UPDATE: New video added. See below.
Dr. Bradley Schaefer really knows how to reach young college students: spouting hyperbolic proclamations of death and nuclear obliteration. The Louisiana State University astronomy professor is filmed saying some pretty ugly things, even for the typical unhinged liberal professor. But we should give him the benefit of the doubt since the YouTube clip is heavily edited. We must consider the context in which these statements were made lest it be mistaken for anything more than bravado or how high brow academics talk amongst themselves. Yet bringing up the death toll on 9/11 is usually a loser argument in any debate.
Video after the break:
From an LSU campus reform outfit:
Dr. Schaefer’s views on the subject were well-known. At one point in class, the professor compares deaths from European heat waves to American deaths in the September 11 terrorist attacks: “Now remember, how many people got killed on 9/11? What was it? One thousand? Two thousand? Something like that. Three thousand, whatever. It’s dwarfed by this. Why aren’t people reacting?”
Students who chose a limited government response to global warming were given this question to answer: “Your professed policies have a substantial likelihood of leading to the death of a billion or more people. (A) Estimate the probability that you personally will be killed in an ugly way because of your current decision? (B) What is the probability that any children of yours will die in ugly ways due to your current decision?”
UPDATE: The professor refutes critics in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education and says he harangued both sides of the political spectrum and that the video above was edited, and show him in an unflattering light.
Here’s the unedited video http://vimeo.com/16649140
I’m going to assume this video is real because it mirrors much of my experience at Chico State 30 years ago. I had a few good teachers, but many were arrogant, ignorant, so secure in their position they would say whatever they wanted. They would make it clear from Day One that they had the power to affect your grade point average, drop you, even get you dropped from financial aid. They would tell you their class was more important than your other classes, your job, your family obligations, etc. Some raised their voice, some made incompetent errors, but we were never allowed to point that out because we never knew who we could trust – oftentimes the dean and staff were just as incompetent. At best you’d get another teacher’s sympathetic ear, but they would tell you they were walking on the same eggshells you were.
About 10 years ago I had a young lady tenant, a political science major at Chico State. After a year she told me she was transferring to Sac State because the poli-sci professors at Chico were ranting ideologues who angrily berated anybody with a differing opinion. More than once she had to say what a professor wanted to hear in order to protect her grade. She felt it was humiliating and counter-productive, and she left town.
And now this, apparently filmed by a student who is sick of paying for this kind of “education.” Notice how poorly structured the class is, it’s more like a high school class than a college class. This makes me want to drop in on my kid’s Butte College classes just to see what the heck I’m paying for down there.
I have scanned the classes at Chico State, you can read teachers’ syllabus’s and text book lists, which are often times pretty revealing. You can google the textbooks and get previews – if your kid is in college, you might want to do this. Some of it is so offensive, it would just be de-motivating and depressing to have to listen to this kind of diatribe day after day. And then, have to be careful what you write in your tests and essays, because yeah, they will grade you on your opinion as quickly as your grammar and structure.
Enneagram
‘The next Gate, for sure, it will be the “ASTRO-GATE”’
Sigh, don’t you get it, the next Gate’ll be MS Bill Gates running for the gate before he starts his own debate. :p
Pretty amazing stuff. One would think that a professor could check the most trivial facts, such as family size in rich countries. We are not even reproducing in most of the developed world yet this bozo tries to imply that the rich countries are overpopulating the world. US fertility rate dropped below reproduction rate (of 2.1 per woman) about 40 years ago. US is in the best shape to maintain a demographically stable society. Europe and Japan are in a much worse state.
It seems this guy couldn’t make the cut so now its either take a regular job or get paid to feed PC bullshit to students. Question is only, why would anybody pay him for this. The dark ages do not seem so bad after seeing this clip.
Brad says:
November 17, 2010 at 9:33 am
More non-scienctific right wing crap being posted:
Strange posting, I only saw left wing crap spouted.
Brad says:
November 17, 2010 at 11:33 am
RyanM-
“I am not offended by the post, I just don’t understand posting it on a blog that claims to be science driven. Is Wattsupwiththat about the science, or is it a political blog driving a belief, no matter what the science says? (I think the science says that, or is very far from proving that, carbon dioxide is involved in warming…).”
If you click the About link up on the title bar you find this,
About Watts Up With That? News and commentary on puzzling things in life, nature, science, weather, climate change, technology, and recent news by Anthony Watts
I haven’t seen any posts lately that fall outside the limits of that mission statement.
As a further burr under own irritating saddle blanket, I’ll offer up this OT but interesting link.
