I remember coming home from 5th grade and seeing this on the news. It was surreal since America, even as a minority, seemed just… I had a different image before.
Now I’m a jaded adult and you’re right, the cracks started to show soon after. I appreciated how people came together and then……the “war on terror”. Def a turning point
There’s a reason a freshman writing course is required at a lot of colleges. High school education is inconsistent, especially when you consider how poorly resources are equitably split amongst schools. Critical thinking doesn’t involve just the type of thinking in STEM.
As someone who studied in both STEM and humanities, I’d say this conversation is an example. The fact you genuinely believe precise thinking = critical thinking is why these courses are needed. Too many stem students think they have it figured out, when they don’t, and then go on to embarrass themselves in their careers cause they’re poor communicators or ignorant of others perspectives. Or unwilling to listen because they think they already understand something someone else is expressing to them when they don’t. And they don’t even know how much they’re not understanding cause they’re convinced they are critical thinkers in all the ways that matter, when it’s beyond just the type of problem solving involved in STEM.
Humanities isn’t to teach people to be good. It’s to teach people to critically think, communicate well, and understand each other through various lenses. People may be inclined to act more ethically when they do these things however. And can more clearly understand other perspectives.
I’d like to point out that there’s few times scarier/more life threatening than interacting with a cop - esp as a black person. Something about knowing someone can murder you and people will make excuses for them.
I don’t blame her for driving away at all. Exactly because of the bullshit cops pull- aka their guns. There’s no amount of following directions that will save you if the cop is racist/trigger-happy enough.