Free? Really?
A young college linguistics instructor started the semester saying human speech is wonderful because it has grammar and syntax. I was changing careers and taking a midlife break from employment. I had a question and raised a hand.
He called on me and I asked, “Does our language’s having grammar and syntax mean we are a higher form of life than species who communicate without them?”
He got angry! Really angry.
“I won’t learn anything in his course,” I told myself. I walked out and dropped his course.
Now he hadn’t said he was a freethinker, so maybe I was wanting too much.
After twelve years in Catholic schools — “No thanks, Dad” — some trauma helped me free myself.
Anyone else?
1
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5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I think you should have stayed and seen how it would have evolved. Perhaps you may have learned something and perhaps your teacher would have committed murder, who knows.
Jolanta
Level 9
Dec 6, 2019
1
Someone forgot to tell the instructor that there is no such thing as a stupid question.
Mermaidfantasy
Level 7
Nov 30, 2019
0
Not sure what you're asking...
"anyone else..." what?
You talk about attending a college course. You asked a question of the teacher...but don't explain why he got angry; how did you know (s)he was angry?
Robecology
Level 9
Nov 29, 2019
1
How did I know he was angry? You’ll have to trust me, or not.
How do you recognize anger?
A clue: context.
I’d been in the Navy, and the GI Bill and part time jobs paid my way in college. I was the first college student in the family. I had changed majors and mom, as if thinking I was taking too long, told me I was too lazy to get a job. I’d never heard her and dad disagree so I tossed them and their religion. We made up in five years, and years later I realized the trauma had helped me quit C’cism. That’s how thorough the indoctrination had been.
My dad paid to send five kids to RC schools, and before he died he knew we had all quit the Church. So far as l know, he said nothing.
yvilletom
Level 8
Nov 29, 2019
1
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