Saturday, October 30, 2021

CRT is not your grandfather's computer screen

Updated 11/1/2021

Camas, WA -  Before Flat Screen televisions, we had CRT  (Cathode Ray Tube) Televisions,  vacuum tubes and transistors.  At that time, integrated circuits were barely showing up.  I studied these components while pursuing an engineering degree carrying a full load and working full time

Cathode Ray Tube as shown by wikipedia:  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oscilloscopic_tube.jpg

At this time, we had one female student in the engineering department. If you walked by the engineering school, you could hear a pin drop. And  the university's mascot was a Mighty Aztec, eventually canceled in favor of the more politically correct logo with simply the letters  SD.

In contrast, the liberal arts colleges were always partying or staging a protest du jour, often  protesting  the Vietnam War 

And while we were studying algorithms, liberal arts students where studying euphemisms to disguise their arguments, like


 selling infanticide as women's health, cheating as having an affairs or the sign in a Rite Aid drugstore as shown by Wikipedia: 

  • Family planning for contraceptive
  • Feminine Hygiene for douches
  • Feminine protection for tampons
  • Sanitary protection for diapers 

Liberal arts students were also learning about a different CRT:  Critical Race Theory.

Indicative of the times, the engineering curriculum did not include a single Ethics class.  Instead, it emphasized engineering sense which I refer to simply as common sense. 

While the Cathode Ray Tube was replaced by flat, plasma or LCD screens, Critical Race Theory spread like leaven and can now found in public schools, state and federal governments, including the FBI and the military.  

Appointing a Diversity Officer (such as the FBI's first CDO) based on her color or sexual preference, or  the FBI teaming up with the Girl Scouts, or even the FBI's incessant press releases warning the nation about reporting hate crime may result in  unintended consequences, such as hate crime hoaxes or promoting the LGBT lifestyle. All these are cultural signs, where culture is used as a form of social control.  If you do not like the culture, or the signs or language that define that culture, you do not belong!  That is not diversity!  That is indoctrination.

 

FBI's Report Hate Crimes and Diversity Campaigns


Critical Race Theory

Proponents of Critical Race Theory use euphemisms like diversity, equity, inclusion and so on, to sell their wares.  Nothing wrong with any of the terms.  It's how they are applied.  Diversity is not just abouo about the freedom to question authority, like we did in the 60s, it is about entertaining different ideas as crazy as they could sound. It's not about shutting down conversations using terms like "the science is settled "  Science never settles.  Or "racist."  Or as I like to say, a sign of top intellect is the ability to make progress in the face of ambiguity.

Diversity and excellence go hand in hand like clouds in a rainy day.  Yet diversity is not like a rainbow.  More like a constellation of stars. And diversity is never easy,  Empathy, patience and listening skills  are required  to fully harvest the output of a diverse group.. I tell the story of Scott Stillinger, inventor of the Kush Ball(r) when he first showed me a prototype and asked me what I thought.  My immediate reaction was  "that's really a useless idea."  I'm glad I never told him,  because after some nine months, from this incident, the Kush Ball was featured in the Wall Street Journal as the best selling toy in America

Its like when my boss asks me to think outside the box, I think I do but then she immediately tells me "no, that's not what I meant "  Does that mean she remained in the box? Just like when Scott showed me the prototype, he was outside the box  while I was inside. 

At this time, Scott Stillinger, Steve Blank, other national luminaries like Ben Wegbreight and Steve Johnson and I worked at Convergent Technologies.  Scott was my manufacturing engineering manager and Steve was a marketing manager.  As Steve, a  University of Michigan dropout writes: 

Put to a vote, I might have been chosen “least likely to succeed” in my New York City high school class. My path has taken me from repairing fighter planes in Thailand during the Vietnam War (a member of the Society of Wild Weasels), and I was lucky enough to arrive at the beginning of the boom times of Silicon Valley in 1978.

I must admit that at this time, I also did not think Steve had that much potential.  This is when Fortune named Convergent the Fastest Growing Company in the world.  A couple of years later, Sott was in full gear producing Koosh balls, while Steve and I worked for Stardent building supercomputer.  Stardent was eventually purchased by Kubota Computer.

