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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
 Posted - 11/29/2006 : 08:35:11
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Was this atheist expelled from art school for showing polite skepticism over the existence of leprechauns, or is he really just a rude jerk who is very good at putting on an innocent face for the media?
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=84436&category=22101
I suspect the guy isn't as polite as he makes himself out to be, but I can't believe how thin-skinned these people at this school are. Policies against talking about religion? Expelling someone for essentially being (maybe) rude about someone's faith? They really need to get over themselves.
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"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Ghost_Skeptic
SFN Regular
Canada
510 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2006 : 09:27:54 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by marfknox
Was this atheist expelled from art school for showing polite skepticism over the existence of leprechauns, or is he really just a rude jerk who is very good at putting on an innocent face for the media?
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=84436&category=22101
I suspect the guy isn't as polite as he makes himself out to be, but I can't believe how thin-skinned these people at this school are. Policies against talking about religion? Expelling someone for essentially being (maybe) rude about someone's faith? They really need to get over themselves.
The more ludicrous the belief, the thinner the skin. |
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. / You can send a kid to college but you can't make him think." - B.B. King
History is made by stupid people - The Arrogant Worms
"The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism." - William Osler
"Religion is the natural home of the psychopath" - Pat Condell
"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter" - Thomas Jefferson |
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Original_Intent
SFN Regular
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2006 : 11:42:50 [Permalink]
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Sounds like he was just making trouble. The reaction to his side o the story is more then a bit overboard. It sounds like we are missing a lot, especially with the order for psyhiatric evaluation.
If the ACLU takes the case, I will be really surprised.
Peace
Joe |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2006 : 14:20:29 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by marfknox
Policies against talking about religion?
According to the same article, the president of the school says no such policy exists, especially since they've got a comparative religions class.
The article also states - and nobody seems to disagree - that the school management says that they expelled the guy only at the end of a series of complaints. I'll bet the whole story is much less in his favor than he makes it sound, and the school is not so thin-skinned after all. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2006 : 18:04:07 [Permalink]
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Me, I'm delighted someone is finally defending belief in the Little People. If the leprechauns tried to defend themselves, many of them would doubtless be captured and forced to hand over their gold.
I can just see this guy in a future job interview...
Job Interviewer: It says here on your application that you attended the Art Institute of Portland until November, 2006. Why did you leave that school, Mr. Averill?
Averill: Leprechauns.
Job Interviewer: Excuse me?
Averill: I don't believe in leprechauns.
Job Interviewer: I can't say I do either, but what does this have to do with you leaving the Art Institute of Portland?
Averill: A woman there believed in 'em.
Job Interviewer: Was she some kind of missionary evangelist for the leprechauns? She wouldn't leave you alone, so you left the school?
Averill: Well, not exactly.
Job Interviewer: What, exactly, then?
Averill: I was expelled, okay? For making fun of her leprechaun belief. Hey, quit grinning! There's nothing funny about it! I bet you believe in 'em, too!
Job Interviewer: Please don't shout, Mr. Averill. That concludes this interview. We will be contacting you in the event that we decide to hire you. Next!
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 17:38:00 [Permalink]
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Randi, I notice, didn't touch on the unanswered question in all our minds: Was Averill simply engaging in the kind of discussion that should be expected of students who are exploring their intellectual environment, or was he being a complete asshole, and a serial persecutor of people's religions?
My default position is to assume he should have a right to talk, even if he's a bit of an ass, unless he has somehow been extremely disruptive to education.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Original_Intent
SFN Regular
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 19:42:51 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Randi, I notice, didn't touch on the unanswered question in all our minds: Was Averill simply engaging in the kind of discussion that should be expected of students who are exploring their intellectual environment, or was he being a complete asshole, and a serial persecutor of people's religions?
My default position is to assume he should have a right to talk, even if he's a bit of an ass, unless he has somehow been extremely disruptive to education.
The decision on whether to take the case by the ACLU will be interesting. If they take it, then any dirt will (or should) come out. If they don't, as this is an ACLU case, I would have to go with Averill being a class act ( - the 'cl').
I am a bit biased though. Looking at him, and reading about the case reminds me too much of things my brother would do. Everyone has to have consequences for their thoughts and actions, but him.
Peace
Joe
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 21:30:13 [Permalink]
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I note that at the Art Institute of Portland's Website, on the Student Affairs page, the first photo I saw was of people hanging Christmas decorations (there are four photos possible on that page, randomly selected). Averill's story looks all the more fabricated in light of that photo.
Oddly, I can't find a "code of conduct" in the catalog (even though the enrollment agreement implies it will be there). There is, on page 80, the harrassment policy:The Art Institute of Portland is committed to providing workplaces and learning environments that are free from harassment on the basis of any protected classification including, but not limited to race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or on any other basis protected by law. Such conduct is unprofessional, unproductive, illegal, and generally considered bad for business. Consequently, all conduct of this nature is expressly prohibited, regardless of whether it violates any law. Such policies have been taken to extremes in the past, with administrators and/or faculty of various institutions prefering to "play it safe" and prohibit talking about anything having to do with any protected group out of fear that someone, somewhere, sometime will find it "harrassing." But the school would then be hard-pressed to include a comparative religions class were that the case here.
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- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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