My daughter's class was given this article in science class

[Linden]

@Traver:



I think that is the whole point.
At least I have not seen the OP stating that the teacher who made the students read this junk in a "science" class (!) has also offered a different viewpoint (accurate viewpoint / scientific facts) for the students to read. And then compare / discuss / come to conclusions.

In the absence of education on the actual scientific facts, making the students read such junk and blathering in a "science" class is pure indoctrination, to my mind.

You know, like "politics" classes in the former Eastern Bloc "taught" students that Communism was the only way to go and resulted in happiness and prosperity and equality and intellectual freedom for all?

/ edit:
thank you very much, AgentAnia

And yes, that last sentence (that was edited in) was very much necessary.

Making students read an article full of BS and lies and then summarize it would be just as "truthful" in "education" as making them read "Little Red Riding Hood" and summarize it. Taking away the "knowledge" that wolves can talk and swallow people whole.

THIS!!!! This is how I feel.

 

[Linden]

You may be right.

When I read an article that is factually accurate and someone in a cause I believe in says it is not it bothers me. I'm not sure why. I should be used to and let it go. Maybe it is because when I see the other side doing the same thing does it nothing to change my opinion. If anything it does just the opposite. If the OP is going to criticize this to the teacher or the school she should not say the article is wrong or inaccurate because they will not see it that way. To say it incomplete or that it is cherry picking the facts would get a better reception.

What really disturbs about this is not the article but the fact that her daughter's teacher in a science class hasn't taught her to be comfortable with questioning something that she doesn't believe to be true. Regardless of my opinion or his this about article.

I am assuming that the teacher would not welcome valid criticism but I don't know if that s true.

You obviously don't know much about self-conscious 12 year old girls in a middle school environment.

 

[Linden]

Would your daughter be comfortable writing the required summery then adding something like this was an interesting article so I did a little more research and found they left some things out etc. etc. etc.?

The whole point of my posts was to find a way to respond to this in a manner that would be acceptable to to you, your daughter and her teacher.

No, she is horrified at the thought. As soon as I picked her up from volleyball practice though...oh man was she MAD. Girls her age are extremely self conscious for the most part. She would rather die than bring attention to herself.
Additionally, the summary of the article was completed in class and has already been turned in. She told me that she considered writing a comment at end regarding her disagreement. Again...the 12 year old girl part of her won over and she just turned it in.

 

[Linden]

Regarding the CDC's allegations, you might find these two analyses helpful:

CDC director misleads Medscape | Anti-THR Lies and related topics

CDC lies about kids using e-cigarettes | Anti-THR Lies and related topics

ELAINE! thank you! I will definitely be using the Medscape article. Now let's see if the teacher can manage to wade through something a little more meaty than an LA Times hit piece. hehe

 

[Linden]

Well, plenty of studies have been done, if not published, on butting heads with the beliefs of ignorant, crusading or indoctrination-minded teachers and professors.

Studies show it seldom works out well for the student.

This is the opportunity for you to take the lead in your child's education. Maybe have that talk about good intentions not always being a saving grace, and the diplomacy required to deal with said ignorant, crusading, indoctrination-minded teachers. It could mean the difference between a successful college career and frustration/being brainwashed.

Thank you for this. While she is not a bold woman YET, I am certain that I am raising her to think for herself. We regularly discuss such topics and she is an incredibly intelligent and insightful young lady.

 

[Traver]

You obviously don't know much about self-conscious 12 year old girls in a middle school environment.

Guilty as charged.

 

[jpargana]

I read that article a while back and could only think the following:

What about enticing children to eat fat causing, diabetes provoking sugary cereals by putting colorful happy cartoon characters on the boxes? What about replacing sugar in sodas with man-made chemicals known to cause joint inflammation and soft tissue inflammation (hello...heart tissue is soft tissue). What about ignoring the war on childhood obesity by putting vending machines with cakes and candies in elementary schools? My nephew actually has a Burger King in his cafeteria! What about desensitizing children against violence by overlooking the countless video games that are based on very real appearing murder, reckless driving and showing commercials for said games during prime time hours? What about the fact that children of parents who smoke or friends who smoke are FAR more likely to smoke analogs than to go spend a couple of hundred dollars on gear and juice? What about "enticing" teens to drink by promoting flavored alcohol such as peach, chocolate, watermelon, raspberry, etc.? Has the media completely forgotten this generations wonderful role models such as Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears. Amanda Bynes? Oh, stop me now.

