Ahmed's Protocol 2/24/2011

Protocol 2-24-2011

Class starts at 11:15 pm. Ben walks into class and hands out a reading and informs the class to start reading. It turns out to be external writing assignment number two hand out. Ben writes program at the board:

1) Housekeeping and recap

2) Confirmation bias, circulating references, and Hayek’s truth

3) Making things difficult….

Ben asks the difficultators when and how they want to present. Ben then takes attendance while sitting on the floor. Ben gives the class extra time to read the assignment. Ben says that the reality we live in has a lot of faults. Ben was distracted by Hegel’s “ugly” picture. Ben goes on explaining the assignment which is basically finding a truth and legitimating it. Ben wanted to give us a specific topic to research and write about. Eugenics: the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities ofthe human species or a human population, especially by suchmeans as discouraging reproduction by persons having geneticdefects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits(negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by personspresumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics). This definition is taken from dictionary.com. The term was used by the Germans when they thought that Jewish people were a disease and therefore putting them in extermination camps. Ben goes on explaining the assignment and says to find the truth and that truth has to be controversial; it has to be something that has not been considered the truth for a reason. Find out all the facts you can about the truth you are studying. Ben will send out resources regarding Wilson library which will help with the research. Also, find the person or institution that needs to hear this truth and try to legitimate it to them. There are two parts of the assignment… part one is the actual text. Another part is the Meta commentary which is a commentary on your text. The metacommentary is a comment that you send to Ben explaining how your text worked. Rough draft will be due two weeks from today and the final draft will be due week after. Ben brought up the next reading which is white noise by Delliolo and stated that there will be another blog post this weekend. Ben starts a mini lecture and starts with the definition of Confirmation bias which is strategically and eliminating sources, to confirm your pre determined argument…. Ranke would say that this is a really bad history. Ben says that everyone in the class has a position. Mandy stops Ben and asks nicely that they want to start their difficultation. Ben still goes on his last comment on circulating reference which is basically a theory that goes around and everyone keeps redefining it. They are terms that are being discussed in a given culture. The difficultating group takes over. They explain how everyone is sitting down by an important person. Ben sits with Hegel’s group because he says Hegel’s the hardest. The difficultators say that each group should take 15 minutes to discuss the chosen person’s position on the resolution. The resolution is “our current economic system is headed toward socialism because socialism is equivalent to Nazism; we are headed toward Nazism/Fascism.” At 12:05 pm the class comes back together. Rand’s group goes first. Sophie who is affiliated with Rand said that they agree because they are expected to give up part of taxes which goes towards social programs. Hegel goes second and oppose resolution because Hayek states that instead of moving towards socialism, we are moving towards freedom. Adorno is next and is opposed. State that Hayek is using a device that builds fear. Beale is next and agree because “Crazy Obama” is putting all these laws that makes the US head towards fascism. Beck also agrees with the resolution and they state that everyone needs to get up and yell to get their voices hears. They also state that Obama is a fascist. All group’s responses were up on the board. The group tells the class that it is now open discussion using whatever is on the board. Liz asks the group who are opposed to the argument to clarify. Ben states that most of the positions taken by every group is right. We go back to groups are instructed to pick another historical figure and discuss their point on the resolution. The class came back together. Hegel argues with Beale and says that the world has its own plan and direction and that Beale is not an important figure because he’s on television and he does not have the world spirit with him. Ben... “Beale, with your neo fascistic ways, this is not history moving towards freedom.” Beale says that he does have the world spirit because millions of people are watching him all over the country and that everyone is mad as hell and that they are not going to take it anymore. Glenn Beck says that if everything is falling apart, then how is that moving towards freedom while questioning Hegel. Liz says that she’d like to hear more from another group. Rand challenges Hegel. Rand says that they are attacking Hegel because Hegel is Christian and he is replacing the word god with “spirit.” Adorno argues against Beck and says that he can’t use his charismatic authority to influence people. Beck says that he does use fact in his arguments. Why is it useful to argue different perspectives…asked Liz. Ben asked the class to write the question down and answer it on a piece of paper. Ben’s final notes “what are a few things you understand now that you didn’t understand before” one reply was, nobody is “right” and everyone has own “facts.” Another response was role playing pushes the boundaries of your own position. One thing one could write about in external writing assignment is writing Glenn Beck and telling him that socialism and Fascism are not the same said Ben. Class ended and everyone left!!!!!!!!