educational practices I am leery of....

xthread and I got into one of our debates the other day, and he equated distrusting with being against in general or disliking.

I explained that no, distrust means that while I there are many instances where I can see that the practice in question is a good thing, I have had enough negative interactions that I am not willing to generalize.

The subject at hand then had been homeschooling, which, while I have encountered homeschooling parents and children who show that it can lead to creative, functional, and educated adults, I have had sufficient interactions with people who are adamant that homeschooling is needed to give their children the 'right kind of education'. This is why I distrust homeschooling.

Mind you, I am not making an argument that public schools are a better choice, or that a religious education is inherently bad... just that I have had more "step away very slowly" encounters with people who endorse homeschooling for the sake of religious sanctity than I have with even parents who will only send their children to parochial schools.

A double shot thought game with whip

Scenario 1: At your local cafe, which you visit regularly,the baristas greet you by name and know what you regularly order.

Scenario 2: There is a cafe that you only visit occasionally, once or twice a year, yet the barista recognizes you, remembering your name and that you are particular about soy milk. You suspect that a particular quirk of recognition and minutia retention is her secret superpower (which, for a barista, is really handy).

Scenario 3: There is a cafe that you visit only occasionally, but they have a camera above the register (as do the other cafes) for security purposes. In addition to just recording the comings and goings, the camera takes stills of each patron and uses facial recognition software to see if and when that person last visited. Using this data, the barista cheerfully greets you by name when you come in.

In all three cases the interaction you have with the baristas is essentially equivalent in friendly service. Given caveats like being assured that your data is not being analyzed or shared with anyone beside the cafe's employees, does it make a difference to you how that interaction is facilitated?