Schools are pushing the "liberal agenda" by teaching algebra.

[Garnier Fructis]

Did anyone actually read the article?

Apparently not.

[Kasierith]

Wow, you idiots are making me sick. Read the damn article, how can you say fox is biased when they had a liberal on the show? Just boggles my mind...

And that makes a difference... how? I remember there's one/was one news segment with four members, with one of them a democrat, and the entire show was the other three people bashing his ideas for the entire time while he gave the weakest possible arguments. Its a strawman.

---------- Post added 2013-01-12 at 12:59 AM ----------

I'm sorry, but that has nothing to do with the distributive property and is just a subtle way of shaping children's beliefs. If you're told stuff like that over and over again you begin believing it's the standard. Which causes you to lean to the left and vote left when you are old enough.

In case you forgot, here's the distributive method (a + b)(c + d) = ac + bc + ad + bd. <--How is that a lovely rich girl handing out some money? In what twisted world is that the most efficient analogy to use to teach children how it works? What happened to the FOIL method (First, outer, inner, last)?

Anyone involved in childhood psychology can tell you that the ability to understand abstract concepts like FOIL comes after distinguishing concepts based on physical representation. There's a reason why the abacus is still used after all this time.

[Deleted]

...but it STILL is mathematically correct. ^_^

I was listening to the song as I read that post, I had no other choice.

[Rajadog20]

All right, please lock this thread. Its just a bunch of idiots bashing fox news without even watching it again. The stupidity of the posters in this thread is amazing. Even if you agree with the distribution of wealth, how the hell could you dispute that the worksheet was pushing it? Come on people, I know you're all smarter then this!!

[Kurioxan]

Did anyone actually read the article?

His issue wasn't with the mathematical concept of distribution, but rather how it was being taught.

The worksheet said to "Distribute the wealth with the lovely rich girl with a big ole bag of money, handing some money out."

I'm sorry, but that has nothing to do with the distributive property and is just a subtle way of shaping children's beliefs. If you're told stuff like that over and over again you begin believing it's the standard. Which causes you to lean to the left and vote left when you are old enough.

In case you forgot, here's the distributive method (a + b)(c + d) = ac + bc + ad + bd. <--How is that a lovely rich girl handing out some money? In what twisted world is that the most efficient analogy to use to teach children how it works? What happened to the FOIL method (First, outer, inner, last)?

People are reading the article.

it is still ridiculous to claim such things btw.
Its a perfectly fine exercise, but people have this mania of persecution and have to make big deals out of things that arent a big deal.
To you it might seem as "shaping childs beliefs" to me its a normal math exercise that in no way will change how kids will see the world...
Humans can be manipulated, but they arent THAT gullible....

It just reeks of paranoia and nothing better to do

[Rajadog20]

Did anyone actually read the article?

His issue wasn't with the mathematical concept of distribution, but rather how it was being taught.

The worksheet said to "Distribute the wealth with the lovely rich girl with a big ole bag of money, handing some money out."

I'm sorry, but that has nothing to do with the distributive property and is just a subtle way of shaping children's beliefs. If you're told stuff like that over and over again you begin believing it's the standard. Which causes you to lean to the left and vote left when you are old enough.

In case you forgot, here's the distributive method (a + b)(c + d) = ac + bc + ad + bd. <--How is that a lovely rich girl handing out some money? In what twisted world is that the most efficient analogy to use to teach children how it works? What happened to the FOIL method (First, outer, inner, last)?

Exactly, it is saddening how liberals bash conservatives without even reading.

[Thage]

All right, please lock this thread. Its just a bunch of idiots bashing fox news without even watching it again. The stupidity of the posters in this thread is amazing. Even if you agree with the distribution of wealth, how the hell could you dispute that the worksheet was pushing it? Come on people, I know you're all smarter then this!!

Just a point of note, calling people who call Fox News out for its track record of falsified information, fabricated information, habitual use of out-of-context comments, defending nearly everything the Religious Right does no matter how morally reprehensible, and wild-eyed fearmongering idiots does little to win people over to your point of view and even less to encourage thoughtful discussion.

[Rajadog20]

People are reading the article.

it is still ridiculous to claim such things btw.
Its a perfectly fine exercise, but people have this mania of persecution and have to make big deals out of things that arent a big deal.
To you it might seem as "shaping childs beliefs" to me its a normal math exercise that in no way will change how kids will see the world...
Humans can be manipulated, but they arent THAT gullible....

