Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Michael Coren Exercises His Free Speechydom

Coren: May I ask you a question? What do you teach?
Caller: Why is that relevant?
Coren: I’m asking you the question … it’s just courtesy … what do you teach?
Caller: I teach … um … health, science course
Coren: OK … I just got the impression … I’m not trying to be rude … but maybe English wasn’t your first language.
Caller: No … it’s not … but why is that relevant?
Coren: Because I think your English should be fluent if you’re teaching kids in the English language.


Yeah, Michael, and baldy headed pricks with fake English accents shouldn't be on the radio either.

h/t trssastt.

7 comments:

Red Tory said...

I believe Coren comes by his accent quite naturally, so you don't do your argument any great service by deeming it to be "fake"...

Ironically, you're engaging in the same sort of petty snobbery that you're attempting to lambaste Coren with. LOL

bigcitylib said...

And your point is?

Ti-Guy said...

Coren isn't engaging in petty snobbery. He's being a bigoted arsehole.

Anyway, he's a yob. If students at York (who, last I checked, aren't 'kids') don't have command of English by then, there's nothing a health science TA can do about it.

What a good example for the media to show that brains and education are completely unnecessary for a career.

philosoraptor said...

I tend to think of fields of study as having their own distinct languages: engineering, science, mathematics, sociology, criminology, linguistics, economics, etc. Does Coren speak any of those languages? I only ask since maybe he can STFU about any of those topics. I for one would be relieved to hear him never utter another word about economics, criminology, evolution, stem cell research or abortion.

sharonapple88 said...

True David.

From the transcript and the blog, she has a good grasp of English.

This part was irritating.

Caller: Well I think you’re very ignorant because my English is perfect … so it is not a problem

Coren: No … it’s not … and you’re also rather rude D’aria [sic] … I was on your side … I was only a question … but if you’re the quality of TA’s and that’s how you speak to people who ask you a question then we have a problem …

He slyly insults her, and then calls her rude when she gets upset by it. How the hell can you be on someone's side when you imply she shouldn't have the job in the first place.

Ti-Guy said...

That's the way Coren operates. He puts his opponents in a position where the only sensible response should be incivil and corner's them.

I would have immediately called him on it instead of becoming defensive: "I find your remarks about my competence as an instructor to be extremely insulting and very un-Christian, I might add."

As a Jewish convert to Catholicism, he's very fragile on that issue.

Anonymous said...

Can I get a date w/Ti Guy?

He is really special.