Yes, this professor reacted well. That’s not relevant to my point. There are tons of people who would not react well if ambushed by a room full of people who may or may not be making fun of their psychological issue.
These students are also having this behavior reinforced by this positive attention. Is it truly “reading way too much into it” to consider what unintended harm this can cause down the road?
Is it too much to consider how people who struggle with serious mental health issues, such as phobias, could react disastrously poorly to even a “cutesy” stunt like this?
Is it too much to think how lucky these students were to have a professor that DID react positively?
If looking at this situation through an ethical lens is “reading too much into” it, then I guess I read too much.
During any point while writing these comments, did you ever stop and think: “maybe these students have a good relationship with the professor and knew how he would react to such a prank”?
Like I’d get it if the guy said he was afraid of spiders and the following day someone put a fake spider on his desk. In that situation, they don’t know him well, the spider has a likelihood of being real, and a single person doing it without peer review can be iffy.
But this is weeks later, everyone agreeing that the professor would find it funny, and doing something that could in no way be perceived as “real”.
Yes, this professor reacted well. That’s not relevant to my point. There are tons of people who would not react well if ambushed by a room full of people who may or may not be making fun of their psychological issue.
These students are also having this behavior reinforced by this positive attention. Is it truly “reading way too much into it” to consider what unintended harm this can cause down the road?
Is it too much to consider how people who struggle with serious mental health issues, such as phobias, could react disastrously poorly to even a “cutesy” stunt like this?
Is it too much to think how lucky these students were to have a professor that DID react positively?
If looking at this situation through an ethical lens is “reading too much into” it, then I guess I read too much.
During any point while writing these comments, did you ever stop and think: “maybe these students have a good relationship with the professor and knew how he would react to such a prank”?
Like I’d get it if the guy said he was afraid of spiders and the following day someone put a fake spider on his desk. In that situation, they don’t know him well, the spider has a likelihood of being real, and a single person doing it without peer review can be iffy.
But this is weeks later, everyone agreeing that the professor would find it funny, and doing something that could in no way be perceived as “real”.