Is it Sunday again, already? Wasn't it just Sunday? Of course, last Tue (Chris Day) seemed like Sun. And every other day seemed like Sat.
Yesterday was the Codester's birthday. Is he four years old already?????? It was so great watching his excitement, both yesterday and on Chris AM, while he opened presents. And Ash had me color with her with the crayons and coloring set (among other things that Uncle Matt gave her from Las Vegas). The only thing about the crayons is, with so many colors (150 of them!), how to choose? (I'll add another job I want in my next life, the one who chooses names for colors of crayons, like the guy who picks flavors of yogurt, salad dressing, etc.) And Bopper and I went through his tons of baseball card cartons--and one football one. There were quite a few cards of old playes, Mel Ott, Christy Matthewson, Jim Brown, etc.
What a downer for President Obama! It must be. His historic re-election is relegated to a spot far down the list of significant events of 2012. One list had the re-election at about five or so, after the mass shootings, NYC storm, the "fiscal cliff" (Isn't that term grating?), and a couple of others. For such a narcissist, it must be torture.
I will admit, as much as I dislike his policies and philosophies (not to mention his hypocrisy), Obama must have some brilliant advisers. Congressional Republicans are always on their heals, always backing away from the pitch that curves over the plate for a strike. That the President hasn't submitted a reasonable budget in several years (even the Democrat-controlled Senate rejected most of them unanimously) is overlooked and fingers are pointed at the Republicans in the House. Of course, perhaps it's just that the Republicans are Bozos......
I've sent this along to several folks, who expressed a bit of astonishment. If the fiscal cliff is not averted, K and I will likely pay several thousand dollars in more federal taxes. I'm not sure exactly how much. Different tables show between $2000 and $3000 and as much as $5000 more--and we don't bring home very much (certainly not six figures). I admitted I'd be willing to swallow the increased taxes, conditionally. (Of course, with the Bozos running DC, "willing" isn't a choice, is it?) First, I'd like to see across-the-board spending cuts of at least 5% in the federal government. C'mon, how much did the Obamas spend on Chris decorations and celebrations? The military can't find 5% or more to cut from its inflated budget of hundreds-of-dollars screwdrivers, hammers, and toilet seats? Federal bureaucrats and politicians can't take a 5% pay cut? (K has been cut far more than that over the past several years and I haven't had a pay increase at one of the colleges in about 10-12 years.) Second, the increased revenues must go to paying off the debt. The current taxes can go toward running the government programs. Extra, from the "cliff," pays down what is owed. Of course, the Bozos still spend more than they take in, so will that do any good? I don't know.... The figures are staggering.
I see MSU pulled out a bowl victory, whatever bowl it was. I didn't follow very closely and I didn't watch the game--it started around 11 PM here.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Round Three
I think I won Round Three, although it was a bit tougher than I anticipated. We were hit with a mere 2" of snow and I figured shoveling would be a piece of cake. Maybe it was because I ran first, then went out for a short walk--but it was a struggle, esp at the end.
Maybe, too, it was that the cars tamped down a couple tracks on each side, making pushing the snow a strain. And, a friend parked over some unshoveled snow on Thur, most of which melted into ice. That made it for difficult to move.
Still, it was a pretty nice, quiet AM to be out there.
But, we're getting some flow snurries now. I'm not aware of any accumulation that is expected. But, if we get any, bring it on.
Maybe, too, it was that the cars tamped down a couple tracks on each side, making pushing the snow a strain. And, a friend parked over some unshoveled snow on Thur, most of which melted into ice. That made it for difficult to move.
Still, it was a pretty nice, quiet AM to be out there.
But, we're getting some flow snurries now. I'm not aware of any accumulation that is expected. But, if we get any, bring it on.
Mary Surratt
If I recall correctly, Mary Surratt was the first woman executed by the Federal Government. Of course, her sentence came as a result of her role in the Lincoln assassination.
Did she deserve to die? Well, she always maintained her innocence, as if one might engage in murder, but would never lie. I think the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, demonstrates she was a conspirator. That said, the question remains: Did she deserve to die?
