“Human Flesh” film is no longer recommended at Aargau high schools
In response to the interpellation of Rothrist EDU Councilor Martin Bossert, the government councilor admits that the form of presentation of the film can lead to misunderstandings.
On Tuesday, the Grand Council discussed the government council’s response to the proposal by Rothrist EDU politician Martin Bossert. It’s about the short film “Human Flesh”, which was shown at a high school in the Zofingen region. The two and a half minutes are about aliens invading the earth, fattening and slaughtering people, keeping people as pets and women keeping milk pump out.
An image from the video that lasts two and a half minutes. After an interpellation from EDU Grand Councilor Martin Bossert, the film is no longer recommended for high school students.
Screenshot
The film is intended as a “philosophical thought experiment” to encourage students to change their perspective. The film was made available by SRF School.
A change of perspective is certainly not wrong, says Martin Bossert. But when a farmer’s daughter invited her school class to the farm for a change of perspective, the teacher refused.
That’s why the Grand Council submitted the interpellation before the summer holidays. Among other things, he wanted to know from the government council what his attitude towards the film was, what added value it should bring – and whether the government council would advise schools against showing the film in the future.
Martin Bossert, EDU-Grossrat.
Image: zvg
The form of presentation can lead to misunderstandings
The government council replied that he had no knowledge that this film was being shown in schools. “The form of representation chosen in the video can lead to misunderstandings,” he writes. This is because the film shows the topic of intensive animal husbandry in an exaggerated, fictional way.
But: The form of the philosophical thought experiment is a suitable means for students to critically examine a topic and change their perspective. From the government council’s perspective, however, the topic and form of presentation are more suitable for use at secondary level II – and not, as originally recommended by SRF School, at secondary level I and II, i.e. upper secondary and cantonal school level.
Concrete measures based on the interpellation
Since the request from the Department of Education, Culture and Sport, SRF has no longer offered the film on SRF School and only recommends it for secondary school level II. The government council expressly welcomes this, he writes.
At the Grand Council meeting, Martin Bossert was satisfied with the answer. “It was the first time that I experienced concrete measures being implemented promptly as a result of an interpellation,” says Bossert. He is pleased that SRF School no longer offers the film for secondary school classes. In the direction of the teachers, Bossert said that they had to allow a further change of perspective: “In my opinion, refusing to visit the farm is not possible at all.”
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