Ugh! Doug Phillips is the keynote at next year's convention in Alberta

[swellmomma]

Every year I look forward to the AHEA convention.  It is what I go to each year to regain my excitement and encouragement for homeschooling. Next year I will not be attending at all, and feel like I should recind my membership to AHEA completely for endorsing him and making him the keynote speaker.  Ugh!

[NASDAQ]

I'm torn between revulsion and morbid fascination? I don't suppose you fancy having a bunch of us camping out on your couch, then going en masse to see what he says :lol:

[LucyStoner]

You could always go with bags full of rotten tomatoes, wearing a WNBA jersey since he has such an issue with women playing basketball.  

[Lisa R.]

I highly suggest you provide feedback to the group organizers that you are concerned that they are hosting a speaker that promoters patriarchy, doesn't want daughters going to college, and so on. I'd phrase it very respectfully and provide links quoting Phillips backing up what you said.

 

The conference is providing a speaker they think will be a draw and bring crowds. If they find this causes regular attendees not to come, they may reconsider.

[FaithManor]

Sorry about that. Gack, it would be a deal breaker for me too.

 

He makes my creep-o-meter go DING, DING, DING, DING, DING!

 

I sure wish there was a homeschool convention that was secular and devoted to education and not specific lifestyles.

 

Faith

[Hikin' Mama]

Maybe it's a good thing that I don't know who he is? (I've heard his name, just don't really know who he is.)

[swellmomma]

I posted my thoughts about it on the AHEA fb page and I am glad I did.  All the comments are going to the organizers, so far only 1 person has fully supported Doug, 1 has said if he is told to stay on the topic of homeschooling and not his personal agenda she may still attend.  Several have posted that they will not attend or will only go to the vendor hall if he is kept as keynote.  This is supposed to be a homeschooling convention and yet this will be the 2nd year in a row that they are bringing in keynote speakers that are focusing on what our homes look like rather than homeschooling itself.  The years we had the Maxwells or the Clarks etc as speakers were so uplifting.  Last year was Voddie and I only went to his opening and closing addresses and liked them, but didn't go to his other 3 or 4 talks, and I was really hopefull this coming year they would have returned to keynote speakers in the homeschooling world rather than the biblical one. 

 

SO we will see, I have my doubts that they will cancel him and try to find someone else since keynote speakers are usually arranged 18-24 months before the event but I can hope that with enough people voicing that they don't want him there.

I should tell them to invite SWB to speak :)  Just because she doesn't do so in the US anymore doesn't mean she can't up here in Canada :)

[LucyStoner]

Maybe it's a good thing that I don't know who he is? (I've heard his name, just don't really know who he is.)

 

I'd pay good money to regain my ignorance of his existence and opinions.  

[Dandelion]

I've never heard of him.  Now my curiosity is piqued.   ^_^

 

I've never gone to a homeschool convention, precisely because they seem to be focused on promoting a certain lifestyle/philosophy rather than providing helpful, practical homeschooling support.  At least the conventions around here strike me that way.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

You could always go with bags full of rotten tomatoes, wearing a WNBA jersey since he has such an issue with women playing basketball.

Link? Please? I would looooove to read his thoughts on women playing hoops.

[swellmomma]

Well so much for the discussion on the fb page for that organization.  There is a woman that is supposed to keep an eye on the page (she also happens to run my local support group) and she shut down any conversation about him, or other ideas people had to improve the convention saying the posts weren't postive enough to be an encouragement to homeschoolers (not just my posts but those that agreed with me too).

Yeah I won't be supporting that group at all anymore.  It is an organization that claims to be the voice for alberta homeschoolers, but if you are registered blended or aligned you are not really welcome.  And though they claim to welcome all religions their conventions are becoming increasingly focused on a certain belief system that pretends to be Christian rather than on education.

It has been years since I have sat in a session that focused on actual education that wasn't put on by a seller advertising their products.  The rest have been on how to have the perfect home, marital relationship, obedient kids blah blah blah

And it looks like it will never change.  On the upswing I did get messages off the group agreeing with me and thanking me for bringing it up since many of them had never even heard of doug phillips before.

