Blog #8: Response to "Conspiracy Theories 101" by Stanley Fish

     In Fish's essay, he discusses what he believes is academic freedom, which is that academic freedom is "the freedom to do an academic job without external inference." I have had teachers that adhere to this definition; however, I have also had teachers that have not followed this definition.
     One teacher that adhered to this definition taught one of my favorite classes I have taken thus far. He would present views of both sides of the story, allowing a class discussion on every one's sides and opinions on things while he would give back up information for both sides. He would then present his own opinion, but he would say it in such a way that was not impeding on the beliefs of others in the room; he didn't force his views on us. I felt that this class was very effective and I got a lot out of the semester. I was able to see views from both sides with supporting details and make my own opinion about the matter.
      On the other hand, I have had teachers who do not adhere to this definition; some only fully stating their view or some that don't share theirs at all. In the classes with the teacher only sharing their opinion and side, I had a hard time with the classes. I would either disagree with their points or I would feel violated that he was trying to inflict his opinions on me without hearing the other side. I also had a hard time with the classes where the teacher didn't give any opinion at all. I felt that they were just indifferent on the situation, making me feel indifferent, feeling as if the situation didn't matter.
     I feel that this academic freedom definition should be kept in all classes world wide. It is important to hear the views of your professors, but only in a way where it can lead into an intellectual discussion in the classroom and promote stabilizing an opinion of their own. The professor should not inflict their opinions onto their students, but present it in a way that is effective. A lack of this academic freedom causes a class to become less effective, and simply more boring.

Blog #7: Response to "Just Walk On By" by Brent Staples

     In this essay Brent Staples explains his feelings on how others perceive him. Being a black man large in stature, many view him as a threat. This is not an uncommon thing in today's society and many innocent citizens face the same problem. It has become a growing problem in today's society where someones appearance can determine how someone perceives and reacts to them.
     In today's society, appearance determines how someone perceives and acts around another person. For example, if one were to see someone walking down the street at night in a suit, they wouldn't think if that person as a threat, yet if the person were wearing a beanie and a hoodie, one might feel nervous. This has also happened with people with many tattoos and piercings. These people could be the nicest people in the world yet because of their appearance, many perceive them as someone they aren't.
     This has also been shown with the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11. Ever since that incident, many people have perceived Arab American's as "threats" or "terrorists." This is an awful assumption that has effected the lives of many Arab Americans, all because of one incident.
    Judging others by appearance has become a grand problem in today's society, effecting the lives of many innocent people. We should not judge others on solely on appearance, but by their actions and personality as well. Like many people have always said "You cannot judge a book by it's cover."