If we believe in process in this country--and we theoretically say we do, that rights cannot be violated in the search for justice, that the rules must be followed--I don't think she deserved the death penalty. This sentence came after a trial in which she was found guilty; so the guilt is not in question here.
It's a bit hazy--OK, I'm losing some of my faculties!--but I recall that the military tribunal charged with determining her fate originally proposed life imprisonment. Edwin Stanton, among others, heard and was outraged. He likely was driven by two factors. One was his anger at the assassination. One of my favorite memorials about Lincoln was Stanton's words upon the pronouncement of Lincoln's death, "Now he belongs to the ages." In the movie, I awaited those moving words and was rewarded. The other factor was possible political motivations/aspirations Stanton had. Stanton was not "a nice man," hardly. He immediately went to work to get the tribunal to change its mind/sentence (however preliminary). He concocted a compromise of sorts, one involving a certain Presidential commutation, one he himself, he assured the tribunal, would push on President Johnson. He didn't and in the course of events, it is pretty clear he had no intention of doing so. And, it is pretty apparent that there were many lies told along the way, from Stanton to Johnson. Although I believe she was guilty in the conspiracy, as was Samuel Mudd, she was a victim. She was a victim of Stanton's duplicity, deviousness, and aspirations. She was a victim of the nation's thirst for revenge. The North had just seen more than 300,000 deaths, maybe closer to 400,000. Now, their beloved President, who they had only recently come to embrace, had been assassinated. Surratt helped satisfy vengeful feelings.
Another interesting "what if" is "What if Lincoln hadn't been murdered? What of Reconstruction?" Johnson was no match for Sumner, Stevens, Wade, Chandler, and the other Radicals. Lincoln, with his new-found popularity, I think was more than their equal. I guess a further question would be "Would Lincoln have opposed the Radicals or embraced their agenda?"
Yet another episode of "History That Never Happened."
Did she deserve to die? Well, she always maintained her innocence, as if one might engage in murder, but would never lie. I think the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, demonstrates she was a conspirator. That said, the question remains: Did she deserve to die?
If we believe in process in this country--and we theoretically say we do, that rights cannot be violated in the search for justice, that the rules must be followed--I don't think she deserved the death penalty. This sentence came after a trial in which she was found guilty; so the guilt is not in question here.
It's a bit hazy--OK, I'm losing some of my faculties!--but I recall that the military tribunal charged with determining her fate originally proposed life imprisonment. Edwin Stanton, among others, heard and was outraged. He likely was driven by two factors. One was his anger at the assassination. One of my favorite memorials about Lincoln was Stanton's words upon the pronouncement of Lincoln's death, "Now he belongs to the ages." In the movie, I awaited those moving words and was rewarded. The other factor was possible political motivations/aspirations Stanton had. Stanton was not "a nice man," hardly. He immediately went to work to get the tribunal to change its mind/sentence (however preliminary). He concocted a compromise of sorts, one involving a certain Presidential commutation, one he himself, he assured the tribunal, would push on President Johnson. He didn't and in the course of events, it is pretty clear he had no intention of doing so. And, it is pretty apparent that there were many lies told along the way, from Stanton to Johnson. Although I believe she was guilty in the conspiracy, as was Samuel Mudd, she was a victim. She was a victim of Stanton's duplicity, deviousness, and aspirations. She was a victim of the nation's thirst for revenge. The North had just seen more than 300,000 deaths, maybe closer to 400,000. Now, their beloved President, who they had only recently come to embrace, had been assassinated. Surratt helped satisfy vengeful feelings.
Another interesting "what if" is "What if Lincoln hadn't been murdered? What of Reconstruction?" Johnson was no match for Sumner, Stevens, Wade, Chandler, and the other Radicals. Lincoln, with his new-found popularity, I think was more than their equal. I guess a further question would be "Would Lincoln have opposed the Radicals or embraced their agenda?"
Yet another episode of "History That Never Happened."
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Round Two...
Yesterday afternoon's/evening's snowfall of 5-5 1/2 inches was topped off by another 2 1/2-3 inches overnight. (I measured both times.) This AM's shoveling was much easier--a lesser amount and I used a lighter shovel. The lighter shovel carries less snow, so requires more shoveling. Still, it was easier.