Hmmm I wonder how many people would show up at my house for a potluck and round table discussion of actual educational concerns/topics

[Dandelion]

Hmmm I wonder how many people would show up at my house for a potluck and round table discussion of actual educational concerns/topics

 

I bet you'd probably get quite a few.  And you'd probably get a lot more out of that than going to the convention.

[LucyStoner]

Link? Please? I would looooove to read his thoughts on women playing hoops.

 

It was a throw away remark on women engaging in sports like men.  I doubt I could find it but it stuck in my craw, as a hoops fan who likes to fancy she can sink a few.  And you know, as a female person in general.  

[ChocolateReignRemix]

It was a throw away remark on women engaging in sports like men. I doubt I could find it but it stuck in my craw, as a hoops fan who likes to fancy she can sink a few. And you know, as a female person in general.

Well poo. I thought there was a full article of him ranting . *sigh* Maybe next time.

<<<hoops fan.

[LucyStoner]

Well poo. I thought there was a full article of him ranting . *sigh* Maybe next time.

<<<hoops fan.

 

There are so many of him ranting about anything and everything that the trouble is searching any one thing.  Not a month ago I read him spouting off on feminism meaning that women hate their children and I can't (won't invest the time I guess) locate the exact thing anymore.  There's just too much of the crazy.    It doesn't help that his name is so common and thus you have to parse out which Doug Phillips came up on your results. Also, he spouts off on podcasts so much.  If he were named Ebeneezer Misery or something, it would really help.   :laugh:  

[bolt.]

That's disturbing -- and local to me. I'm only a future homeschooler (current after-schooler) but I wonder if there is any other Alberta organization that is less narrow in their ideology?

[Guest submarines]

This is so incredibly disturbing, I have no words. I was hoping that Canada was doing a little better in this regard.

[swellmomma]

That's disturbing -- and local to me. I'm only a future homeschooler (current after-schooler) but I wonder if there is any other Alberta organization that is less narrow in their ideology?

Not that I have seen that focuses on all of Alberta.  Only specific local groups like SHiNE in Edmonton etc.  I wonder how you start up a group like that.  I mean in the beginning it wouldn't be much of anything, but a province wide support group of sorts with a wider audience being served, where your religion, registration style or lifestyle don't matter.  That the focus is on teaching your children in the best way that suits your family.

 

Hmm I may have to look into that further.  Even if I only start with a FB group and go from there.

 

I am curious where you are located if it is local to you.  PM me if you feel comfortable sharing :)

 

 

[musicianmom]

All you really need to know about Doug Phillips: he compared a woman having surgery for an ectopic pregnancy to a shipwrecked woman throwing her infant to the sharks to save herself.

 

I am pro-life, and yet I find that horrifying.

[Word Nerd]

All you really need to know about Doug Phillips: he compared a woman having surgery for an ectopic pregnancy to a shipwrecked woman throwing her infant to the sharks to save herself.

 

I am pro-life, and yet I find that horrifying.

Also, something to the effect that ideally, men should vote for their household and women shouldn't vote at all. However, since that isn't how it works in our country, the husband should decide and instruct his wife how she should vote because otherwise they'll just cancel each other out.

[NASDAQ]

There are so many of him ranting about anything and everything that the trouble is searching any one thing.  Not a month ago I read him spouting off on feminism meaning that women hate their children and I can't (won't invest the time I guess) locate the exact thing anymore.  There's just too much of the crazy.    It doesn't help that his name is so common and thus you have to parse out which Doug Phillips came up on your results. Also, he spouts off on podcasts so much.  If he were named Ebeneezer Misery or something, it would really help.   :laugh:  

 

Doug Phillips is opposed to All the Things. But not dressing up in fancy dress, which he really likes for some reason.

 

He named his kids Joshua, Justice (boy), Liberty (girl), Jubilee (girl), Faith (girl), Providence (boy), Honor (boy), and Virginia Grace.