Obama, Ayers, Oh my!
Puh-lease. Bill Ayers is hardly my favorite person on the planet but here's a fact to chew on: I've spent more time with Bill Ayers in the last decade than Barack Obama has.
There I've said it. I admit to it fully and willingly of my own accord.
Bill Ayers is currently a professor at UIC. I'm an M.Ed. candidate in UIC's College of Teacher Education.
Ayers was invited to debate my English 557 professor, Gerald Graff, last semester. For an hour or so Graff and Ayers exchanged views on Paulo Freire's social justice educational philosophy. Classmates also participated here and there. I may have even directly addressed the would-be political equivalent of the Black Plague myself; I can't remember.
And for the record, Ayers' position was that students should be taught to advocate for themselves and to fight inequality. He did not go into the details of how students should fight that inequality but I'm pretty sure he's no longer advocating homemade pipe bombs. Championing Freire's social justice education is about as radical as he seems to get nowadays. The Bill Ayers of 2008 is such a horrible person that he's helping oppressed, underprivileged minority kids find their voices and stand up for themselves. What an ass.
Anyway, tar and feather me for having been in Ayers' presence and not demanding his immediate hara kiri. I was wholly ignorant of Ayers' past transgressions at the time and only now do I realize that I have been brainwashed and tainted by a terrorist. If I ever run for public office, I'm sure this will be grounds for trashing my candidacy.
But I guess I'll just get what I deserve for cavorting with--and taking notes from--terrorists.
There I've said it. I admit to it fully and willingly of my own accord.
Bill Ayers is currently a professor at UIC. I'm an M.Ed. candidate in UIC's College of Teacher Education.
Ayers was invited to debate my English 557 professor, Gerald Graff, last semester. For an hour or so Graff and Ayers exchanged views on Paulo Freire's social justice educational philosophy. Classmates also participated here and there. I may have even directly addressed the would-be political equivalent of the Black Plague myself; I can't remember.
And for the record, Ayers' position was that students should be taught to advocate for themselves and to fight inequality. He did not go into the details of how students should fight that inequality but I'm pretty sure he's no longer advocating homemade pipe bombs. Championing Freire's social justice education is about as radical as he seems to get nowadays. The Bill Ayers of 2008 is such a horrible person that he's helping oppressed, underprivileged minority kids find their voices and stand up for themselves. What an ass.
Anyway, tar and feather me for having been in Ayers' presence and not demanding his immediate hara kiri. I was wholly ignorant of Ayers' past transgressions at the time and only now do I realize that I have been brainwashed and tainted by a terrorist. If I ever run for public office, I'm sure this will be grounds for trashing my candidacy.
But I guess I'll just get what I deserve for cavorting with--and taking notes from--terrorists.
posted by banzai at 3:30 AM
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