Jump to content

Battle over soldiers scholarship


Recommended Posts

Free university tuition for dependents of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan is coming under fire from professors who say the practice glorifies militarism.

Sixteen U of R professors have signed a letter denouncing the program as "a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. We do not want our university associated with the political impulse to unquestioning glorification of military action."

It states the U of R should not be "connected to the increasing militarization of Canadian society and politics."

Project Hero also provides $1,000 cash for qualified university applicants from those military families.

Hardly what i'd call free education, whats 1000.00 get you in Unversity, would it even cover the cost of your books...And while any donation is well worth the ink it takes to apply, is this 1000 dollar donation really worth all the effort these 16 professors took to denounce it...

Glorifies militarism....just when we where all scratching our heads and complaining that not enough history let alone Canadian military history was being taught in our schools....It's spelled out right here in black and white...Professors and teachers want to distance not only themselfs ....but future generations from anything Military.... god forbid we glorify anything these days...

a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan and elsewhere.....As a Canadian soldier who has completed 3 tours in Afghanistan, i can personally tell you there is no Canadian imperialism goning on in Afghanistan...but what would i know , so to make sure i'm on line perhaps someone with the same attitude or opinions as our professors could explain to me, what exactly is meant by Canadian imperialism as my defination certainly does not fit what is currently going on in Afghanistan....or maybe it's not me rather them as they are clueless on what is transpiring over there in their name...

It states the U of R should not be "connected to the increasing militarization of Canadian society and politics." .......

Are you shitting me....Are we talking about the Same Canada, are we in the same universe ????perhaps i'm stuck on another plane of existance, or perhasp they slipped into my not sure as of yet....Perhaps we've all missed those MAY day parades in the capitol city, where streams of military personal and equipment flooded the streets with MR Harper taking the salutes....or maybe they are just misreading the size of our current military and added a few zero's to the actual 64,000 people in our forces today....thats one soldier for every 155 sq kms of land...Someone once joked that you could stick our entire military into the molson center, and still have seats left over....

These are the people who are responsiable for teaching our future leaders, captains of industry.... this behavior makes me wonder just what is the product they are producing and how is it effecting our nation right now..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 211
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I don't have a problem with giving full tuition to families devastated by losing a loved one on the battlefield. The government uses the military like a tool. All military personnel are the make up for that tool. They put their lives on the line regardless of the political spectrum towards Afghanistan, and so them and their families should be thanked for the service and sacrifice.

They voluntarily helped Canada, Canada has the obligation to help them.

And you are correct a grand does not go very far in any private school. A grand is better than nothing, but it sure feels like a slap in the face.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sixteen U of R professors have signed a letter denouncing the program as "a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. We do not want our university associated with the political impulse to unquestioning glorification of military action."

I'd hesitate to open the door too wide with regards to funding of Universities. All money is dirty, which is why I proposed an electronic "history" including timestamps be attached to every cent spent.

But this statement does highlight the need for a national sanction or non-sanction on what we're doing in Afghanistan. That would force political parties to take a stand and make it harder for them to waffle, lie, and manipulate the facts for political purposes. ( Yes, I'm talking to you, Liberals and Conservatives. ) It would also delineate the emotions and the thinking behind such grave policy decisions as going to war, so that public dialogue would have to acknowledge the public input.

Dissent is fine, and so is principled thinking and action. They could have picked a better target, though. Why don't they speak out against scholarships ? Seems to make more sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd hesitate to open the door too wide with regards to funding of Universities. All money is dirty, which is why I proposed an electronic "history" including timestamps be attached to every cent spent.

You mean like we should stop giving free scholarships to natives just because they're natives? How long has that been going on?

It goes without saying the lefty professors involved are contemptable, and in a perfect world would be fired and shipped to Afghanistan as cleaners and cafeteria workers at a Canadian military base.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You mean like we should stop giving free scholarships to natives just because they're natives? How long has that been going on?

It goes without saying the lefty professors involved are contemptable, and in a perfect world would be fired and shipped to Afghanistan as cleaners and cafeteria workers at a Canadian military base.

I'm talking about what makes sense for them to speak out against, period. I'm not opening up the issue of scholarships for military or any other groups. Of course, I'm generally in favour of support for all disadvantaged groups, even for pitiable civil servants such as yourself.

Contemptible is a strange word, as almost everybody is contemptible from some point of view. I don't hold contempt for those who have a consistent point of view, and who act in good faith towards making a better society.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a link to the story:

U of C spokesman Grady Semmens said he knows of no public or faculty complaints here about the program.

The legions Gray wonders if the 16 academics would also question the heroism of Second World War vets.

