Killing a subject (was Re: A. Einstein and science-fairs)

[John Mallinckrodt <ajmallinckro@CSUPOMONA.EDU>]

On Mon, 4 Oct 1999, William Beaty wrote:

> Here's a way to kill a subject.  Basketball, for example.  Force kids to
> study it.  Make them sit at rows of desks and read from their Basketball
> textbooks.  Test them and grade them, and make sure that the kids with low
> grades know that they might fail Basketball.  Have a yearly "Basketball
> fair" where kids make poster-displays about the Rules of Basketball (but
> make sure that professional basketball players have no say in what those
> rules might be.)  Bemoan the fact that little real Basketball is ever done
> at these basketball fairs.  Make sure that any playful displays receive
> low marks, since Basketball is serious stuff, and any playing must be
> quickly stopped.
>
> Then, after a few generations when Basketball is dead, blame the students.

Sheesh.  If it would be this simple to kill professional sports and rid
the world of all of the wasted energy, perverted economics, and false
hopes they engender, sign me up!

John Mallinckrodt      mailto:ajm@csupomona.edu
Cal Poly Pomona          http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm