Monday, September 8, 2008

Internet filter

Mom came back from my sisters schools parent orientation and says that the principal was trying to persued the parents into getting "kosher" cell phones for their daughters. She began discussing the "evils" of the internet and TV.

She said how the teachers have a special key that if the teacher gets distracted she can turn off all the moniters at the same time, so that the students wouldn't do anyting innappropriate without supervision.

When my mom said that my sister screamed "HAAAA!!! Thats just why last year I couldn't find a picture of Big Ben building the clock tower in England, but my classmates were able to watch Gossip Girl in class."

Then my sister started freaking out about how stupid the teachers are, and how not nice my mom was for not yelling at the principal for being an idiot.

Mom said many of the parents were nodding along to the "evil"ness of the internet.

Then the teacher started giving an entire history lesson and mentioned how Sputnik changed the entire educational system in America, and all the parents looked confused!!

No wonder these parents agree with the principal that internet is bad, its because they have no freakin idea about anything at all. Mom was like "its not that they didn't know what Sputnik was, its just that they all got completely confused when she tried to combine a few ideas into one."

I find human stupidity hilarious.

I can't figure out if these parents even speak to their daughters. How could they not know that students manage to watch all this stuff, and the administration is just full of it? Or how could they get confused when Sputnik comes into the picture?

Some people are just not very bright. And my sisters school is made up of mostly rich JAPpy people. One of the greatest frum schools out there as well. How are they be so dumb to not realize that filters are full of crap? And internet is not bad, its just that students should be taught things.

btw, I'm sure you've heard, but Rav Kaminetsky (if mom didn't confuse names) banned cell phones with internet.

I'm a heretic. lol. Just got me an awesome pink palm pilot. I read blogs during my lunch hour. :)

30 comments:

Originally From Brooklyn said...

What is Sputnik? Some sort of Avoda Zara?

Throw away all of your electronics. Shabbos is now 7 days a week.

frumskeptic said...

its not that shabbos is seven days a week, its more that if we have the electronics we may be tempted to use them on shabbos, so therefore we should throw them out L'cavod shabbos.

Originally From Brooklyn said...

Ah. I feel so much more enlightened now that you clarified that for me.

frumskeptic said...

well you know, you're not allowed to add to a mitzvah. So adding to shabbos by making it everyday, is not right.

Mikeinmidwood said...

This reminds me of a joke.

Hashem comes to lakewood and says 6days a week man should work on the seventh rest. The people from lakewood say "Man should work, since when"?

So the Shabbos 7 days a week is not to far off.

Why did Rabbi Kamnetzky ban cell phones with internet if the internet is banned?

mlevin said...

Cell Phones with internet are banned because internet on a computer is banned, cell phone is not a computer (or so they think).

You know it's possible to buy an internet cell phone and disconnect your net...

Also, frummies use navigational systems and verious alarms for house/business/cars. Do they realize that they are using internet everytime they are using these gadgets?

Anonymous said...

"Also, frummies use navigational systems and verious alarms for house/business/cars. Do they realize that they are using internet everytime they are using these gadgets?"

Actually they probably are just concerned about using a browser, or whatever it is that lets you see things they think you shouldn't see. As long as that problem doesn't arise with navigational systems or alarms, I'd assume there's no reason to prohibit them.

Ichabod Chrain

mlevin said...

That's the irony. they ban internet pshat, without even realizing what they are banning.

Anonymous said...

A pink one? Nah, be a real heretic and get a red cell phone :)

Anonymous said...

"Then the teacher started giving an entire history lesson and mentioned how Sputnik changed the entire educational system in America, and all the parents looked confused!!

No wonder these parents agree with the principal that internet is bad, its because they have no freakin idea about anything at all. Mom was like 'its not that they didn't know what Sputnik was, its just that they all got completely confused when she tried to combine a few ideas into one.'"

LOL!!!

David Staum said...