At 7:30 or so, it was still pretty quiet out there. I did hear a couple of county plows out on Commerece Rd, but just a couple. I managed to get in about half of the driveway before the snowblowers started up. I'm thankful for that. Like last night, again before the infernal snowblowers, the shoveling was peaceful and quiet and the view/scenery was beautiful.
I followed the shoveling this AM with a walk/run through Lake Sherwood. There was a bit more traffic, but still not much. And, there were more snowblowers. Grrrrrr...... And, did I see a mechanized window scrapper/blower? I couldn't be sure, but some guy cleaning his windshield was making an awful lot of what sounded like machine noise.
Bopper and I received headlamps for Chris from Grandma (who, it is widely believed, lost our other two; or, at least, they can't be found wherever she put them). We are planning on heading out after dinner for a walk in the dark. It should be cool, as in neat, not as in cold. No doubt, Ash and the Codester will want to join us.
So far, I'd say, the first two rounds go to Ron, by wide margins.
At 7:30 or so, it was still pretty quiet out there. I did hear a couple of county plows out on Commerece Rd, but just a couple. I managed to get in about half of the driveway before the snowblowers started up. I'm thankful for that. Like last night, again before the infernal snowblowers, the shoveling was peaceful and quiet and the view/scenery was beautiful.
I followed the shoveling this AM with a walk/run through Lake Sherwood. There was a bit more traffic, but still not much. And, there were more snowblowers. Grrrrrr...... And, did I see a mechanized window scrapper/blower? I couldn't be sure, but some guy cleaning his windshield was making an awful lot of what sounded like machine noise.
Bopper and I received headlamps for Chris from Grandma (who, it is widely believed, lost our other two; or, at least, they can't be found wherever she put them). We are planning on heading out after dinner for a walk in the dark. It should be cool, as in neat, not as in cold. No doubt, Ash and the Codester will want to join us.
So far, I'd say, the first two rounds go to Ron, by wide margins.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Let It Snow, Let It Snow......
Our first significant snowfall of the season came today. Oh, we had a half inch another day and about two or three inches on Mon. Today/tonight was about 5 1/2 inches--and it's still coming down pretty hard.
I did shovel before--Bopper helped me once and the Codester helped the other time. This time it was by myself. K and I were out at the Lincoln flick when the storm started, clearing a couple of inches off of the car after leaving the theater. We came home and I heated the leftovers for dinner, did some writing and e-mailing, and headed out. I dressed pretty warmly, since it was very blustery when we came in two hours ago. But, the wind died down and the temp was about 22, not bad at all.
Everything went well. I think I won round one--the previous two were just shadow boxing--handily. There were only two glitches, one minor. I had to negotiate the car tracks that packed down the snow. They weren't too bad since the snow is pretty fluffy. The other was a neighbor cranking up his snowblower. Fortunately, I had already shoveled for about 15 mins, enjoying the peace and quiet. And he finished before I did, giving me an extra 10 mins of peace and quiet while I "trimmed."
I wondered, as I shoveled, at age 64, when is the time for me to stop doing this shoveling stuff. But, oh I enjoy it--a lot. Tonight reminded me why.
Round Two tomorrow AM.
I did shovel before--Bopper helped me once and the Codester helped the other time. This time it was by myself. K and I were out at the Lincoln flick when the storm started, clearing a couple of inches off of the car after leaving the theater. We came home and I heated the leftovers for dinner, did some writing and e-mailing, and headed out. I dressed pretty warmly, since it was very blustery when we came in two hours ago. But, the wind died down and the temp was about 22, not bad at all.
Everything went well. I think I won round one--the previous two were just shadow boxing--handily. There were only two glitches, one minor. I had to negotiate the car tracks that packed down the snow. They weren't too bad since the snow is pretty fluffy. The other was a neighbor cranking up his snowblower. Fortunately, I had already shoveled for about 15 mins, enjoying the peace and quiet. And he finished before I did, giving me an extra 10 mins of peace and quiet while I "trimmed."
I wondered, as I shoveled, at age 64, when is the time for me to stop doing this shoveling stuff. But, oh I enjoy it--a lot. Tonight reminded me why.
Round Two tomorrow AM.
