(ThyBlackMan.com) I have always said to my closest friends that the problem with America, in particularly Black America is that we do know or understand that there is a difference from education and schooling: that there is a chasm between being educated and being schooled. Although my folk get it I hesitantly accept that the vast majority do not and will not. Now I will try and describe this in an historical context making use of the current political discussion of gun control as well as an event recently that occurred in a faculty meeting last week.
For many of us, fact and reason and logic and thought has nothing to do with what we believe, agree with and or select to accept as truth, albeit what we accept as truth is mainly dogma. I came to this conclusion again recently when in a faculty meeting. I was asked not to work problems on the board as much and use the technology available. It was their suggestion that doing such was not in concert with the mission of integrating technology in the classroom. I retorted that use of technology is not the same as integrating technology in the class room. I received a bunch of sneers and false assertions until I made the argument mathematically. I suggested use and integration are not even synonyms and that I could prove such mathematically if the faculty asserting the argument that they were, were mathematically inclined.
As I explained, in calculus integrating complex functions shows us how use and integration are not even close to being the same things, even if in its simplest form it pertains to the use of technology in the class room. First of all, the integral of a complex function is always defined by the integral of a complex-valued function of a real variable and are generally evaluated by finding the ant derivatives of that real variable. Such processes always evince that many times extra effort is required to make the right side equal to the life; which means such entails much more than just stating such is the truth. Which takes me to the second example of gun control.
If I take the same methods of integrating complex functions to the extent of asserting mathematically more gun control will equal less gun deaths, then I must accept the premise that a singular variables can only define an implied integral of a complex function by defining the integral of a complex-valued function of the real variables gun death and gun control. I could in semantic terms say that if gun control works (what Biden presently is proposing with the exception of mental health back ground checks is already in effect in Chicago) then Chicago should be the safest city in America – but it is not. Plus, it is more fun to using the dialectics of calculus to prove my point.
First, one would have to ask if saving lives is the central important issue here. Calculus suggest it is not, for if it were maybe more laws on swimming pools would be needed or sticking with gun control (especially among children), hand guns should be targeted. Why, well according to the CDC, cars, poisonings and even swimming account for annual deaths those deaths by fire arms, in particular when it applies to children. In fact less than 70 deaths for kids under age of 15 were due to accidental firearm use and when will look at all firearm deaths for children, the date proves more die from accidental drowning than being killed by an fire arm. Now I know the focus is on assault rifles, but this true is feculent.
What is confusing is that more than 66% of all gun deaths in the US are suicides – this according to the UN, CDC and FBI. Secondly, although there are more than 200 million rifles and shot guns owned by American citizens, 75 percent of the murders in Americas (suicides not included) are committed with hand guns with 4 percent and 5 percent being committed with rifles and shotguns respectively. These are FBI and Justice Department figures aggregated from state and local police affiliates. And I won’t say that the FBI also notes that more people are killed by bats and that rifles combined.
Thus complex mathematics would assert that the singular variable of gun control, in particular if it targets large ammo magazines and assault rifles will not do much if anything to save lives. This is if saving lives is paramount to controlling guns.
Now what does this have to do with education and schooling? Well a lot. To start with, going to school don’t mean you are being educated, it just means you learn to go to a building in a class with a group of folks the same age being trained by a single individual. So much for socialization, since in the real world folks interact with people of all ages and persuasions. Unfortunately it is this mentality that has people, who in many cases behave like pet rocks, believe and accept anything they hear if it comes from TV or even worse someone they select to be their savior – a President Biden for lack of a better example.
Yes rocks and even worse rocks run by bricks. Who know maybe they will try to ban the word “gun next.” After all it was just reported that Elementary School Girl Threatened With Arrest over ‘Paper Gun’ and that of a Pennsylvania kindergartner suspended from school for talking about a soap bubble toy gun. Then there was the six year old boy earlier this year who was suspended for making a gun with his fingers and saying POW. Our irrational acceptance of things regardless of fact is scary to me. It is as if we would prefer to let emotion dictate our thoughts over, logic, fact and/or reason. We already allow politicians to persuade us that a war can even be waged over emotion (terror).
People say there is no gun control movement in Washington but I suggest there is. They want to target assault weapons but as I noted hand guns are involved in more deaths that rifles or shot guns. Not to mention as I noted, 66% of all gun deaths are suicides and if safety was concerned, swimming pools and automobiles would be the focus of attention but they are not. Watch, they will try to target more than assault rifle – whoops, that’s right, New York Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries just did today.
Maybe I’m more like Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz than the average person. I think his book was the first I read, in high school on war – Vom Kriege (On War). Or even worse, more like Joseph T. Chew who said: Expecting a carjacker or rapist or drug pusher to care that his possession or use of a gun is unlawful is like expecting a terrorist to care that his car bomb is taking up two parking spaces.
Desiderius Erasmus was correct, “In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
Dude!!!! I don’t care what race ya are or what country ya live in… That is another article that speaks pretty legit truths about society and our governing in this country, hell even the “woke agenda” whatever the hell that is on any given day.
Damn good article sir. I wish voters would listen more and remove all the idiots that push agendas that are not truly representative of the populace.
Everyone needs to quit concentrating on the grammar, etc. Ever deal with a math wiz? They do numbers, not grammar! Anyway, that’s beside the point. He starts with education vs schooling, and he’s got a point–politically AND from education. People today go to school, but very few get educated, partly because of their lack of interest in anything but things such as social media or video games, and partly because of the education and political systems. Crybabies are whining to remove books, statues, religion, ethics, morals, etc. from the curriculum AND the world like it never happened! What should be happening is keeping it all as a reminder of mistakes past and keep learning from it and improving society. Sadly, politics wants to use it to justify babysitting with tax dollars or welfare, and cry racial injustice.
