College Professor Fears For Upcoming Generations After A Student Reached A New ‘Stupidity Tolerance’ Limit
The incident pushed the professor to his limits.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock Teaching in higher education can be an enriching experience, but it can also challenge the patience and sanity of even the most seasoned professors. Brian Latimer, a communication professor at a university in the United States, recently shared a story that left him questioning the intellectual trajectory of future generations. In a candid Reddit post, Latimer recounted an experience that pushed him to the absolute limit of his “stupidity tolerance,” involving one particularly unsettling student — referred to as “Ms. Manhunter” in his post.
Latimer, who has worked with many first-generation college students, generally approaches his role with patience and understanding. However, the interaction with Ms. Manhunter left him both exasperated and concerned about the state of critical thinking among some students.
Her stunningly ignorant response to a simple sarcastic remark was enough to make Latimer seriously reflect on the future of education and intellectual development in the coming generations.
A college professor recalled the incident with a student that made him fear for the future.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A|Shutterstock
Teaching at an institution with a diverse student body, many of whom are first-generation college students, comes with its own set of challenges. Latimer was aware that many of his students might lack significant life experience or exposure to the world beyond their immediate surroundings. These gaps in knowledge can create unique teaching opportunities but can also make classroom interactions unexpectedly difficult.
The trouble began during the very first week of class when Ms. Manhunter, a student who had no qualms about sharing her personal goals, revealed that she was attending college not for her education but to secure an “MRS degree.” For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s an old-school phrase implying that a woman’s primary objective in college is to find a husband who will take care of her financially.
Ms. Manhunter, it seemed, was not focused on her academic future but rather on finding “Mr. Right-Now” — a partner from the university’s prestigious law or medical schools.
Latimer, though initially stunned by her blatant honesty, tried to maintain his composure. He understood that many first-generation students have complex and sometimes misguided reasons for attending college, and Ms. Manhunter’s approach to education wasn’t unique in that sense. However, the reality of her mindset set the stage for the chaos that would unfold in the coming weeks. Little did he know, this student would soon push him to a level of frustration he had never reached before.
The moment that truly tested the professor's patience came during a class assignment where students were asked to create a persuasive speech.
In a typical classroom setting, students would pitch their ideas in groups, and Latimer would offer feedback and guidance. When he arrived at Ms. Manhunter’s group, one of her classmates suggested a speech topic about colonizing the moon — a topic that, while ambitious, had the potential for an engaging discussion.
In an effort to lighten the mood and inject some humor into the conversation, Latimer joked that instead of colonizing the moon, perhaps they should “blow it up” — a reference to a ludicrous proposal made by a physicist named Alexander Abian in the 1990s. Abian famously suggested that destroying the moon could have beneficial effects on Earth. Naturally, Latimer was being sarcastic, but Ms. Manhunter missed the joke entirely.
Without hesitation, she responded earnestly, stating that if the moon were destroyed, “there would no longer be night.” Latimer was understandably stunned into silence.
The sheer absurdity of the statement left him frozen, unable to respond immediately. The student who had made the original suggestion about colonizing the moon recognized the confusion and attempted to explain to Ms. Manhunter how the Earth’s rotation and the presence of the sun are what cause night and day — not the moon itself.
Even with this explanation, Ms. Manhunter remained steadfast in her belief that the moon directly causes nighttime. This fundamental misunderstanding of basic science left Latimer both exasperated and deeply concerned. In his post, he even humorously confessed that this was the one moment in his life when he seriously considered taking up drinking just to cope with the sheer ridiculousness of the conversation.
The professor's underlying concern centered around a lack of critical thinking skills, which seems to be common among young people today.
Xavier Lorenzo|Shutterstock
Latimer’s experience with Ms. Manhunter wasn’t just an isolated incident of academic confusion. It was a sobering reminder of the alarming lack of basic knowledge and critical thinking skills among some students.
His frustration was rooted not only in the ignorance displayed by Ms. Manhunter but also in the realization that many students today seem unprepared to think critically about the world around them. In an age where information is more accessible than ever, the fact that a college student could make such a basic mistake and refuse to acknowledge it was both troubling and disheartening.
As Latimer reflected on this experience, he expressed fear for future generations of students who may lack the intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills, and basic knowledge necessary to thrive in the world. The professor's is not alone in his concerns. Psychology Today noted that basic critical thinking skills are becoming "endangered" among the world's youth.
This is especially concerning in an age where many young people get their news and information from highly corruptible sources like social media. Without the ability to discern fact from fiction, or at the very least to have a healthy dose of skepticism when hearing other opinions, younger generations can easily be duped into believing that even the moon is the sole reason for the change from day to night.
Teaching, after all, is not just about filling students' minds with facts. It's about teaching them how to think, question, and engage with the world on a deeper level. When students fail to grasp even the most fundamental concepts, it raises important questions about the efficacy of current educational methods and the state of intellectual development in a rapidly changing world.
While Latimer's frustrations are understandable, his story is also a call to action for educators everywhere to double down on fostering critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and a deeper understanding of the world among students. The hope is that future generations will not only be able to navigate the complexities of modern life but also possess the wisdom and knowledge needed to contribute meaningfully to society.
Erika Ryan is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.