There is some bad stuff out there on the net - I certainly don't think teens should look at porn, for instance. And for that matter, they shouldn't be watching "gossip girl" during classtime.

But I am very much against blocking ideas. And teachers should have the sense to know what they're blocking.

Is having a computer at every seat really beneficial to learning? My generation did just fine without them. Maybe it helps lazy teachers who don't want to prepare lessons.

BTW, you can reccomend reading the book Rocket Boys and/or watching the movie October Sky based on the book for anyone who wants to see how Sputnik changed education in America.

Anonymous said...

Of course the internet must be banned-- do you realize how much information it contains? The entire purpose of a frum education is to filter out information! The internet would undermine that completely. Some of the kinderlach, chas v'sholom, might even discover your blog! What a victory for the Satan this would be! Chas v'sholom.

Anonymous said...

Internet is NOT bad. But there is definately stuff of the internet that is NOT GOOD, well at least not for teens anyway. So I guess that in a few years we will opt to install filters.
favorite anony :)

frumskeptic said...

Mike; LOL. funny joke!!

Dys:

"Is having a computer at every seat really beneficial to learning? My generation did just fine without them. Maybe it helps lazy teachers who don't want to prepare lessons."

Its 2008. A computer is essential to learning. I think thats the problem with todays education system, people don't realize how literally everything uses a computer.

Should they be watching gossip girl in class? No. absolutely not. BUt they should have the computer. If teachers found a new and interesting curriculum that used the computer, more students would actually WANT to learn.

Leaving the computer out of the classroom actuallly makes kids want to use it more at home, and that prevents them from studying later on.

Basically, I think it would be more beneficial to find ways incorporate the net into education than to ban it (for the general frum population).

david: :-). thats funny.

anony- Gossip Girl got passed the filter, sisters Big Ben picture didn't. What wuld the filter do for teenage kids but actuallly persuade them to watch "innappropriate" shows.

Ookamikun said...

Obviously Big Ben didn't get through. Other monuments banned by jewfilter, Lincoln monument and leaning tower of Piza. Eifel tower and Tokyo tower, depends on which level the filter is set. Also all paired Pyramids are banned.

There are phones w/o internet in this day and age?!

I think all the psycho frummies should move in with the Amish. Then they can hitch up buggies, churns lots of butter, raise barns and have no lights or phones or motor cars.

frumskeptic said...

Moshe- lmao

Ookamikun said...

I'm sure I posted this before, but here it is again as it's very relavent to this post.

Anonymous said...

"Obviously Big Ben didn't get through. Other monuments banned by jewfilter, Lincoln monument and leaning tower of Piza. Eifel tower and Tokyo tower"

Well of course they were banned. Those are all very phallic symbols. :D
(Except for Lincoln, the issue there is that his legs arent crossed.)

Ookamikun said...

Forgot one, Washington Monument.

Anonymous said...

i have the same exact problem with my school. my principle makes a parent workshop every year about how your children are using the internet for "evil" things. i really get offended that just because im a teen i cant be trusted. i mean i know that there are teens that really shouldn't be trusted but do u really think that a filter will stop them? and taking away the internet only makes it worse, i mean everyone wants something even more once its taken away. things are changing and you cant keep kids in the dark it only makes it worse because they will be exposed one day

Sarah said...

I have this friend whose mother is completely paranoid and won't let her read/watch/do anything without previewing it first. so she just goes over to my house and we watch movie and lend her books to smuggle into her house. and our parents are all in on it too - because how can they not let us watch toy story? it's a very ridiculous situation. then she sends her to a community college and so she just goes on the internet at the library when she's supposed to be studying, and watches bootlegged movies.

frumskeptic said...

"it's a very ridiculous situation. then she sends her to a community college and so she just goes on the internet at the library when she's supposed to be studying, and watches bootlegged movies."

LOL. I had a friend that stayed late on campus to browse the net becuase at home the filter didn't allow her to visit certain sites.

