One of my idiot students...

[The Reality Salesman01]

A little anecdote from today:

Somehow my class of Air Force students ended up on a tangent about science, which would be awesome if some of these young tards weren't so damn ignorant. Luckily, since I'm the instructor, my words carry a small amount of weight to these guys.

A student began by claiming that science had proven a link between people who watch porn and those who commit sexual assault. I calmly asked if this was an actual science study, or if it was merely a correlation found when compiling certain statistics. He admitted that it was more likely the latter. I then further impressed upon him that science would most likely not concern itself with proving such a thing, as science actually deals with testing hypotheses as opposed to proving them, as mathematics is more apt to do. Again, he conceded the point.

After which he totally forgot what he had just conceded when he blurted out, "Well, at Leary science still hasn't proven evolution or global warming." The class became a little tense at this comment that has just come from nowhere, but I calmly countered the claim again. I reminded him that we had just agreed that science didn't deal with such proof, but that the point, for instance, on proving evolution was moot anyway since it was actually a demonstrable and observable fact.

The rest of the class applauded the rebuttal, after which I segued into the next lesson, dropping the issue entirely before the idiot student could come up with something to try and stump teacher. I usually don't revel in putting a student on the spot, but this jackass had it coming. I especially liked that that the other students, last I saw, were still ribbing him on the subject.

I am currently an Aviation Weapons instructor for The Navy, and I too take any and all opportunities to teach my kids the importance of being more humble about things they think they know. The military is full of people that like to pretend to know things. A little more intellectual honesty in the military would be a good thing. We can make an impact one class at a time. Good job!

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I doubt he even properly knows how to open his fly.

He should be in the Navy, then...plenty of guys there willing to lend a hand.

*grins and flips the bird to Rahul*

Hey!!!