Central NY students upset after being asked to defend Nazis, Holocaust for homework

[TexasTowelie]

OSWEGO, N.Y. -- Archer Shurtliff and Jordan April, both 17, felt "weird" when in February they received an assignment asking students to argue for the extermination of Jewish people.

The words "TOP SECRET" were stamped across the top in red. The "memorandum," first posted online and addressed to senior Nazi party members, asked students to put themselves in the shoes of Adolf Hitler's top aides.

Archer and Jordan, who are not Jewish, wondered if they understood the assignment correctly. Did their teacher, Michael DeNobile, really mean for his students to argue in favor of the "Final Solution," the Nazis' justification for genocide?

During class the next day, DeNobile randomly assigned half the students to argue for, and half to argue against the extermination of Jews. Archer was assigned to be in favor of the Final Solution, and Jordan was picked to be against.

Read more: http://www.syracuse.com/schools/index.ssf/2017/03/oswego_county_boces_homework_assignment_asks_students_to_defend_the_holocaust.html

[Sanity Claws]

1. Other teachers have done similar things IIRC

Is there a teacher's manual that contains "lessons" like a this?
Another explanation is that there are other teachers who are equally awful.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I lean towards your last statement.

There are some things that are debatable. However, this topic fails the test.

[Chasstev365]

3. No Common Sense

The teacher is either evil or a moron. Getting kids argue historical events is great, but did it ever occur to this half-wit that arguing for the Holocaust might be a wee bit inappropriate?

[Girard442]

4. Sounds like good intentions gone horribly wrong.

It's a good idea to try to give insights into why people did the things they did, but this isn't the way. Certainly not at a high school level.

[TEB]

5. For those who suffered

In 1985 us army west Germany they loaded up my infantry platoon on a bus and took us to tour dachau .doing the tour there were many tears amongst us and the bus ride back to kaserne was very somber. Later on in my tour in a bar I was sitting and next to me a man reached for his cigarettes and I noticed on his arm he had a camp tattoo I bought him several beers and we talked I asked him how he could live amongst those who did this to him. He replied you have to understand that all humans are not evil and you must learn to forgive , that is the only time we ever talked when we were not training or doing garrison duties I went back to the bar in butzbach west Germany I think it was EKU'S pub and I never saw him again. But I think of him of late actually when the hair hitler trump fascist wanted to come after the muslims . I used to think we as a nation are evolved that we would never follow a tin pot dictator who invokes hate and fear against a people over there religious beliefs . I know this is long but I had to write this I think for the gentleman I met in the pub. This why we must fight back to protect are fellow brothers and sisters and there children.

[localroger]

6. This is standard in teaching debate tactics

If you are on the debate team you have to be ready to argue positions you don't believe in or agree with; this is considered fundamental to being able to defend your arguments for positions you do believe in. A whole modern civilized country fell for the Nazis' propaganda. Only by recognizing how it worked can you hope to recognize it when the same tactics are being used against you.

[beachbum bob]

7. critical thinking and reasoning requires us to understand the other side of the equation...even when

its as bad as the nazis and their final solution. In discussing their rationale, it gives the students (and us) insight into way we have people TODAY, right now, in AMERICA...believing this crap

its a worthy assignment.....so a knee jerk response on how it shouldn;t be done is way out of line