I could go on and on with what I see in our society that encourages kids to grow up faster than they used to, try things their parents would not have even considered at their age, but the fact is that vapes are the new kid on the block - efforts to squash childhood obesity and underage drinking have apparently failed so let's not talk about that in the news...let get something new and sensational, hype it up and create all kinds of drama.

One more rant and I am done. Media seems to do a lot more "parenting" than some parents these days and unfortunately history has shown that media blowout creates more curiosity than discouragement. If my kids teacher presented an article like that without discussing it with me first, I would question the boundaries between school and parenting my own child. Teach history, math, grammar, but keep unsupported myths out of the classroom.

^^^^^^^^

Very. Well. Put.

 

[jpargana]

(...)
That said, I've been known to make teachers cry. I've been known to go to the principals. I've been known to go to the school superintendent and to the state superintendent of schools. I never lost one discussion/fight at any level.
(...)

Now... if only we could get lie-spreading, busybodies ANTZ,'s to cry too...!

 

[Uma]

No, she is horrified at the thought. As soon as I picked her up from volleyball practice though...oh man was she MAD. Girls her age are extremely self conscious for the most part. She would rather die than bring attention to herself.
Additionally, the summary of the article was completed in class and has already been turned in. She told me that she considered writing a comment at end regarding her disagreement. Again...the 12 year old girl part of her won over and she just turned it in.

The fact it was done in school, as an assignment, without being able to researchh, dispute, do the proper protocol procedures for scientific deductions which leads to scientific conclusions, question the article, question the agenda, question the quotes and statistics, ...
Made me think of tobacco free kids club with their constant contests inviting kids to constantly have tobacco on their minds.
So I googled.
There are multitudes of "fun assignment" suggested for teachers for classroom participation. They are suggested by various "clubs" of ANTZ.
For instance

Tobacco Prevention Activities K-12

Tobacco Free Amarillo

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0153.pdf

and so on.
it won't surprise me to see a collection of essays by children, posted in advertisements... pretending that these essays are pleading for vapor free world.

 

[Jman8]

This is from the article the class was asked to write about:

In addition, e-cigarettes are sold with cartridges that give them enticing flavors such as mint or chocolate, and health advocates fear they have the potential to turn teens on to regular cigarettes.

Can anyone explain the logic to me? If kids were enticed by mint or chocolate flavors, why would teens be attracted to regular cigarettes that a) don't come in mint or chocolate flavors, since flavors have been outlawed in regular cigarettes, and b) taste really horrible if you are used to pleasant tasting vapor?

Once I became accustomed to vapor that tasted better, the smoke tasted much worse than it did to me when I first began smoking and had nothing to compare it to.

I think it is logical in a fear mongering sort of way when you look at the quote in this way:

e-cigarettes... have the potential to turn teens on to regular cigarettes

Logic being that if you enjoy nicotine in eCigs, you could enjoy logs.

Taste for logs is acquired. When I was a teen and had my first drag of a smoke, after having about 10,000 puffs of second hand smoke, I thought it tasted horrible. Second drag wasn't better. Next 25 drags weren't better. I'd estimate that it was around the 50th drag that I started to get used to it, and find it tolerable. And probably around the 5th pack I ever bought, I started liking the taste.

Now, what I don't get is why can't logs today have all the flavors they might desire to enhance their product? I realize I might be part of very small handful of people that would want this (as I think banning it is not good), but even if there was a mint chocolate chip log being sold somewhere, I still think it would likely taste poor compared to vaping. But better than the rather dull flavors logs are subjected to.

At any rate, logs satisfy nicotine craving in a way that vaping doesn't (nor should it). And if you are anti-smoker, you probably have umpteen excuses/reasons why the way in which logs do satisfy nicotine cravings is simply not worth it, while vaping plausibly is. But I could see someone (of any age) who after trying vaping, and never smoking, desires to try a smoke and then realizes, for themselves, the difference. Flavor being huge difference, but not only one. I can see a person liking smoking after trying vaping. Though I don't see wanting to smoke as automatic after trying vaping. IOW, I do not buy the gateway argument, even while I understand that some people will for sure spin it that way, as was being done in the quote above.