They have the freedom to say what they want but its gained at the expense of others who served, he said.

I dare say none of these professors ever served in uniform.

AMEN.

Link: http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2010/03/25/13361126.html

Edited by Keepitsimple
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is really unsurprising. Anyone who's been attended a Canadian university recently (or is currently enrolled) will no doubt feel the leftism on campus. It's just the culture of universities. How can it be changed? I don't know. Is it a big problem? Yes, it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are the people who are responsiable for teaching our future leaders, captains of industry.... this behavior makes me wonder just what is the product they are producing and how is it effecting our nation right now..

what? You would deny their free speech?

perhaps... perhaps... they are a group that makes a distinction between government sanctioning of the military/war and their own institution, effectively, on it's own initiative, recognizing and/or sanctioning military action by offering awards to military families. Is it the element of personal sacrifice that draws the quick emotional response from some of the... usual MLW suspects... and if so, would the debatable award be better offered from the effective military/war sanctioning body itself - the government?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what? You would deny their free speech?

Strawman indeed. Nobody is denying their right to express their opinions. They're still idiotic opinions nonetheless. To suggest that giving children scholarships whose parents died serving Canada 'encourages military imperialism' is the biggest pile of steaming poo I've heard in a long time.

These professors are snivelling and contemptible worms so far removed from the real world that they'd probably have a panic attack if they ever left campus and went to a public place.

Edited by Moonbox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

what? You would deny their free speech?

perhaps... perhaps... they are a group that makes a distinction between government sanctioning of the military/war and their own institution, effectively, on it's own initiative, recognizing and/or sanctioning military action by offering awards to military families. Is it the element of personal sacrifice that draws the quick emotional response from some of the... usual MLW suspects... and if so, would the debatable award be better offered from the effective military/war sanctioning body itself - the government?

Can you not read and comprehend what Army Guy has said? Where did he call for these professors not to be entitled to say what they think? He's simply calling into question the legitimacy of these claims and the consequences of having such politically-oriented professors educating our students.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These professors are snivelling and contemptible worms so far removed from the real world that they'd probably have a panic attack if they ever left campus and went to a public place.

:lol: True, true :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although I am all for scholerships for the children of Canadian soldiers killed in combat or on any risky mission , I am not so sure sending their youngsters into harms way by way of these Professors who bastardize history is such a good idea. None of these professors ever served and have no knowledge of how they recieved the right to blather such nonsence.Imperialism indeed! If not for the military these guys could be teaching in Russian , German or Japanese. But this is Trudeaus legacy in our so called schools of higher learning. A guy who would not serve with his peers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If not for the military these guys could be teaching in Russian , German or Japanese.

I always thought that was a stupid expression. After all, they still speak German in Germany, Ukranian in Ukrane, etc. etc.

Professors are smart, but sometimes shill. If we want to complain about them, let's not supplant didacticism with hoariness, eh ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what? You would deny their free speech?

They are entitled to their opinion and are being held accountable for it in the court of public opinion. That is as it should be.

“a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan and elsewhere.”
“In our view, support for Project Hero represents a dangerous cultural turn. It associates heroism with the act of military intervention. It erases the space for critical discussion of military policy and practices,”

I ask, where is the space for critical discussion of military policies and practices in those statements? The possibility that some of their students might be the children of Canadian military personnel who have died on active service, erases the space for critical discussion at the U of R? Give me a freaking break. They have already decided what constitutes critical discussion and now wish to determine who and what gets taught at the U of R.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always thought that was a stupid expression. After all, they still speak German in Germany, Ukranian in Ukrane, etc. etc.

Professors are smart, but sometimes shill. If we want to complain about them, let's not supplant didacticism with hoariness, eh ?

"Didacticism"? "Hoariness"? Wow, dude... someone's been subscribing to the dictionary.com word-of-the-day email spam. Stop showing off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always thought that was a stupid expression. After all, they still speak German in Germany, Ukranian in Ukrane, etc. etc.

Professors are smart, but sometimes shill. If we want to complain about them, let's not supplant didacticism with hoariness, eh ?

Ah man! Now I have to dig out a dictionary! How about useing $200.00 words instead of $5.00.I can`t even make change for a fiver.

Yes these other countries do speak their mother tongues. But not by force as could have happened if the western world militarily had not stood up to the dictators.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah man! Now I have to dig out a dictionary! How about useing $200.00 words instead of $5.00.I can`t even make change for a fiver.

Yes these other countries do speak their mother tongues. But not by force as could have happened if the western world militarily had not stood up to the dictators.

