This request came in from WUWT reader Michael, who’s concerned that “My daughter’s fifth grade class is currently being indoctrinated regarding “human caused” climate change.” and he wants to know what film might be a good response.
My daughter’s fifth grade class is currently being indoctrinated regarding “human caused” climate change. Her teacher sent home a note informing parents that she will be screening CNN’s Planet in Peril, which she described as “fairly objective”.
Is there a good film I could recommend the teacher to show to provide balance to my daughter’s class. Any other assistance with a response to her teacher would be most appreciated. Below is the email from my daughter’s teacher.
Thanks,
Michael
~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Parents,
I want to make you aware of a documentary we are watching in 5th grade. It is produced by CNN and is called “Planet in Peril.” This video is meant to introduce students to the idea that the earth is warming and that all effects of this warming has a ripple effect. In my view, it is fairly objective, and attempts to examine whether this problem is man-made or not.
My intent is to make students aware of the scientific research that is out there, and encourage them to do their own research on an aspect of this science that interests them.
Please communicate any concerns you have about this as soon as possible. I am happy to make any adaptations for your child tailored to your concerns.
Thank you,
Mrs. A
5th Grade General Studies
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My first thought would be this video from Dr. David Evans,
Another would be the 50 to 1 video:
I’m sure readers can suggest other videos.
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I watched the Dr. Evans video. It was very good, but I cringed every time he said “dampens” – sort of like fingernails on the chalkboard. It’s “damp”, “damps”, and “damped”, Dr. Evans.
“This makes me sad. Firstly, I don’t believe that all teachers have the attitude that you ascribe to them.”
Of course not. Merely the vast majority of teachers.
“Secondly, even if most teachers had this attitude, I think it is wrong to actively discourage your children from speaking their mind.”
What is wrong is to have allowed teachers to have become propagandists under color of authority. And make no mistake about it: the majority of teachers have such authority. Substantial authority. Not subject to review.
Point out lacunae in their logic or fallacies in their facts, and you will not be rewarded and praised for having exercised individual intellectual initiative. You will be rebuked and punished and marked down relative to your peer group for failing to conform to the expected “standard” of recitation of the revealed truth.
There have been many epochs in human history in which discreet dissembling upon command was a necessary cultural survival skill. This is, regrettably, another such epoch. Would that it were otherwise.
Gerald Machnee says:
May 12, 2014 at 7:37 pm
+1
“Dear (teacher),
“Thank you for your note. My child will not view the age-inappropriate religious film.
“Cc: (school district attorney), (personal attorney)”
Michael Palmer says:
May 12, 2014 at 7:33 pm
Note that Chris Thorne never said that you couldn’t speak your mind, just that you should not do so in class. I also would that it were otherwise.
University’s claim to be bastions of free and open thinking.
An “objective” film called Planet in Peril.
Teacher needs a dictionary.
“There have been many epochs in human history in which discreet dissembling upon command was a necessary cultural survival skill. This is, regrettably, another such epoch. Would that it were otherwise.”
—
I do see your point, but you are exaggerating.
An uncle of mine and his family used to live in East Germany. He was a protestant minister and also an outspoken individual, refusing to take part in the sham elections etc. His two sons, also of a somewhat outspoken nature, finished 10th grade at the top of their classes, but were then expelled and prevented from finishing high school and attending university. One became a carpenter, the other a construction worker. This is still not the heaviest punishment imaginable, but it sure is more serious than what your children could possibly face in North America.
Freedom must be defended through its constant exercise. That will occasionally exact a price. This price must be paid – it is one of the many taxes required to offset the many forms of damage done by inescapable human stupidity.
“The Cloud Mystery”
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ANMTPF1blpQ
Chris Thorne
Yes, there are times when it is seriously necessary to avoid kicking a sleeping dog. A lifetime of working with public school educators leads me to the conclusion that this is relatively rare. But even in this case, I want my kids to recognize an opportunity to learn.
Apologies if I have referred to this incident in some old thread, but it is relevant here in any case. Quite a few years ago, Dr. Cyrus Gordon, a semiticist at Brandeis gave a series of lectures in Pasadena expounding his somewhat unorthodox views of Old Testament document history. At the last session, which I unfortunately missed, he was asked what he told his kids about how to behave when they went to Sabbath School and were presented with the widespread Wellhausen Documentary Hypothesis. His response, as reported to me was something like this: I tell them to pay close attention and make sure they understand what is being taught, because it is important to know what is current, as well as what is true.
The Evans presentation is pretty good, although he errs in one respect- radiosonde-carrying balloon ascents date back to well before the 1960s, although perhaps he means a proper network wasn’t established until that time. The Wikipedia entry for “radiosonde” has a few errors, I note. Can’t be bothered fixing them though.