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/253233/sea-life-flourishes-gulf-lou-dolinar?page=2
It enumerates the dramatic recovery of the Gulf biosphere from the existential destructiveness that was supposed to result from the Deep Horizon spill.
Brad is what you call a “Concern Troll”. Typical operating procedure: “oh, I agree with your goals of course, but you are doing it so badly, you shouldn’t be pointing these things out, blahbitty blah blah blah.” The Concern Troll always claims to be in favor of your goals, but does nothing but attack you and anyone else who tries to argue in favor of them. Nothing is ever good enough to please the Concern Troll, and he is always sure to make that clear.
Whoa, what kind of sick abusive teacher is this? If your teachers are like this it’s no wonder that people are so messed up. Has this guy been fired yet?
I’m an old dope-smokin’ hippie. A literal tree-hugger (try it, you might like it!). Some tree-huggers do know what trees eat. Some of my friends are warmists, to be sure, but many are not.
If “you people” (you know who you are) persist in buying into this foolish “all hippies are warmists” stereotype, you’ll be rejecting potential allies. I tell you this for your own good!
Sorry for the off-topic rant, but I’ve “had it” with these slurs! Do you believe the warmist stereotype that we’re all “right wing”? All “funded by big oil”? All “anti science”? “Flat-earthers”? No? Well don’t buy this one, either!
Love, Peace, and Happiness,
Frank
Why is this person permitted to stand in front of a University class and spout this tripe?
“Too luxurious OF a lifestyle”???
“Too luxurious A lifestyle” would be correct English.
The Prof needs to be made to take and pass bonehead english.
Brad:
Come on, every side has nuts…
But CO2CAGW “proof” is nuts – i.e., not scientific – which makes the example of Dr. Bradley Schaefer’s method – begging the question, intimidation, blaming, and fear-mongering – very apropos of CAGW “science”.
Clever. Also, how about posting the “grade” his students give him in their online professor-reviews.
(And let’s check out what they say about the profs. at Chico State.)
Frank Kotler says:
November 17, 2010 at 2:16 pm
‘I’m an old dope-smokin’ hippie. … Sorry for the off-topic rant, but I’ve “had it” with these slurs! Do you believe the warmist stereotype that we’re all “right wing”? All “funded by big oil”? All “anti science”? “Flat-earthers”? No? Well don’t buy this one, either!’
Me too Frank, good on ya mate. To turn this fight into some partisan left-right polarisation is both counter-productive and potentially self-defeating – after all we have to convince people of all shades of opinion that this agw scam is a delusion and a travesty of reason and science. We have to accept that we’re an eclectic grouping of many different poltical viewpoints under the same banner. This scam isn’t just happening in the States and isn’t just a conservative-liberal split.
Climatology is the shadiest branch of science, fattened with excessive government green monies and devoid of knowledge or conscience
No Fool Like A New World Order TOOL
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/30062
This is like the Shirley Sherod video. It’s an hour long lecture condensed into a few inflammatory sentences, each of which is taken out of context.
I’ve had classes with this guy. He’s a good teacher that pushes students to defend their views. He plays devil’s advocate as a teaching style. He wants the students to follow their ideas to their logical conclusions.
He’s an aggressive teacher; he will NOT let you get by with half-assed thinking. If your ideas aren’t solid, he WILL find the flaws in your thinking and try his best to expose them. Some people can’t handle that, like the group that went into this class and made the film.
Also notice: the film doesn’t show him talking about the science behind global warming or the consequences of it. If they did, there would be less to blow out of proportion and get upset about.
[ryanm: Shirely Sherod admitted that she used race as a factor in her dealings with the farmer family that she eventually reconciled with. I’m still baffled why an astronomy professor is talking about the sociopolitical implications of global warming. As a tenured professor issuing grades, the free flow of ideas in that classroom is not clear to me…]
Brad,
Why are you attacking Sarah Palin? She is a mainstream conservative. The RINOs have deserted Republican principles. Palin and the Tea Party are calling them back to conservative roots. Barney Frank has nothing in common with the strong traditions of the Democrat Party leaders like Harry Truman and JFK. Barney Frank is an extremist but not Sarah Palin.
BTW, be sure to watch Sarah Palin’s Alaska. It is riveting television. It’s like going on vacation with the Palins … to Alaska! Rock climbing Mt. McKinley, fishing in bear country, a bear fight just feet from the fishing boat. Palin looks to be the second coming of Teddy Roosevelt, Amen?