Whats wrong with Toy Story???

Ookamikun said...

Tell her she can kill the filter with task manager or, even better, process explorer. She should also get Chrome, it has incognito mode that doesn't leave history or cookies behind.

Lion of Zion said...

why do your parents send your sister to this school?

frumskeptic said...

its considered a really good school.

And its not Shulamis or coed.

Lion of Zion said...

what's wrong with shulamis?

frumskeptic said...

LOZ- a few things. Nothing against the girls themselves though.

1- Shulamis focuses alot on zionism. Which I personally do not mind (and parents), considering we're very much pro-Israel, but with all the subjects that should be taught in a frum school, they shouldn't focus as much on it. Takes away from their secular as well as hebrew/Jewish education.

At the open house they officially gave a # of people who failed on regents which was higher than the school even I went to. And we had alot of rich girls who didn't give a damn about regents.

2- I applied for shulamis. They were mean and disgusting (have a post coming up which slightly discusses this). Later when i got into the kiruv program of my school, and befriended some of the girls, they all told me that shulamis was mean to them, and they came out of private schools (Nefesh, BHI, Vertzad (dunno spelling). So they're very anti-Russian.

3- Sister applied there as well as a "safety" school. During the entrance exams they asked for the applicant to write up the Asher Yatzer. Some girls didnt know it. ANd were all worried. Sister said she had to keep herself from cracking up.

4- There has been talks about shulamis closing for years. Never had any official dates or times but the talk was there. Why torture your kid through 2 admissions processes?

I mean NOW its official, but before it was a gamble.

Lion of Zion said...

"Takes away from their secular as well as hebrew/Jewish education. "

i'm not really sure what this means, as

a) many of the classes in the general school day are not "essential" to the educational basics that a school should transmit. so i don't think zionism detracts more from the core than these other classes do

b) it is a central part of shulamith's השקפה so it belongs in the curriculum. i'm not arguing here whether it is an appropriate השקפה or not, but once they've adopted it they need to teach it and have activities to foster it.

"they're very anti-Russian"

that's funny, because shulamith's detractors complain that it has become an immigrant school for, among others, russians

even when my wife went there (e.s. and h.s.) there was no lack of russians

i do know that over the years shulamith has taken on some inquisition practices characteristic of the more right-wing schools, and this definately hurts russian applicants (i know of this in regards to a specific family)

but anyway, however shulamith treats russians, i can't believe that they get a more reasonable admission consideration (because of them being פגום) or beter reception at prospect or the other right-wing schools.

i look forward to your post on this

"I mean NOW its official"

it's not. the sale and planned closure were conducted under very dubious circumstances and the parents are fighting it tooth and nail in civil court and a בית דין (i know some of the people handling the legal aspects.)

שבוע טוב

mlevin said...

Just on Thursday, during Shabbos shopping, I met a lady whose daughter is in Shulamith. I asked if they had any difficulties getting her in, because they are Russian and all and she said: "
Well, she was four and they refused to take her due to her lack of language. (English/Hebrew). So, we had to send her to Rambam first for two years, and then they couldn't find an excuse to reject her..."

frumskeptic said...

LOZ-" many of the classes in the general school day are not "essential" to the educational basics that a school should transmit. so i don't think zionism detracts more from the core than these other classes do"

I would think focusing more on Math, History, science and english or w/e would be more important than zionism especially if they admit that they have students that do fail. It may be part of their hashkafa, which is fine, but this is something that should be taken into consideration if you want to send your kid to a school with an education in which they can pass their regents without a problem.

2- all I can tell you is what I've already said. Everyone I know that has applied to Shulamis who was of recent russian decent had a hard time with admissions.

3- "prospect"
Prospect hosted my kiruv program. They obviously did it to say that they had russians and that they were doing kiruv, but the administration definitly treated me way better during the admissions process than shulamis did. Though I can only speak for prospect, I didn't apply to other right-wing schools, so I have no idea.