Even "supplant" is bordering on elite.... I would've used "replace" or "switch".... let me check thesaurus.com.... Who does this Michael Hardner guy think he is?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, I agree with the prof's contention that there is far to much glorification of the military in our country. However I also beleive education should be freely available to all. In our world, unfortunately, higher education costs money. Too bad so sad etc. So the more scholarships the better. Anything to ease the financial burden of education is okay with me and I don't give a damn where the funding comes from.

I think they are mistaken to use a damned decent reason to make thier classes more difficult to access due to what happened to those potential students parents/parent.

The CAW, also offers scholarships and I am sure there is more than one prof out there who could cook up a reason why that sort of scholarship should not be available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, I agree with the prof's contention that there is far to much glorification of the military in our country. However I also beleive education should be freely available to all. In our world, unfortunately, higher education costs money. Too bad so sad etc. So the more scholarships the better. Anything to ease the financial burden of education is okay with me and I don't give a damn where the funding comes from.

I think they are mistaken to use a damned decent reason to make thier classes more difficult to access due to what happened to those potential students parents/parent.

The CAW, also offers scholarships and I am sure there is more than one prof out there who could cook up a reason why that sort of scholarship should not be available.

If anything, we don't revere our military or history enough. Why don't you share some examples of excessive military glorification in Canada?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Project Hero also provides $1,000 cash for qualified university applicants from those military families.

Hardly what i'd call free education, whats 1000.00 get you in Unversity, would it even cover the cost of your books...And while any donation is well worth the ink it takes to apply, is this 1000 dollar donation really worth all the effort these 16 professors took to denounce it...

Glorifies militarism....just when we where all scratching our heads and complaining that not enough history let alone Canadian military history was being taught in our schools....It's spelled out right here in black and white...Professors and teachers want to distance not only themselfs ....but future generations from anything Military.... god forbid we glorify anything these days...

a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan and elsewhere.....As a Canadian soldier who has completed 3 tours in Afghanistan, i can personally tell you there is no Canadian imperialism goning on in Afghanistan...but what would i know , so to make sure i'm on line perhaps someone with the same attitude or opinions as our professors could explain to me, what exactly is meant by Canadian imperialism as my defination certainly does not fit what is currently going on in Afghanistan....or maybe it's not me rather them as they are clueless on what is transpiring over there in their name...

It states the U of R should not be "connected to the increasing militarization of Canadian society and politics." .......

Are you shitting me....Are we talking about the Same Canada, are we in the same universe ????perhaps i'm stuck on another plane of existance, or perhasp they slipped into my not sure as of yet....Perhaps we've all missed those MAY day parades in the capitol city, where streams of military personal and equipment flooded the streets with MR Harper taking the salutes....or maybe they are just misreading the size of our current military and added a few zero's to the actual 64,000 people in our forces today....thats one soldier for every 155 sq kms of land...Someone once joked that you could stick our entire military into the molson center, and still have seats left over....

These are the people who are responsiable for teaching our future leaders, captains of industry.... this behavior makes me wonder just what is the product they are producing and how is it effecting our nation right now..

I think they raise an interesting point although really quite misguided.

I think what their attempt has been is to warn against complacency in terms of regulating what the military does. In the end, though they deserve respect for what they do, the armed forces is a political body like any other. With the armed forces at war, the reluctance or inability to criticise what they do because they're "protecting freedom" really is an issue. Sometimes the military does do some really bad things and though I can't claim that any such things have happened recently, I tend to worry, seeing the lack of oversight and criticism by the general public could lead to higher ups just wiping a problem "under the flag." Though the military certainly deserves the respect it earns and soldiers should be entitled to things like free education (not just 1000 dollar credit, but free), I think there's a balance between admiration and oversight. I, unlike a lot of people believe that members of the military, like police officers and other public officials should face more scrutiny, not less.

Furthermore, I don't think anyone should be glorifying war. It's an awful practice and one that should be rightly condemned. Is it sometimes necessary? Yes, though no one should be making it out to be what it isn't. In terms of history everyone likes to talk about to the victory but no one likes to mention how many people had to die to achieve it or the nutcases it creates. My grandfather fought in WWII and had nightmares the rest of his life. I've heard stories of him waking up screaming regularly.

I guess my point is we need to be more vigilant in understanding how our freedom is actually being threatened and how it can be countered. War should be the last resort and should be tought as such.

The whole imperialism thing is out to lunch, though.

Edited by nicky10013
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Tell a friend

    Love Repolitics.com - Political Discussion Forums? Tell a friend!
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      10,712
    • Most Online
      1,403

    Newest Member
    nyralucas
    Joined
  • Recent Achievements

    • Jeary earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Venandi went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Gaétan earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Dictatords earned a badge
      First Post
    • babetteteets earned a badge
      One Year In
  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...