IMO, the gateway argument is slippery slope fallacy run amok and rather easy to poke holes in the poor logic being employed.

 

[Kent C]

Made me think of tobacco free kids club with their constant contests inviting kids to constantly have tobacco on their minds.

The DARE program did the same and there are studies to prove it. Contested by DARE advocates of course.

 

[Mrs C]

Thank you for this. While she is not a bold woman YET, I am certain that I am raising her to think for herself. We regularly discuss such topics and she is an incredibly intelligent and insightful young lady.

Maybe not yet, but she will find her voice soon. Those taught to think for themselves and not just blindly follow the herd, eventually end up leading.

 

[Vocalek]

And if you are anti-smoker, you probably have umpteen excuses/reasons why the way in which logs do satisfy nicotine cravings is simply not worth it, while vaping plausibly is.

So far, I haven't seen anti-smokers do anything except pretend that vapers are still smoking and encourage continued torture to be inflicted upon them.

 

[Jman8]

So far, I haven't seen anti-smokers do anything except pretend that vapers are still smoking and encourage continued torture to be inflicted upon them.

I mostly meant anti-smokers who are now vapers. Perhaps non-smokers is a more politically correct term.

 

[rothenbj]

The fact it was done in school, as an assignment, without being able to researchh, dispute, do the proper protocol procedures for scientific deductions which leads to scientific conclusions, question the article, question the agenda, question the quotes and statistics, ...
Made me think of tobacco free kids club with their constant contests inviting kids to constantly have tobacco on their minds.
So I googled.
There are multitudes of "fun assignment" suggested for teachers for classroom participation. They are suggested by various "clubs" of ANTZ.
For instance

Tobacco Prevention Activities K-12

Tobacco Free Amarillo

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0153.pdf

and so on.
it won't surprise me to see a collection of essays by children, posted in advertisements... pretending that these essays are pleading for vapor free world.

Awe yes, the brain washing and dumbing down of our citizens by proliferating an ideology to our youth. Kind of scary for the future of America. I managed to retire early by not listening to the consensus thought on how to accumulate wealth. When everyone does the same thing, everyone fails at the same time.

 

[Kent C]

So far, I haven't seen anti-smokers do anything except pretend that vapers are still smoking and encourage continued torture to be inflicted upon them.

In my encounters.... I vape in smoking designated areas.... I like the company .... but I've found most smokers open to the idea - even enthused and I usually run out of my 'cignot cards' that I carry with me. The smokers that are not 'sold' on the idea, imo and I'm 'extrapolating' from their words and behavior, are the ones like I was - not looking to quit, po'd over the 'leper designation' promoted by the gov't.... and perhaps even scared to lose the nicotine. They are the hardest sell.

 

[LDS714]

If kids need an example of institutional bullying - point them to the ANTZ tactics. Bullying at it's finest. But it's OK, it's for the children...

 

[Vocalek]

And studying the documents put out by the ANTZ, and their quotes in news stories is a good way to learn to recognize propaganda techniques.

Propaganda Techniques

 

[joe.aus]

School/University is a joke. Now that kids have the internet the best thing you can do is teach them to sniff out bull...., do their own research, and come to their own conclusions through personal experiences.



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[Anjaffm]

Great link, Elaine! thank you!

And one little addition to this sad story of indoctrinating 12-year-old children with complete BS. BS which has been invented / is being spread to serve the aims of Big Pharma:

Would you like to know just how concerned Big Pharma is about 12-year-old children?
Would you really?
Then take a look at this, please:
Adolescent Smoking Cessation - Chantix

quote:

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of Chantix versus a placebo in adolescent smokers ages 12 to 16 years old who are motivated to quit smoking.

If you are interested in having your child participate in this study, please fill out the form below.

Oh, and, in this connection, you may wish to take a look at that:
FDA: Anti-smoking drug Chantix linked to more than 500 suicides | Al Jazeera America

THAT is how concerned Big Pharma and its paid advocates are about the health of 12-year-old children.