Needless to say, it wasn't that Steve didnt have the potential.  He was outside the box, I was in.  Then we of course all know about Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Zuckerberg 

I learnt to tell undergraduate and graduate students that if their main reason for attending college is for financial gain, they should drop out.

All this simply shows that the US Education System is in desperate need of a paradigm change.



Students are indoctrinated, not educated

Most high school students are not prepared for college.  According to Sarah Butrymowicz, The Hechinger Report: 

"Most schools place students in what are called remedial courses in math or English before they can move on to a full load of college-level, credit-bearing courses – a process that is a financial drain on not only students, but also colleges and taxpayers, costing up to an estimated $7 billion a year."

 Instead  colleges and  universities do  the job high schools are supposed to do.  A viable option for these students in trade school.  Trade schools  have a more streamlined approach to learning providing students with a specialized skill set rather than focusing on general education  that students care little about  Trade school training takes less time to complete, require little critical thinking & communication skills, it is usually  hands-on and a lot more cost effective

The reason most of these students do not choose trade schools is mostly due to parents, usually highly educated ones, as the Atlantic's Meg St-Esprit writes 

When college is held up as the one true path to success, parents—especially highly educated ones—might worry when their children opt for vocational school instead

Then there are the unscrupulous politicians selling free college for everyone, qualified or not, as well as  colleges in  the Diploma Mill business.

PBS's Sarah Butrymowicz say that 

"Most schools placed students in what are called remedial courses in math or english before they can move on to a full load of college level, credit bearing course - a process that is a financial drain on no only students, but also colleges and taxpayers, costing up to an estimated $7 billion per year"

So taxpayers bear the burden of poorly prepared students to get them ready for college, then have to pay for their financial irresponsibility as they rack up student debt!


Equity

Equity theory focuses on determining whether the distribution of resources is fair to both relational partners. Equity is measured by comparing the ratio of contributions and benefits for each person.  I graduated high school with honors and very much wanted to attend UCLA Medical School, but I could not afford it.  So I worked full time, spent three years in community College, transferred to State & earned a BSEE with a Minor in Biomedical Engineering.  Is it equitable for me and thousands of other financially responsible families and students to bear the responsibility of the irresponsibly ones who rack up thousands and  thousands of dollars in student debt bur now demand their debt be forgiven?  Should we file for reparation? 

Inclusion

Inclusion in education refers to a model wherein students with special needs spend most or all of their time with general education students.  Inclusion, like diversity, may sound good but the application is often bashed to the detriment of all students: Recently when a third grade teacher asked students about their favorite food, one child said "sushi!"  Immediately the whole classed laughed & made fun of said child.  Like diversity, inclusion requires a good family support system. specialized teachers, and a mature student body.  Just like the student who like sushi.  A classmate quickly stood up and said, "I love sushi too.  What's wrong with that?" The family of the girl who likes sushi positively reinforced the notion that there is nothing wrong being different. Imagine a special needs child in this same classroom without peer, teacher or family support? Instead of "teaching" other students how to live in the real world, it could be traumatizing.  Recall that most high school students in general education classes are not equipped to live in the real world! 

Then there are those politicians and educators who want to criminalize homeschooling or fight school choice, forcing students into a one-size, government option fits all.

If the motives of Critical Race Theory proponents were serious, using engineering sense, or common sense if you will they would be in the front lines trying to stop the Black Genocide:  Planned Parenthood kills millions of preborns, mostly African American.  


African American Family Structure and Black Genocide

They would fight to prevent the extinction of the African American nuclear family as they work to save the Hallsville Turtles In 1965 25% of African American children were raised fatherless.  Now it is up to 75-80% .   Boys without fathers in the home have a noticeably higher rate of incidence of drug abuse, school dropout, crime and delinquency, and teen pregnancy

But they don't 

They would work on getting rid of Biden's Crime Bill, which codified Institutional racism.  President Trump, against all odds, was able to chip at this wall, but no effort since then

The Heritage Foundation has an excellent free book detailing how to spot Critical  Race  Theory & How To Fight it - click here for a copy




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