happen, but just look at what these kids believe in and what they want to accomplish. We gun owners are severely outnumbered by the anti-gunners and this young generation who are determined to change it.

I'm not looking to start a war of words, but this is what is being taught to our young people... so sad.
Click to expand...
I would reach out to the Israeli Defense Forces for their opinion on this foolishness!
 
moonpup said:
I have to say, I'm a bit shocked hearing about this, but not surprised. My daughter called me yesterday and said for her philosophy class, they are being required to write a 5 page essay on why guns are bad and that only police and military should be allowed to have them. She also mentioned they needed to discuss how the 2nd amendment is outdated and needs to be outright removed from the constitution or significantly changed. My daughter, while not fond of guns does understand a civilians right to have them and believes in the 2nd amendment. I think that in the coming years (maybe 15-20) that this country will be disarmed and plunged into socialism once this young generation gets into political power. You can all laugh and think it's not going to happen, but just look at what these kids believe in and what they want to accomplish. We gun owners are severely outnumbered by the anti-gunners and this young generation who are determined to change it.

I'm not looking to start a war of words, but this is what is being taught to our young people... so sad.
Click to expand...

My kids believe in Santa Claus too. They're kids, they'll grow up and learn that we've been telling them fairy tales.
 
enbloc said:
College essay - why guns are bad and citizens should not have them...

Have your daughter write the essay and then tell her to change every iteration of the word "GUN" with the word "TRANS-GENDER" and report back to us...
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This is a fine example of why Peter Schiff says college kids shouldn't be allowed to vote. When he gets on a roll he's incredible.
 
It could be written as a satire. The main theme would be what the assignment is but each supporting point raised is weakened by a counter point based on facts or events. That doesn't mean it should be written in a sarcastic or ridiculing manner as it could be humorous using ironic and exaggerated examples. Then again, she'd be risking the ere of using free speech and thought in an institution of learning of free expression, that's irony by the way.
 
one-eyed Jack said:
Not my kids and grandkids. They know what "safe storage" really means. Along with ammo. Jack.
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Your entire family is outnumbered by the seething firearm prohibition horde. Even the vast majority of current firearm owners are fudds who could not care less about the RKBA. People hanging out on firearm forums are statistically irrelevant.
 
Taipan01 said:
It could be written as a satire. The main theme would be what the assignment is but each supporting point raised is weakened by a counter point based on facts or events. That doesn't mean it should be written in a sarcastic or ridiculing manner as it could be humorous using ironic and exaggerated examples. Then again, she'd be risking the ere of using free speech and thought in an institution of learning of free expression, that's irony by the way.
Click to expand...

just drop the class.
 
moonpup said:
OK, before I raise anyone else's blood pressure, I must apologize. I followed up with my daughter this afternoon asking for clarity about this essay. It turns out that the students had a choice to take the topic and either be 'for or against' citizens having guns. In this case, my daughter chose against (don't ask me why). When I initially spoke with her yesterday, she made it sound like there was only one side to the topic. Again, that's not the case and I apologize for posting this without having all the facts. (flame suit now on). Go easy on me ☹
Click to expand...

let's just ignore this post. Thread was more fun without it.
 
moonpup said:
OK, before I raise anyone else's blood pressure, I must apologize. I followed up with my daughter this afternoon asking for clarity about this essay. It turns out that the students had a choice to take the topic and either be 'for or against' citizens having guns. In this case, my daughter chose against (don't ask me why). When I initially spoke with her yesterday, she made it sound like there was only one side to the topic. Again, that's not the case and I apologize for posting this without having all the facts. (flame suit now on). Go easy on me ☹
Click to expand...

Shocking. LOL. As I suspected. But the Knee-jerk brigade brought it. ROFL!!!
 
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