I can’t add to the video suggestions but perhaps if the city Michael lives in were known someone familiar with the propo video she wants to show and has credentials the teacher would respect would be willing to come and speak in the classroom after the video is shown? Or better yet, pause the video and then comment as it is shown.
It’s two two-hour segments. It will bore most of them to tears. The law of unintended side effects will have the fifth graders dying for lunch or recess, associating GW with crazy old lady teachers, and can be negated with a careful, ‘don’t worry dear.’ Now if it was a flashy, propaganda piece of 5-6 minutes I would be worried.
Also, a lot of district require a ‘shelving of the curriculum’ that may not list broad areas such as this and you can refer the principle to the curriculum on file and strongly point out that such a film and its time spent is not allowed. A tough stance but can be effect, teachers are not usually free to modified approved curriculum.
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They might not understand computer modeling. Compare the CAGW models to a computer game.
Nobody really gets hurt by the pretend dangers.
“His two sons, also of a somewhat outspoken nature, finished 10th grade at the top of their classes, but were then expelled and prevented from finishing high school and attending university. One became a carpenter, the other a construction worker. This is still not the heaviest punishment imaginable, but it sure is more serious than what your children could possibly face in North America.”
Let it be noted that similar official pressure to diminish or destroy individuals’ long-term career prospects absolutely does exist in North America at this time. It is not yet completely possible for those thus inclined to do entirely as they will, but they can certainly place a heavy thumb upon the scales with regard to academic admissions and professional advancement.
Let it also be noted that there are those who believe such personal pressure is wholly insufficient. They wish to go far beyond that.
The warmista cult have produced easily available “public service announcements” indicating openly, unapologetically violent and eliminationist sentiments towards those who merely question their dogma.
Without exaggeration, the productions to which I refer graphically depict innocent people, including school-aged childen, being blown apart in bloody fragments with the push of a button. For having said the wrong thing or having asked an inconvenient question.
Of course, it’s not as though the institutional left ever actually _would_ kill anyone simply for disagreeing with them. Other than the hundred-million-odd people who were thus killed by the left in the previous century for having done exactly that.
My teacher friends are using these dozen questions to encourage students to question the settled science of climate change. See link
http://sowellslawblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/climate-questions-for-teens-and-20s.html
“The Global Warming Swindle” would be my choice as well. I’m a teacher in British Columbia and in my high school Social Studies classes I’ve shown Al Gore’s timeless classic followed by this film. I never say anything one way or the other and let the students draw their own conclusions.
That video is excellent! Thanks for posting it. Not sure if a 10-year-old can appreciate it, although I know I would have; more so because no one was talking down to me.
Roger Sowell says:
May 12, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Excellent! That’s more like it; I don’t favor the dueling videos approach, at all.
It’s relatively easy to find and quote relevant passages from a document, even a long one, but not so easy to extract the same kind of information from a video or film, especially a lengthy one, and particularly when there may be several related points under discussion.
We have this powerful tool called language, Learning to use it well should be a major focus of our educational system.
~
One tiny quibble: “..Recently discovered ancient hunter..” was found in 1991; the NYT article you linked is from 2/22/1992.
One video recommended from a political site I frequently monitor was recommended thusly:
You may buy Blue Beats Green at:
Another reader corrected the title:
Try this link, from JoNova, it was prepared by year 9 students when their teacher demanded to know why they were “deniers”:-
http://joannenova.com.au/2013/12/two-high-school-students-take-on-teacher-over-climate-and-win-standing-ovation/
Southpark 2 days before the day after tommorow
You cant beat sarcasm
http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s09e08-two-days-before-the-day-after-tomorrow
Like I’ve said repeatedly – sweep the left out of government, academia and the media and CAGW will die instantly. That’s all CAGW ever was and is – their device for manipulating uninformed people into going along with their totalitarian, misanthropic agendas.
It’s not a ‘movie’, but a seven minute youtube clip of Dr. Sally Baliunas talking about “weather-cooking” and witchcraft in 16th century Europe.
My god, how can so many people be so totally inept at propaganda? There is just one correct answer: Svensmark: The Cloud Mystery.
You don’t make a frontal attack on the reigning dogma. You give the kids something that’s fascinating, inspiring, unforgettable, and poignant, something that grows in the mind like the proverbial grain of mustard seed, something that doesn’t get into a frenzy attacking the dogma and thereby reinforcing it, something that is positive, innocent, and affirmative, something that has a well-written script and a beautiful musical score, something that calls out to the sense of wonder and exploration.
Now do you get it?