Please read what happened to me. Does this show that political correctness is completely out of control?

Question

I am a teacher in an English secondary school.

Last month in the teachers' staff room I stated my opinion that women are, on average, of lower intelligence than men.

I have now been suspended, pending further investigation.

I've never had any complaints about my teaching and have never been accused of treating male and female students differently.

Can you now not say anything, or be honest about your opinions, in case you offend someone?

I’ve have put this again to make 2 points:
1. Definition of PC:
“conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated”

2. I’m not going to put an essay on the evidence supporting my opinion, but since I WAS stating an OPINION that is not particularly important.

Answer 1

You may not have been suspended for being "politically incorrect," but for making such a fatuous, inane, idiotic, and patently false statement!

Answer 2

They are wrong for what they have done to you. I would pursue this as far as possible. These people who have answered your question negatively are ignorant. Just because a person has opinions doesn't mean those opinions will in any way affect their teaching ability. Should we not let the religious be teachers because of their opinions about god? After all, the belief that god created the world goes against evolution, which is claimed to be true by science? Just as someone can be religious and teach evolution, you can have the opinion that men are smarter and not have it affect your teaching. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. I might not agree with your opinions, but you have every right to them and you have definitely been wronged. Good luck in getting your job back.

Answer 3

You have been suspended, quite rightly for a very offensive remark. It is also totally untrue, but although you are allowed to think it you may not say it infront of other people and in this case i presume some female members of staff. You will have been reported and as your employer, your headmaster will have had no option but to suspend you. I would treat this very seriously if i was you as the investigation will come down to - do we want him back - can we work with him again - will he continue to make inflamatory remarks? Your employers are obviously dealing with the complainant over "hurt feelings" and if this is not addressed in line with the law that person can go to a tribunal and sue the school. I don't think that an apology will get you out of this as your opinion of female intelligence will not change without proof and your employer is not going to be offering you that proof. Check out the .gov.org website regarding employment law and just hope and pray that you are not dismissed - but they do have every right to do it.

Answer 4

You obviously upset someone and perhaps should have shown more tact. I do think that suspension is extreme. Your opinion has no bearing on your ability as a teacher especially if you treat both male and female students the same. You are employed to teach not to be ultra politically correct in a staff room. We are getting too much like America, sue at every opportunity, complain about everything, seek huge compensation for hurt feelings and so on and so on. Nowadays we cannot pass uncomplimentary comments about muslims or gays without being labelled racist or homophobic. Why someone should take such exception to your comment is beyond me. Perhaps the person who complained is insecure. I wish you all the best and hope it works out for you.

Answer 5

While I don't agree with your opinion I do believe you have every right to voice it. You are clearly an intelligent person and I assume therefore that your opinion has some factual foundation and is not based on mere prejudice. Under the circumstances I trust you will be able to defend yourself adequately at any disciplinary hearing that may result but I agree with you that we live in a sorry society when an honestly held opinion can't be directly expressed without someone with a chip on their shoulder running off to report you to the authorities. What is even more distressing is that the authorities apparently have nothing better to do than to operate witch hunts.

Answer 6

As a young girl, I was greatly influenced by some of my teachers. I would not want you to put such thoughts into the heads of my children. I do agree that political correctness has gone way too far, but your opinion that women have lower intelligence than men is very unwise. More and more responsible parents are changing over to home school programs; parents are working together to promote this. Public schools are not what they used to be.

Answer 7

Yeah, you've put it in again, but from the answers and the thumbs up/ down support for those answers, nobody is any more sympathetic to you than they were at last posting.
Will this perhaps get the message across?
'Opinions' , and particularly unfounded ones, if/when stated by people in certain professions ARE inappropriate. For example, a doctor treating AIDS patients should perhaps not be expressing the opinion that it is 'a gay plague'. A lawyer defending a rapist/ murder should perhaps not express the opinion that 'girls in short skirts are asking for it'..... do you see where I'm going with that???

Answer 8

Haven't you asked this before.

There are things that are open to debate- where we don't know for certain. Morality, tastes in music, political policy, etc.

There are other things that are demonstrably true and false.

I could have an opinion that it's OK to drive at 110 miles an hour in a built up area and the law is wrong. I could have an opinion that the sky is green. Both opinions are demonstrably incorrect. One would be indicative of a bad and dangerous attitude.

Free speach means you are not slung in jail for your opinions. Free speach does not mean people have to like what you say.

With freedom comes responsibility. The fact you cannot comprehend this simple aspect of society means you must be too dumb to be a teacher and good riddance!

Answer 9

Your statement and subsequent question has assumed that intellect and intelligence can be measured.

Intelligence is the ability to work things out.

The I.Q. Test only uses knowledge to decide intelligence Quota and is also biased towards male interests.

And you as a professional should know this. So I am rather disturbed by your ignorance and feel you should be re-trained before you ever set foot in a classroom again!!

Answer 10

Firstly, A bit of overkill, especially bad for the children you teach who need continuity in their teaching, The last thing they need is confusion and uncertainty in such an important subject as English, who, let's face it, are totally innocent of any (supposed) wrongdoing as far as your suspension goes. If I was a parent, and I knew about it, I would complain in the stongest terms that I objected to my child's education being interfered with in this way, especially if they were in GCSE year.

Secondly, as a member of MENSA and a woman (last time I looked anyway) I am not offended by your remark. You are entitled to your opinion, wrong as it may be. In fact, we all know that IQ is dependent on the test given. I lucked out in an IQ test when I didn't know the name of the person who wrote Faust. I didn't see then, and I don't see now, what on earth that had to do with intelligence, except for a presumption in those that compiled the test, that any intelligent person would know, as no doubt you do. I also found it ludicrous when asked to choose the "odd one out", that it is often easy (for me) to find multiple answers, but only one of them is the 'right' one. It only goes to prove to me that I am smarter than those who compile the tests.

However, back to you.IQ DOES depend on Culture, Class and Gender, if only because of the way the test is set. Therefore, what you said was factually correct.


PS who was the mole?

Answer 11

I know Dr James Watson, a Nobel Prize winner has had similar ideas. No doubt you blame him for spurring the debate, but look what's been happening to him.

I don't know or care what the real truth of this is, and obviously it depends how you said it but I can see no harm in expressing an opinion in adult company. I'd just consider you an idiot. No doubt you offended some of your female colleagues. I don't know what they'll do to you.