Well, the only racist activities I see are from the ones crying for attention and blaming the past for their laziness and lack of improvement because they won’t get off their butt and WORK at a LEGAL living. Guns have been in this country for generations, and never caused the problem–they still don’t, regardless of caliber. The lack of ethics, and morals that used to be taught in schools–yes taught, including prayer and religion, is at much of the root. Removing values that this country was founded on, because it doesn’t coincide with WHAT some Hollywood crybaby wants, WHAT some welfare entitlelist wants, or WHAT some political party wants to satisfy some constituents desire to be lazy and blame ancestors, is NOT the answer. Guns don’t kill people–stupid people do! AND, stupid people keep being allowed to kill, because “political” judges allow it. Yes, judges. THEY are the ones allowing light sentences, allowing stupid frivolous appeals of career criminals, allowing crimes to go unpunished, allowing special privileges in prisons to stupid people who should be there for punishment instead of a Country Club, allowing revolving doors for criminals for parole and in some cases money in county coffers.
Now I agree with basic humanity towards prisoners, but privileges in prisons are out of hand–and yes, I can make that statement having worked in them also for part of my nearly 40-year career in law enforcement. I’ve seen what goes on. Yes, there are faults on both sides-guards AND prisoners; that system is broken too.
Tell judges to stop allowing frivolous lawsuits on both civil and criminal–and file contempt on lawyers that attempt to bring them to court. (Of course, I don’t really expect THAT to happen–after all, what are judges beside lawyers themselves?) Get your kids into religion–that is where our nation’s founding morals and ethical values started! Have your kids PUNISHED for misbehaving in school!(yes, spank their butts) TEACH your OWN kids values at home–don’t just expect the school to be your babysitter and values teacher!
Teach your kids the outdoors, including responsible gun ownership for hunting if they are interested. No, not all want to hunt–and that’s ok. But don’t ban them from activities, educated them. With gun ownership, either for sport or protection, comes responsibility and accountability. Guns don’t have to be unloaded or hidden in homes to be safe. They just need knowledgeable respect, coupled with respect for others. I raised 3 kids with my loaded sidearm/belt/etc. hanging from the bedpost so I could grab in the middle of the night and run, or even on days off, grab and run to assist others when needed. I worked across our large state, and dealt with crime in all corners. Criminals need to be behind bars, not cut loose.
The system is so broken, that actual law enforcement agencies ignor felonies brought to them now, not to mention all the lower class jailable misdemeanors that are also ignored due to lack of manpower, budgets, and overcrowded jails. Maybe the overcrowding of jails and the turning to gun violence wouldn’t be so bad if parents had taught values in the first place. And LEGALLY owned guns are not the ones doing the most damage–they are just the ones used in the specific small number of publicly promoted incidences the media targets for ratings!
Well added. You put the icing on the very true cake made previously. It still starts at home……..
what i find most saddning/upsetting/frightening is the DISCUSSION/CONSIDERING of giving up ANY of our GOD GIVIN RIGHTS regardless of who says it or why , or founding fathers and each/every american who sacraficed their lives to save/protect our precious/unique country/constitution MUST be turning in their graves 🙁
Eric: If you believe what the CDC says, then you are way off base, just like Biden nd other gun control/confiscation folks believe will stop, what they call gun violence.
They need to go after the criminal and punish them, rather than one or two tools that are used by them in a criminal act.
Motor vehicles and drowning account for more deaths every year, so why are they not wanting to ban those tools ?
Continued: The authors stats on gun violence are thin. Does it matter that children are dying from accidental gun related deaths or self inflicted death or at the hands of others? CDC states that gun violence is the leading cause of death among children, now out-pacing vehicle accidents. Gun control means: KEEP YOUR WEAPONS AWAY FROM THE UNTRAINED!
I wish the author would has focused on the implied thesis: going to school is not the same as being educated.
This article reads like something written by AI.
Erik, the CDC includes young adults in its statistics on “children”. The vast majority of deaths by gunfire of these Children are from gang activity in several large cities. A wise person checks the accuracy of claims by anyone known to have an agenda.
While I agree with SOME of the authors points, there are too many logical (and grammatical) errors to take this article seriously.
It is true USE and INTEGRATION are not synonymous. As an math educator, I saw the same lame attempts at integration of technology as has the author. But to attempt to equate the word integration in an educational setting (or a social/cultural one either) to integration at it is used in Calculus is like using the word STALL in a mechanics shop and a barn synonymously.
Erik, the CDC includes young adults in its statistics on “children”. The vast majority of deaths by gunfire of these “Children” are from gang activity in several large cities. A wise person checks the accuracy of claims by anyone known to have an agenda.
I would be more interested in reading this if it began with a neutral, nonbiased position. From the outset, it appears whoever was the primary writer for this article missed a few classes on how to write. Not impressed by this at all.
Good points made/elucidated but the numerous errors in syntax make this a difficult read.
A bit rambling and discontinuous, but making good points…. if those that are for “gun control” were serious, they would look at the numbers and try to go after those guns, and those certain people that use them, responsible for most deaths, instead of going after a class of guns responsible for very few deaths, but do represent power to the people. Remember chairman mao said “political power flows from the barrel of a gun,” then he confiscated guns and killed millions of his own people, who were then helpless. In the USA, we were made to have the right to protect ourselves, even if from an awful group of leaders who could get into power by hook or crook….. gee, seems to describe today. No, those crusaders want to take power from the people and give it all to the government, which our founders saw was a dangerous thing. Think on it!