A professor at the University of Illinois is claiming Algebra is racist. She worries that prioritizing math skills might leave minorities disadvantaged and consequently bad for society. Talk about socialist thinking!
Everybody must be equally uneducated and controlled!
Rochelle Gutierrez, a professor at the University of Illinois, made the claim in a new anthology for math teachers, arguing that teachers must be aware of the “politics that mathematics brings” in society.
“On many levels, mathematics itself operates as Whiteness. Who gets credit for doing and developing mathematics, who is capable in mathematics, and who is seen as part of the mathematical community is generally viewed as White,” Gutierrez argued.
Gutierrez argues that math is white privilege defined. What is her evidence? She makes 3 points. They go like this:
1) Algebra and Geometry were invented by the Greeks
Gutierrez also worries that algebra and geometry perpetuate privilege, fretting that “curricula emphasizing terms like Pythagorean theorem and pi perpetuate a perception that mathematics was largely developed by Greeks and other Europeans.”
Perhaps Professor Gutierrez should have consulted an anthropology book before writing her ridiculous ‘academic’ education (propaganda) manifesto.
Anthropologically speaking, Greeks are white. But so are Arabs and the Turks. We can even use big fancy words here (being the educated racists that we are…) to explain this situation better.
Greeks are white. So are Arabs and Turkish people. Anthropologically speaking they are classified as East Mediterranid Phenotype of the Caucasian race. It is a common misconception that North-African and Middle Eastern People are racially different to the white race but completely unfounded.
Why is professor Gutierrez stereotyping the ancient Greeks as modern Europeans? Why is Algebra and Geometry reflective of white supremacy but not the number zero? Zero was discovered by Arabs – the same ethnic classification as the Greeks.
Algebra and Geometry increase logical thinking and cognitive function in the masses. Zero just signifies Professor Gutierrez’s IQ. Coincidence?
2) Math researchers get more funding than those in the social sciences
Math also helps actively perpetuate white privilege too, since the way our economy places a premium on math skills gives math a form of “unearned privilege” for math professors, who are disproportionately white.
“Are we really that smart just because we do mathematics?” she asks, further wondering why math professors get more research grants than “social studies or English” professors.
Math is more relevant to society than the discovery of new ‘micro-aggressions. That is just a fact. It has nothing to do with race. Math is needed to build your home, your car, advance technology, understand the physics of the universe.
Furthermore, what is stopping more minorities from studying math? Surely they have more ample scholarships, incentives, and employment opportunities than the average white supremacist.
And yes, education does further human intelligence and does make people smart. Only complete psychos trying to ruin a society would insinuate otherwise. Seriously, you get that right?
3) Minorities sometimes feel inferior while trying to learn math
Further, she also worries that evaluations of math skills can perpetuate discrimination against minorities, especially if they do worse than their white counterparts.
“If one is not viewed as mathematical, there will always be a sense of inferiority that can be summoned,” she says, adding that there are so many minorities who “have experienced microaggressions from participating in math classrooms… [where people are] judged by whether they can reason abstractly.”
We are dragging race into a completely uncorrelated topic.
I relate with the students who struggle with math. This hits close to home. I wasn’t educated behind the 5th grade by my parents due to my being born a girl. By the time I was able to leave and realize the value of an education it seemed helpless. I was just turned 17. Too old to start middle school and completely unprepared to as much as get my GED. Not to mention how do you get into college without a diploma? I ended up taking the ACTs and got admitted into college as a “homeschool” high school student. I loved to read! I scored in the top 10% in Reading and English and the bottom 10% if Math and Science. It evened out my scores enough to be admitted into the school.
College was brutal. I failed elementary algebra twice! It felt impossible to catch-up. I had to study for hours just to get to the point where I could try to do my homework. It sucked. I had no time for fun. I had to work harder than anyone else I knew – often to be met with disappointment. It was humiliating. But, I did it and so can anyone who puts their mind to it!
Nothing can hold back any individual in America if they work hard and believe in themselves!
You can’t live your life operating in victim mode. Life is not fair and somebody else will always have some sort of advantage that you don’t. That is just the way it is.
Liberal victim ideology and academia seeks to encourage people to not take responsibility for themselves. I was lucky. I had an amazing special advisor (because I failed those math and science classes…) who told me that she didn’t want to hear me talk about the ‘whys’ or how I was angry at my parents. I was an adult now and I was either going to do this or I wasn’t. It was up to me. How did I want my life to be? I choose.
That changed everything for me and that is what real kindness looks like when dealing with struggling “disadvantaged” students.
I can’t imagine if they had just told me that I was too much of a victim to ever catch-up and to go see a victim counselor instead of figuring out a way to conquer math.
“Disadvantaged” students struggling in math is a very real problem for a small minority of students. Telling students that it just has to do with their race or gender and don’t bother learning is a travesty.
Who is promoting such an outdated solution… What are their motives?
We are just going to leave everybody too uneducated and uninformed to peruse proactive SOLUTIONS to minor problems in society?
Source: Campus Reform
Such ignorance. If you’re going to write something, especially as an educator, you need to know about your subject.
Algebra was invented by an Arab…and you know his name.
Al Gebra!
Rochelle Gutierrez, an esteemed professor of education at the University of Illinois recently published a paper outlining the racist structures of learning math – which is just ridiculous.
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Esteemed by whom?
Look at the professors and universities that hire them. Ignorant people and NOT RESPECTED institutions.
This county is going downhill.
Another whack job! I’m white and totally failed algebra in high school. There are many POC that excell in mathematics! I guess she never saw the movie about the 4 African American women in NASA! Her view is racist! It’s not about creating equality! It’s about believing that POC don’t have the intelligence to succeed!! What are these people smoking in the teacher lounge!
Why do some USA americans always look for ssome one to ridicule or
attack.. If you have been short changed with algebra of geometry, don’t hate others who have .
If you had no more education than un to grade 5, and are satisfied by that, God bless you. BUT if you want to appreciate God’s world more, add to your eduction.. It’s a glorious world, axcept for the grumblers.