What do you think about people talking negatively about things they know nothing about?

Question

If I've known a few people from a particular country acting in a certain way, I'm not going to go so far to think that all people from that country are that way then go around being prejudicial and turning others against them.

I would never try to tell somebody it was a bad idea to do something I knew little about. I also would not go around spouting my opinion on some issue as fact, especially if I had not taken the time to make sure my opinion was fact. If I'm wrong, I'm sending out a lot of incorrect information.

I would also hope others were the same. I would hate it if someone, with their limited experience, told me that teaching was a bad idea or that teachers are just awful. I've taught in the schools. I've been there and have more hands-on experience with that than they do. I would naturally object.

Is it right to put down things we know little about and pretend our opinion is fact? If not, how come it seems to be okay for people to do that with homeschooling?

Maybe I should change the question slightly:

What do you think about people talking prejudicially about things they know nothing about? Especially to or near the people they are putting down?

Terri, while there's one regular who keeps spouting off his nonsense--and let me tell you, it was eye-opening to read his questions and answers in other areas--there are people in general who respond to questions like "Which program do you use?" by saying that you're doing a horrible thing to your child or that they're going to never gain or will lose all social skills.

I'm just baffled--having grown up learning about watching our prejudices and being careful what we say that so many people would spout off their ignorance as though it were absolute fact.

No Ry-Guy, you're not the one spouting nonsense. There's someone else who visits frequently who is just plain rude and puts homeschooling parents and homeschooling down with every chance he gets.

Answer 1

All I know is that my experience in public school had it's good points and it's down side. The down side was enough to help justify my opinion that it would be prudent to educate my own children at home.

I know what you are talking about when it comes to a mass of people claiming that home-schooling is detrimental to the child and to the community. Not one has yet taken my challenge or at least said that they will ----- the obvious way to know the truth about home-schooling would be to immerse one's self into studying the entire process. It will be interesting to hear the opinion of someone that has spoken with at least 100 homeschoolers before spouting off with their negativity. If indeed it can be shown that home-schoolers are ruining the community I will be glad to listen. But I doubt that will be the outcome.

All of the home-schoolers that I know and see on a daily, weekly and monthly basis are wonderful assets to their community. They volunteer in many programs for helping the disadvantages members of our society. They hold good jobs. They work hard. They study diligently at home, in co-ops, and also when they get to college.

Others can put me down as much as they want but hey.... DON'T mess with my children. ;-) Nah. They can take it. They hear it all the time and when they say, "Well, what about me? I was homeschooled".... the bad-mouthing stops and the others say, "Oh, but not you... you're different than ALL of the others because we KNOW you!!! It's everyone that we don't know that is weird because they were homeschooled".

I'm soooo serious. I laughed so hard when my daughter came home from college for the weekend and told me about the conversation --- it was just LAST week --- after I'd been reading all of the similar comments on this forum. I was thinking, "This can't be really how people think!!!" But, alas... it is. ROFLOL.

I'm beginning to realize more and more that opinions aren't worth much until they can be backed by real life truth. It's like a scientific theory --- when the experiment is over and the data is released (if it is the REAL data....) then we can formulate a more knowledgeable opinion.

I started homeschooling due to opinion. But, now I do it because our results are in and they are lookin' mighty good!

Barb

Answer 2

We homeschoolers are easy targets, it goes to show the mentality of the ones making the negative opinions. According to recent studies made by the following: Harvard University's Civil Rights Project, the Urban Institute, Advocates for Children of New York, and the Civil Society Institute. We know that more than 30 percent of U.S. students who enter high school never finish. We also know that American Schools are falling behind other nations. And despite those facts, "some" people on this very board try and tell us how great the system is. I'm not saying that there isn't a need for public schools, not everyone can or should homeschool/

The anti-homeschooling teachers somehow feel a little slighted I guess, it's as though they are offended that people can actually learn without them.

As for the little kiddies posting their rhetoric? Well, they can't imagine being happy outside their little world of school. However, do they socialize on breaks and during the summer? Could it be that they socialize more like homeschoolers do? :-) I'm guessing, yes. Socialization happens all the time without the school setting. They may have the upper hand on socializing within the school system but that is about it, after highschool...there is probably not a noticeable difference because the outside world is nothing like the school.

I've known teachers and students that think homeschooling is awesome. I don't think that the majority of students or teachers or parents are being fairly represented well by their outspoken and ignorant classmates and/or fellow teachers.

Answer 3

Many times, people are speaking the facts as they see them. When many people speak, they separate opinion from fact.

How many people from a particular country must one know before one can make a statement of fact about those people? More than half? All of them? I think it's a good idea to refrain from giving advice about subjects about which you know little, but who's the judge of "who knows enough about something to speak"? Everyone knows a little about most things, and open forums like this tend to increase our confidence.

If this all sounds like relativist mumbo-jumbo to you, I'd have to agree with you. But there's some amount of truth there. On a multi-faceted topic like, say, home schooling, simple facts often describe only part of the picture. You might have numbers describing student performance, but I'm worried about the impact on the community. I might hold a perfectly valid opinion right in the face of your facts.

And then on some questions, facts don't do much good at all. Is there a soul? Who gets to answer?

I think that ultimately, it boils down to the idea that there are not usually statements of fact and opinion, as there are usually informed and uninformed opinions. So to answer your question, I don't think it's right to state an opinion as fact. However, I don't believe that the person with all the facts necessarily holds all the answers.

EDIT: PColaSunshine's answer below illustrates my point somewhat. Toss out a couple of facts, and then state any prejudicial assumption you want. Or maybe there's a logical link from "30 percent of public school students to finish" to "The anti-homeschooling teachers somehow feel a little slighted I guess, it's as though they are offended that people can actually learn without them."

Hell, the facts presented aren't even comparative. No figures on how many home schoolers finish, so no way to tell, factually, if public schools are even worse. I went to public school, and that's even obvious to me!

EDIT: Am I the guy who's spouting nonsense? Please note, anyway, that any comments I make about homeschooling are backed up by 4 years of experience tutoring and holding classes for homeschooled children, primarily in subjects in which their parents are not proficient. Also, I like comic books and science, as my other answers might reveal.

Answer 4

GEEEEEEEEE, wonder who this question could be referring to?
Couldn't be the group of people that say homeschooling is equal to child abuse or even the group of people that go on other sections of this forum to say that homeschooling is equivalent to dehumanizing kids.
Nah, you couldn't POSSIBLY be talking about them.
Hmm, if not him, then who?
Ok, to answer the question. What do I think of people like that. To spout off about things you know nothing about makes you a fool.

Answer 5

You should see the nonsensical answers given regarding breastfeeding.
It's amazing how the ignorant never cease to weigh in as though their uninformed opinions are fact.

Answer 6

People are entitled to have an opinion and they are entitled to express it, how else are they going to gather enough information to change their opinion if they're not allowed to discuss it ?? Its ok to disagree and if you have more information on a subject than i do then by us disagreeing about it gives me the opportunity to rethink my original opinion.

Answer 7

I lost interest in your ramble a long time ago.

And to answer your original question, peole can do whatever they wnt and think however they want, regardless of whether or not it is any of thier buisness.

Answer 8

I just remember the old saying ... stupid is as stupid does.

Answer 9

thats plain stupidity.................It could misguide the questioner.