Well, I’ve just checked out Dr Brad (is he and our concerned commenter one and the same incarnation ?) on Wikipedia. Worth a look – while it stays up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_E._Schaefer
‘Schaefer is a visiting speaker at the Greys Institute of Technology in Andromeda Galaxy.’
(Mods: I posted a reply to Frank Kotler at 2:16 pm earlier but it may have gone to the spam bin??)
[Sorry, I checked. Nothing in the spam folder. ~dbs, mod.]
Frank Kotler says:
November 17, 2010 at 2:16 pm
I agree with Frank, hugging trees is no more peculiar than loving kittens. Not to mention that many alarmists wear ties and suit coats. We don’t need scapegoats to blame, we need reality based science.
It’s right wing crap to discuss/expose biased instruction in universities? It was a science teacher at a major U.S. university telling his students that their opinion was going to lead to death of billions of innocent people. This was not a discussion, this was part of the question they were asked to answer after the lecture. Is it non-science to discuss science education?
I mean, I hesitate to insult you by asking, did you read the final paragraph of this post? Let me re-post it for you:
That’s what the students were given. Is it right wing politicized crap to question that kind of biased instruction? I mean, lets be frank here, a university professor was telling his students to estimate the probability that they and their children will be brutally murdered because of their opinion. Have we come to a place in history now where the idea of a human being forced to examine such a manufactured dilemma strikes you as right-wing/left-wing? Is that how polarized we are in this world that the first thing you thought of was assigning blame to a particular political ideology for exposing the blatant promotion of a political ideology in a public university?
Do you not find that action by that teacher so horrifically biased, regardless of where the truth in the science lies, to be a form of brainwashing? The false dichotomy he presents is so blatant it should be screaming at you.
..And yet, it is “right wing crap” to expose and discuss this. Interesting.
Don’t worry if you want to call me crazy. People tell me every day that I am the crazy person for telling everyone to vote out all incumbents, and promote new political parties beyond the absurd red-blue staged fight. Of course, I see now the hill I have to climb, you’ve made it very obvious to me.
Mandatory birth control. For us, not for him, I presume.
Garrett Hardin, the original American ecofascist, had five kids and waited until he was nearly ninety to off his Nazi ass. For the good of the planet, one supposes.
The good news here that students who are not already cowed and brainwashed by the “righteous” Gaian pseudo-religion will listen to this assclown and see him for what he is: a miserable ranting wannabe Stalin.
None of which makes Sarah Palin any less of an idiot, by the way.
Gentlemen
If I found a professor conducting a class in manner observed and treating my college-age child this way; then the dean, university president, the college board of directors, my elected representatives, and the State governor would be hearing from me within a day.
It’s been my experience, that when tax payers, people paying for the education, and parents set high expectations they tend to get results. Further, state administrations tend to take action when confronted with a respected professionals with gray hair and more than a few connections.
For example, one of my local college presidents was a fellow Rotarian. It would be a hoot to show this “film” during one of my may presentations at a Rotary. Can you imagine the “dust-up”? . Bet the “problem” would be solved within 24-hours.
Regards, Kforestcat
RichieP says:
November 17, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Frank Kotler says:
November 17, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Guys, don’t let this get your panties in a wad, the only one doing the left-right thing here is Brad. Apparently, he’s still got some butt hurt over the recent elections here. I happened to be a conservative, but my views are not representative of many of the people here. I’ve often stated that skeptics come from all walks of life. My view is, we can get back to the left-right thing after this abomination of science is put to bed. I think many here feel the same way.
[ryanm: did anyone in the media cover the Obama administration and NOAA misleading the public about the oil spill … did anyone see on NBC news discussion of how the peer review process was corrupted in justifying the Gulf oil drilling moratorium? Hypocrisy comes to mind especially with a certain president discussing how folks are not following facts and science…]
what an annoying speaker. He sounds very un intellectual espically for a college professor.
Wow. The first thought that occurred to me was this class would be a great one to prepare for by creating and employing ‘Logical Fallacy Bingo’ cards. I think he hits most of the most common ones just in this brief clip.
Well, put this “in context” for us. Whatever “science” he used to promote global warming would hardly seem to excuse the following:
Did he also shout derogatory questions at the students in the center and on the “no engines” side of the room, and ask them how they feel about the policies they advocate being likely to kill one billion people? Eliminating engines is a much more certain way of causing a billion deaths than a gradual increase in temperature in the northern and southern regions of the globe; in fact all the other policies beyond the US does nothing is likely to result in more deaths. If he did abuse the other students then perhaps the editing of the video is unfair, but from what we do see it seems unlikely that he did.