It just reeks of paranoia and nothing better to do

Adults aren't but third graders are...

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Adults aren't but third graders are...

So you think that math problem will shape the child's beliefs? Really are you freaking serious? You got to be kidding me.

[Iracor]

So would no one have an issue with the same worksheet instead of "Distribute the wealth with the lovely rich girl with a big ole bag of money, handing some money out."

It said "Distribute the wealth with Jesus Christ with a big ole bag of love, handing some love out."?

Or "Distribute the tax breaks with the lovely government official with a big ole bag of legislation, handing some tax breaks out."?

[Rajadog20]

Just a point of note, calling people who call Fox News out for its track record of falsified information, fabricated information, habitual use of out-of-context comments, defending nearly everything the Religious Right does no matter how morally reprehensible, and wild-eyed fearmongering idiots does little to win people over to your point of view and even less to encourage thoughtful discussion.

What the hell are you talking about? Falsified information? Fabricated information? Come on man, stop making wild accusations like that without providing one damn example.

[wow2011]

I think I'm pretty liberal, but the sheer number of people in here who don't bother to watch the video before they unload their opinion is just saddening to me.

I am not lumping all the liberals together. I was pointing to liberals who believe they are immune to propaganda and believe a liberal propaganda without any doubts.

I see a large group of liberals that will believe anything that pushes liberal agenda such as this post and I also see a large group of conservatives that will believe anything that pushes conservative agenda based on some silly propaganda. Either way, this is why people would fail democracy.. It's quite sad.

[mvaliz]

All right, please lock this thread. Its just a bunch of idiots bashing fox news without even watching it again. The stupidity of the posters in this thread is amazing. Even if you agree with the distribution of wealth, how the hell could you dispute that the worksheet was pushing it? Come on people, I know you're all smarter then this!!

A great man once said: Sometimes in life... a cigar is just a cigar.

Which do you think this one is? A graphic illustration to help children learn basic mathematical concepts... or a secret conspiracy designed by a secret society of devil-worshiping liberals to indoctrinate a society of children into socialists - children who's current aspirations are probably to simply get home to nab that elusive Wasabichu Pokemon they've been after for a while.

[Kurioxan]

Adults aren't but third graders are...

... no, not something "so subtle" that they wouldnt even understand. That is an adult mind at work, one that might be called paranoid.
should we remove the word "share" from the vocabulary because it might instill uncontrollable urges to be left-winged?
Ok, that is a bit of a strawman, but i use it to illustrate that the notion is a tad silly tbh

[Reeve]

I linked the video a few pages back, but it seems like people would rather read the article than watch the video itself. He's not taking issue with the distributive property. He's taking issue with the worksheet's title: "distribute the wealth."

Even then, I think it's a stupid thing to take issue with. It'd be like MSNBC getting upset because a school used an example of cutting a budget to teach math.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

When reading those problems I don't think about any subtle involved. Kids aren't really concerned about that. They really are not, unless people are insinuating children are genius's. I can't even perceive how bad this is. My goodness, do people look for bad things to happen because they are so jaded and dark the only way to sate themselves is look for stuff like this?

[mvaliz]

Even then, I think it's a stupid thing to take issue with. It'd be like MSNBC getting upset because a school used an example of cutting a budget to teach math.

...or an illustration of various barrels full of ham, ribs and bacon used as a graphic aid - and MSNBC saying: Look! PORK BARRELS!

[Kurioxan]

When reading those problems I don't think about any subtle involved. Kids aren't really concerned about that. They really are not, unless people are insinuating children are genius's. I can't even perceive how bad this is. My goodness, do people look for bad things to happen because they are so jaded and dark the only way to sate themselves is look for stuff like this?

Yeah people tend to forget that human development isnt just physical but also mental, and even in the physical part the brain isnt nearly as developed in a child, so they view the world through their own bias (we all do) but do the mistake of applying it to a child.
Quite a lot of "think of the children" policies are aberrations stemming from this thought processes, kids dont think like we do, and dont have the life experienced that shaped the persons views.

[Garnier Fructis]

Even then, I think it's a stupid thing to take issue with. It'd be like MSNBC getting upset because a school used an example of cutting a budget to teach math.

Oh, I don't disagree. I agree it's stupid. My issue is with people attacking this guy's position against math when he didn't even take that position. There are so many more worthy things to take issue with in that video, like how that one guy on the right called Nobel Winning economist Paul Krugman's work childish.

[Deleted]

I hope Murdoch feels proud of the empire he has built and the quality for which it stands.