I didn't know math could be racist?

[CapeCodTenor]

I can't belive it. This has gone to far. HOW CAN MATH BE RACIST!?!?! Sorry to yell, but this is really starting to irritate the snot out of me. Math is racist, ok, lets no longer teach math. I give up. Here's the whole story PilotOnline.com

VIRGINIA BEACH — The U.S. Justice Department has found that the math portion of the Virginia Beach Police Department’s entrance exam discriminates against black and Hispanic applicants.

 

[imsorry]

One large bucket of popcorn please, hold the butter

 

[hiwaygal]

wow...a local (to me) story made it to the DIS...

too bad it had to be that one

 

[CapeCodTenor]

One large bucket of popcorn please, hold the butter

I know I opened something up, but this just irritates me. Where does it end. And I must apologize now, but I'm only going to be on the boards for about another 40 minutes. Sorry.

 

[imsorry]

I know I opened something up, but this just irritates me. Where does it end. And I must apologize now, but I'm only going to be on the boards for about another 40 minutes. Sorry.

Don't apologize - I totally agree with you. It reminds me of lowering the physicals so women can be firefighters - I want to meet the woman who
can carry my DH out of a burning building!

 

[CathrynRose]

On a similar note - hope you dont mind me side tracking this puppy ever so slightly...

For those of you with young grade school kids. Anyone else rather annoyed/bothered with the "politically correct" names they now use in childrens long problems? (i.e. Enrique went to the store with Tanisha, etc, etc)

Not because I care that theyre using "ethnic" names - but because a child whom is just learning reading problems gets kinda confused, and baffled if they cant sound out words - and adding these long fancy names to the already puzzling problem, is frustrating for them!

Alright - who is gonna throw popcorn at me, for this comment?

 

[Cantw8]

 

[andromedaslove]

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Hey Cant, where did you get that little guy? I want one.

 

[hiwaygal]

unless something went wrong for me, the link posted above was from a few months ago...

Here's the "update" (it's been on the news again lately)

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=102502&ran=157902

 

[In a hurry]

On a similar note - hope you dont mind me side tracking this puppy ever so slightly...

For those of you with young grade school kids. Anyone else rather annoyed/bothered with the "politically correct" names they now use in childrens long problems? (i.e. Enrique went to the store with Tanisha, etc, etc)

Not because I care that theyre using "ethnic" names - but because a child whom is just learning reading problems gets kinda confused, and baffled if they cant sound out words - and adding these long fancy names to the already puzzling problem, is frustrating for them!

Alright - who is gonna throw popcorn at me, for this comment?

You are totally correct!

Take it one further, tests can't talk about the ocean, mountains, dessert, etc., because it isn't fair for those who don't live near such things. Jewish/Asians can't be portrayed as doctors, women can't be shown cooking, and blacks can't be portrayed doing any sort of labor.

 

[Chicago526]

Well, since they are applying the new standard equally to all applicants, and not just allowing minorities to score lower, it's not too bad. But still, it's too bad the city can't just set it's own standards to begin with.

Anyone bothered by the fact that black and hispanic applicants were scoring lower than whites on the math test though? I wonder why that is?

 

[imsorry]

Time for me to bite my tongue!!!!!!

 

[Free4Life11]

“On Tuesday, Officer Jones worked the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. At 10:55 p.m. he was called to the scene of an accident where he remained until 1:30 a.m. How long past his regular shift did Officer Jones work?”

2.5 hours, right?

 

[Chicago526]

2.5 hours, right?

No, no, no. The answer is 150 donuts!

 

[Cantw8]

Hey Cant, where did you get that little guy? I want one.

Take him, he is my gift to you because you made me laugh this morning

 

[alabamaalan]

The question is..how long after leaving the scene did he stop for a donut, taco, egg roll, or moon pie before signing off the shift?

 

[DVC Sadie]

It's a shame that standards have to be lowered constantly whether its in the schools or the workforce. How can anyone even get through high school without knowing basic math. Its not as if they were asking the people to do algebra or Calculus. When a nation requires people to know less then the nation suffers because standards will always be lowered. Just my point of view.

 

[missypie]

I do't know a thing about the math test in question. Before law school, I never believed that standardized tests could be discriminatory. But then, a case I read in law school opened my eyes a bit.

I was a Special Ed. major in undergrad...never took a Business course. My parents were of modest means...no "investments" to speak of, just a savings account. I was taking a Federal Income Tax class and we were assigned to read this US Supreme Court case. I read and read the case and just didn't get it. I didn't get it because to understand the decision, it was necessary to understand how annuities work. I had no idea how annuities worked and it wasn't explained in the case; the author of the opinion just assumed that EVERYONE knew how annuities worked.

That is what is behind some tests being discriminatory...they assume knowledge outside the question that a person in a protected class might not have. (Of course, I don't know WHAT that would be on a math test.)

Oh, I just thought of an example of a math question that might depend on your national origin:

"Guadalupe held her quinceanera on May 15, 2006. In what year was she born?"

 

[missypie]

This is TOTALLY off topic, but as long as we're ranting about political correctness, have you read any pregnancy, birth or parenting materials lately? Instead of saying "your husband", they all say "the baby's father."