[GhostUser]

Well, in science we just started an electricity unit.

We're talking about protons and neutrons and electrons and all this stuff...

And the teacher uses rabbit skins against ebonite rods to demonstrate static electricity...or whatever.

And we had to use it too. But I wouldn't touch it and it stunk. Stank. Whatever.

It made me almost sick to look at it.

And some of the skins had spots

And the teacher was making bad jokes about the rabbit skins, like,

"this rabbit sucks." so he went to get another one.

And stuff like, "This is my lucky rabbit"

And I'm like

 

[isowish]

ugh. At least some of the other gross experiments are UNDERSTANDABLE, like dissection (not to say I support it or anything, but it teaches you something) but rabbit skins to show static electricity?! wth?! I don't entirely get the point of the experiment, but there are millions of non-animal substances that react to static electricity he could surely have used instead

 

[GhostUser]

I'm sorry you had to do that and see that in class.

 

[Engelsman]

Before i went veg i had to dissect a sheep's heart. For some reason the class only had 1 heart between 25 people. By the time it had got to my table it was a bloody mash and there were no gloves left, but still i dived in and played around with the atriums and ventricles.

Now thinking about it turns my stomach

 

[GhostUser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by isowish

ugh. At least some of the other gross experiments are UNDERSTANDABLE, like dissection (not to say I support it or anything, but it teaches you something) but rabbit skins to show static electricity?! wth?! I don't entirely get the point of the experiment, but there are millions of non-animal substances that react to static electricity he could surely have used instead

Yes. One of my classmates found that rubbing the ebonite rod in his hair worked even better than rabbit skins.

 

[ketivnilloc]

i had to do that same lab, but it never worked for anyone that day...i refused to touch it though.

 

[Littlegreenkat]

I had alot of problems with science classes as well. I am planning to study science in college and have there for taken alot of science classes and many of them required dissection. In biology there was a little disection and I just watched from the sides, but I had to drop my anotomy class when we started a term project of disceting a fetle piglet, and also a marine biology class because the teacher said that we had to dissect every class. I couldn't do that. I feel bad for you

. I complained at the guidance office to ask my teacher to be more sensitive twords the issue and to let me out of dissection... you could try that.

 

[GhostUser]

Thats ridiculous. Did you complain?

 

[ai_08]

This brings back horrible memories. Last year I took anatomy. My teacher, an avid cat love, actually brought in a cat for us to dissect.

As if that wasn't horrible enough, she did not even control the lab procedure. The students tore it apart. Even decapitated the poor thing. I could not bring myself to participate, but the teacher was so slack she hardly noticed. My lab grade for that was never mentioned, and thankfully she does not work for my school anymore and I am happily enrolled in a chemistry course. 

 

[PETA4LIFE]

I had to disect the classic frog in 9th grade. I actually attempted to comply with the school's wishes, but got sick half-way through.

 

[kayness]

if I could get away with it, I would have skinned the teacher and use his skin instead :/

or not...but ...RABBIIIitis

 

[Pescas]

I wouldnt really mind dissecting hearts or bodies, I'd like to be a veterinary surgeon. Id just wonder how the animals had died. And I have two pet rabbits..so ew.

 

[GhostUser]

The animals don't die of natural causes. They are killed.

 

[peachie]

o man. this brings back fond memories from the beginning of the year when a lab included cutting up chunks of raw cow liver and shoving them into test tubes so we could pour chemicals on them and test of ph levels and all this weird stuff. seriously, liver?? the funny thing was, the rest of the class was as disgusted as i was, so i got to throw in a few snide remarks about the fact that i don't eat any of this crap.

 

[Jennifer89]

I feel ya! maybe you could offer to demenstrate static electicity with a balloon. We went over this unit in science a few weeks ago, and their is not practical reason why fur should be used. Fake fur would work just as well. Or pictures/diagrams.

 

[luv4all]

Yeah, it's really annoying the way we use meat in experiments. Luckily, we have only ever had to dissect organs, not whole animals. If we had to dissect whole animals, I would die. I always tend to console myself with the thought that its off cuts from the butcher, and at least the animal is not going to needless waste, and perhaps we can learn how to treat them better by doing this.

And to demonstrate static electricity, we used ourselves as subjects at my school! Your hair is good for something other than looking pretty! Suggest it to your teacher. It's not dangerous or anything. Just use a balloon. And there's this special generator which is quite fun, you hold hands and electricity runs through you and makes your hair stand up! It's like a human wire! (I forget the name of the generator... van de morf or something? I dunno...)

Or, you could use glass rods. If you rub it with a coarse cloth, then put it near a stream of water coming out of a tap, the water should bend away from the rod, thus proving static electricity is present.

So, yeah, thats some random ideas for you!

 

[GhostUser]

^^Yeah we've done all those too =P Sorry

 

[luv4all]

You should go yell at the school board that you have done enough to demonstrate an involved understanding of how it works. Oh well. At least you dodn't have to watch the animal sacrifice videos in Indonesian. Everybody else enjoyed them, and after an eternity of turning my head away my teacher finally asked 'are you a vegetarian?' At least she asked...

 

[Jennifer89]

If you live in the US, which state are you in? There may be a Dissection Choice Policy in your state that includes more then just dissection. Some states include things like "Any action involving animal use" or something like that. If you pull out a copy of your state's dissection choice policy, that may be all you nead to end the use of animals (at least your involvment in it). My state dosn't have a DCP, which is why I'm trying to get one passed at my school, but your state may.