I’m shakin’ me lucky charms at this ruling!
Bob Averill’s classmates at the Art Institute of Portland had finished up their work in a character development class on November 8, and were chatting to pass the time until class was over. The discussion moved toward spirituality. Averill, a Game Art Design student and a devoted atheist—he even runs a blog called Portland Atheist—sidled over and joined the conversation.
[…]
“I jokingly asked her if she believed in leprechauns. It turns out, she does. They live on another energy layer,” Averill wrote in notes to himself later that day. “In the interest of bringing my own view to the discussion, I began to ask her how she knew these things. Again I know all too well that people can be sensitive about their spiritual beliefs, so I was pretty much walking on glass as I did so.”Averill says he wasn’t trying to disprove the other student’s religious beliefs, but “to convince her not to insist that they were scientifically proven.”
The student, apparently offended, complained to the teacher. Averill was called into a meeting that evening, he says, with the Art Institute’s dean of education, associate dean, and the dean of student affairs.
Ah, college. Bastion of intellectual openness and discourse. I wonder what would have happened if Averill had been an evangelical and entered the conversation from that point of view.
I’m sure I’m as offended that someone believes Leprechauns exist as anyone who believes in them is offended by my disbelief.
If it helps like so much of the rest of the world I’m 1/8 Irish
Art schools — more than most — have a tradition of non-conforming freedom. Often, when battles are fought over stringent application of “moral” standards by the backwards and reactionary, it is students and faculty from art schools that lead the fray.
The exception being those institutions which tend to be either “official” state institutes of art — or patent leather copies, in business to crank out practitioners capable of little more than Elvis on Velvet.
Apparently, the AIP belongs to one or the other of the above.
Despite right-wing media hype to the contrary, the voice of political correctness is actually wielded by religious conservatives
You see, radical fundamentalists and cultists are working around the clock to force public schools to teach specific brands of Christianity. Ironically it is liberals who are suffering religious persecution in this hostile environment.
oh, and take off your tinfoil hat — Christmas and Christianity are not under attack and I can prove it!!! Saint Nick at every single mall in the nation, Nativity scenes everywhere, and at least one radio station in every market in America playing Christmas music 24-7. Does not sound like Christmas is in any danger to me.
now go read Matthew chapter 6 and do as the man said and keep your religious nonsense to yourself.
Matthew 6:6 – That passage should replace “Sid Lives” on the spray paint expenditure chart.
#3 – You are so terribly right.
This student needs a lawyer.
And leprechan students needs a swift kick in the ass.
His story is not believable, and that’s pretty much the only side we have. I suppose it’s possible he got stuck in a college speech code and judicial system, but I doubt it.
#7 “His story is not believable…”
Well, I believe it. Are you saying my subjective belief system is invalid?! Stay where you are, the PC police will be there is a few minutes to taser and arrest you.
10: The woman who complained apparently has a religion in which they are real and live on a different plane of existence than us. The student tried to gently tell her she was nuts. On the other hand, it’s not really any more nuts (if examined rationally) than some of the precepts of Christianity or other “establishment” religions.
I read this on Digg a day or two ago and couldn’t believe it. I scanned to comments looking for some way that I could get involved to help this kid.
It is too bad this student is now going to lose everything he has worked for up to this point at that school. So close to graduation, only to be expelled over something like this… what a shame. I wish there was something I could do to help get behind this kid and help him come out on top…
I hope he is able to take the credits he has earned and transfer them to a college that is worth going to (because apparently AIP isn’t). I think since it is a private school, the student will have a tough time transferring all of the credits out… I would demand a refund of tuition at the very least.
AIP didn’t keep up their end of the deal… he pays tuition to them to come out with a degree in the end… they take his money, 3/4 of the way through it they kick him out. Sounds like theft to me.
I read the whole article and it appears that we don’t have the whole story. There were several mentions that people were saying this was the “last straw”, etc for this guy. Reading between the lines, I get the feeling that the guy has a lot of difficulty dealing with other people without getting into conflict. I’ll bet if you talked to his peers and instructors you’d get a very different story.
#12: Or they used this as a petty excuse to kick out someone who had the nerve to question.
(Caps left intentionally on) CAN YOU GUYS TELL ME IF THERE’S AN ART SCHOOL WITH NO DRAMA?
Hey sagrilarus, atheism is a religion.
I am skeptical that the episode happened this way. The Mercury is the least reliable media in Portland — an ad rag with a lot of made up material in it, often written under pseudonyms by one or two people.
Nor does the situation fit the Northwest ethos. The region has the lowest church attendance in the country, around 30 percent. Saying ‘I don’t believe in X,Y, or Z” is safer out here than in most of America.
to #9:
leprechauns are often used in philosophy as a “non-controversial” conceptual stand in for god. It is suppossed to allow for a more non-biased discussion since neither party has a vested interest in the concept of the leprechaun. This obviously backfired in his case when he stumbled upon someone who did have a vested interest.
to #15:
atheism is generally not considered a “religion”, philosophically speaking, since atheist do not usually have any metaphysical beliefs. It is generally accepted that metaphysical beliefs are the foundations of religious belief. This differs drastically from, say, a sociological approach to religion which defines religion in terms of religious practices and organized meetings of members rather than on any actual beliefs.
#15 – Hey sagrilarus, atheism is a religion.
Comment by tkane — 11/27/2006 @ 6:40 pm
That’s only true where the words athiesm and/or religion have radically different meanings than the ones they actually do.
Your fear of death leads you to bullshit superstition. That doesn’t mean you get to label my rational understanding of the universe the same way.
#16…Podesta…..Ok, this is a day to remember……I agree with you. I have many friends from and in the Northwest, especially in Portland, and it has to be one of the most laid back and liberal areas of the country.
#16…Podesta…..Ok, this is a day to remember……I agree with you. I have many friends from and in the Northwest, especially in Portland, and it has to be one of the most laid back and liberal areas of the country. A large part of this story appears to be missing in action. I just find it hard to believe he was just the innocent here.
Atheism is just as much a religion as Catholicism. Both groups are usually as fanactical as the other in it’s belief……and being an atheist is a belief….foundation of all faiths.
My partner works at the school and knows this kid and that situation.
Suffice to say that the people who noticed that the article only presented his side of the story are correct, there is more to it than that.
The people who noticed the ‘last straw’ comment were also correct, this kid has been a pain in the ass and a problem at the school before this incident…and somehow I doubt that the actual incident was anything like the ‘strolled over to ask an innocent question’ scenario he described.
Think about it…an art school that teaches everything from graphic design to game art, and is as liberal as you can imagine…expelling somebody for their religious belief (atheism)?
Not likely. Back to rationality, folks…obviously there is more to it.