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Comment Re:Just let them test out! (Score 1) 307

As far as I'm concerned, this is completely unheard-of in my country. Standards are generally pre-set, and if half of the class fails where the previous year's students had few problems, well, that's their problem, nobody's going to lower the standards for this year's class.

The philosophy that schools are intended to teach a certain well thought out base of knowledge and only pass those who demonstrate that they've learned all of it is not universal.
 
It requires a great deal more maturity and responsibility and humility. The teacher needs to be a lot more self critical about what's in the curriculum, the students and parents need to be prepared to accept the fact that their talent and discipline may not be sufficient for the role they've decided they're interested in, and society needs to be prepared to accept that neither needs nor expectations will make a person capable if they don't have the talent or determination necessary.
 
What's popular these days is to just throw together a curriculum that relates to the course subject without regard for whether or not the students can absorb it, then just sort the class from best to worst and push the best ones forward. It's less demanding on the teacher, and it never allows their competence as a teacher to be subjected to critical analysis. It's also less demanding on the students... the teacher doesn't set the bar, the students do. And, society as a whole can look at the schools churning out certified, educated citizens and tell themselves they're doing just fine.
 
This way, when everything goes to shit, they can blame the "other", the ones who didn't play ball with the system, for their societies collapse. And, that's the most important thing. Because no pain is so bad that it can't be made 10 times worse by having someone tell you that it's your own damned fault and knowing that they are right.

Comment Re: Knowledge is the solution (Score 1, Insightful) 1051

Why do you feel entitled to live in huge herds, when nature repeatedly strikes such herds down? Spread out a bit and you won't create the perfect storm of circumstances that create these terrible plagues. You ought to know better, but you do it anyway, so you deserve what comes of it.

Comment Re:This might alienate anti-ISI* Muslims. (Score 1) 225

That's a childish and superficial philosophy. You haven't thought it through, can't support it, and make no effort to live by it.

If you jump off a bridge, and you die, you deserved it.
 
Similarly, if you start a bank, you will trick people into giving you power, and eventually they will catch you, elevate a man whose only distinguishing characteristics are eloquence and anger, and cut off your head with a guillotine or put you in a gas chamber.

Both of these scenarios have a predictable outcome, and therefore, both of these men deserve to die.

All morality is of this nature. Sometimes you need a subtle eye to see the self-destructive nature of what you're doing, sometimes it's as obvious as walking off a cliff. But you always deserve what happens to you.

Comment Re:This might alienate anti-ISI* Muslims. (Score 4, Insightful) 225

That "Law" only applies to weapons whose primary purpose is to create blindness. Incidental blindness in pursuit of an "acceptable" primary purpose is specifically permitted.

Though, really, rules concerning the appropriate way to make war are just another example of a cartel colluding to protect their monopoly on the use of deadly force by raising the bar of entry.

The purpose of war is to shatter a social system that is harming our species and make space for something better. If your war is moral, the cruelty of your weapons is immaterial.

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