The importance of “water is wet” studies should not be understated. Because now you have a study to point to when someone who doesn’t already know this asks you for a source, as opposed to relying on anecdotal evidence or “common knowledge”.
There’s a fire in the brazilian National Museum, in Rio de Janeiro. The flames seem to have reached everything. The Museum turned 200 years old in 2018 and it had over 200 million items, including the oldest human skeleton ever found in the Americas (over 11.000 years old). The Museum was also the house of the royal family when they came to Brazil as a colony, and the residency of the emperial family after that. This week, on September 7th, we celebrate the brazilian independency, which was signed in that building. I can’t put in words how sad I am, or how huge this loss is for Brazil and for humanity. The government has been cutting funds from education and culture, which includes most of the money for the Museum’s maintance. This tragedy is very simbolic of the crisis Brazil is facing in many forms. Our history is burning to the ground, and this is no accident.
My coworkers complain when we can’t assign homework over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As if somehow this interferes with their ability to teach their classes.
My coworkers complain that our Muslim students get to leave class to pray Salat at noon. Like, we have maybe one Muslim student every two or three years – thus far, all extraordinarily respectful and lovely kids! – and they slip quietly out of class to pray.
My coworkers find all this infuriating. “Imagine,” they cry, “If a Christian kid asked to do that.”
I calmly explain, every single time, that a Christian kid would never HAVE to do that, because every single Christian holy day is a day off school. Good Friday. Easter Sunday. Christmas day. Our entire country interrupts its financial and educational systems – schedules its WEEKS – around the Christian prayer customs and seasons.
God forbid we temporarily unclip the rope barrier and leave an opening for someone whose religious traditions vary from our own.
Heck, the only holy day we DON’T get off is Ash Wednesday, and that only involves a church service if you’re Catholic.
Gender roles in a nutshell: the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang entrances in The Goblet of Fire.
also, to my knowledge neither of those schools were sex-segregated in the books
That bothered me more than the Dumbledore yelling, actually.
Nicolas Flamel was an alum of Beauxbatons.
The first headteacher of Durmstrang was a witch.
Bam.
In the books, it even says that there were boys and girls from each school. Thanks Hollywood for making Durmstrang buff and all athletic men and Beauxbatons all feminine and dainty.
Just imagine what it would have meant for every kid watching, seeing girls walking beside the guys in Durmstrang being “manly” and boys walking with Beuxbaton being flirty and feminine.
It would have shown that girls and boys can be however they want.
It also suggested that the only way a female could have be selected to participate was if she was not up against any male competition. In the books Fleur is chosen as the best candidate for her school from a selection of female AND male students. And she was the best PERSON. Not the best GIRL.
all men are Russian and all Women are French.
Select your gender: 🔳 Russian 🔳 French
ah yes my gender is French and my pronouns are oui/baguette please respect that merci beaucoup
