So I'm on Team Adams, having taught college students myself and having listened to some of the lamest excuses imaginable from slackers. Once in awhile, if the student actually had talent and potential, I went ahead and gave a D, and more than one of those gals then brought their performance up. If others left the program, good riddance and more time and energy available to the motivated students. In colleges, a lot of kids are taking up space on their parent's dime, wasting the opportunity and lowering the tone for the kids who are working two jobs to stay there. I have no patience for hand-holding with those sorts. And as I earlier noted, it sounds like Adams knew exactly what type of student he was dealing with.
And sarcasm by definition is a low blow. Remember that Adams took on the mantle of Christ when he declared Christian faith.
Enrolling in a formal class and proceeding according to its preset plan is only one way to gain knowledge. Out of fairness to other students in the same class, the rules shouldn’t be bent except for bona fide emergencies, but perhaps things like tutoring and/or dropping the class to be re-enrolled in the future would help a student in difficulties pass in the future. None of this gets suggested as far as I see. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
So have I. And I have never found humiliation to be an effective tactic there. I have counseled students to drop my class because they don't have the ability, or because they don't have the right attitude. I have been blunt to the point of appearing distant and unfriendly.
But I have never deliberately set out to humiliate any student. And I'm guessing by your remarks that you haven't either.
So I suppose you and I will have to agree to disagree re Adams here.