The cartoon is intended to convey the extreme asymmetry of grade appeals. Students never pressure an academic to lower grades. Hence grade inflation is endemic to the enterprise of grading. The common grounds for appeal are also a rich source of non-sequiturs for the skeptical connoisseur of unreasoned reasons. Some examples:
- I think I deserved a better mark...
- I worked really hard on this...
- I usually get higher marks...
- I think this was a stupid assignment...
- I copied off Fred and he did better than me...
A statement similar to the last example of course has never actually been made by any student. But I hope this scenario actually happens sometimes... the unendurable dissonance of righteous indignation, frustration and guilt which would be experienced by the plagiarist is a pleasure to contemplate.
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Tagged - Fallacy, non sequitur.
5 comments:
I'll tell you WHY i like this blog.
Being an insomniac always looking for distractions in the wee hours...this blog keeps me entertained for at least 15 min. at a time. That's 1/2 an episode of a sitcom rerun.
L>T - you hang around here for 15 mins at a time to be entertained, yet you're an insomniac? Are you sure you aren't using the blog as a sedative?
Hey, how many blogs have you ever visited for 15 min. at one time? (besides your own) It's quite a compliment really.
I was going to say this blog was meaty & there was lots to chew on over here. but, that just didn't paint a pretty picture. ;)
I've never been good at accepting complements damn it. Something to talk about in therapy today…
people like you always get more then people like me (compliments, that is)
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