Lincoln
Well, I did two things this week I very rarely do. One, I bought petrol at a station that charges higher prices for credit purchases than for cash purchases. I didn't notice until I had started pumping, but once I did I immediately stopped at $15. The station, as a matter of principle, can charge whatever it wants. But, also as a matter of principle, I can take my business elsewhere, which is just what I usually do--unless I don't notice.
Two, I went to a movie at a theater. I was trying to remember the last time I went and I keep coming back to Brother Bear, to which I took Bopper about 9 or 10 years ago. I can't recall any other movie since. Much, much more often than not I feel like I've wasted two hours or more of my life afterward. That's not to mention the wasted money. Oh, I forgot, the Hollywood-types aren't greedy; they actually deserve what they are paid, even if movie tickets are now about $10 apiece.
The movie was, as noted in the post title, Lincoln. My plan had been to wait until the DVD or pay-per-view on the boob tube. I had heard many good things about the movie from colleagues and students and had read a number of very flattering reviews, even my historians. But I went into Lincoln with some caution. First, it was a Hollywood movie, the likes of which most frequently disappoint me greatly. Second, I know what Hollywood does to history, either for the sake of entertainment or for a political agenda. Third, and this was my greatest trepidation, I am an admittedly Lincoln superfan. I can't say that I have many heroes in history, but if I have only one, it's Lincoln. I fully admit I buy into the Lincoln mythology. Any biography of Lincoln I wrote would undoubtedly be a hagiography. Oh, I know the myths (I even had a student write on a final exam that Lincoln owned slaves. Where do they hear that crap? It's not remotely true. Come to think of it, one of my son's high school history teachers repeated that garbage.) and I know Lincoln had faults. Hey, he was human!
So, what about Lincoln? I thought it was great. I suppose the acting was very, very good. No doubt a lot of Oscar nominations, if not awards, are going to come out of this movie. And the history was pretty darn good, too. Oh, there were some errors and quite a few speeches or exchanges were pure fiction, as far as I know. But the tenor was right! What enthralled me wasn't the movie or the scenes or cinematography (or whatever it's called). It wasn't the acting, good as it was. It was the persona of Lincoln that hung over the movie.
Here's an example. Thaddeus Stevens, by most accounts hardly a likable guy, but rapier-sharp with his tongue, admitted after the passage of the 13th Amendment: “[It] was passed by corruption, aided and abetted by the purest man in America.” I have never seen that comment in any of the histories I've read. And, knowing him a bit, it doesn't seem like anything Stevens would even think. But such a comment was stark and striking, capturing the esssence of Lincoln--at least to a Lincoln-lover like me.
There was this theme throughout the movie of a sort of Civil War bi-partisanship. I think such a 20th and 21st Century notion would have been foreign to Lincoln. Oh, he dropped the Republican Hannibal Hamlin of Maine (isn't that a great name!?!?!?) as VP to choose the very mediocre (and I'm being generous here) Democrat from Tennesse Andrew Johnson. It would prove to be a horrible choice, but it was an attempt for Lincoln to put into action the words he would later utter in his Second Inaugural. But this getting Democrats to vote for the 13th Amendment to show some sort of bi-partisan agreement on ending slavery is ridiculous. Maybe that's Spielberg's present political view showing through; I don't know.
But the movie clearly showed what many people forget or don't know. Lincoln was a great politician. A guy I used to work with told students that Lincoln never won an election until he became President. That's another falsehood and a big one. First off, he was "elected" captain of his militia squad during the Black Hawk War--that's how things were done then. He, of course, was elected to Congress, the House of Representatives where he was a bitter and outspoken critic of "Mr. Polk's War," the Mexican War. And, in Illinois, he was elected to the state legislature for several terms. All this running as a Whig in a largely Democratic state, Illinois. And, some historian tallied up the populations of the counties of Illinois in 1858, the year Stephan A. Douglas was re-appointed to the US Senate (that's how it was done then) after the famous Lincoln/Douglas Debates. Had it been a state-wide, at-large election of the people, Lincoln likely would have defeated his Democratic opponent, too. Clearly, Lincoln was a savvy, hard-nosed, brilliant politician, as even Douglas noted. "He is the strong man of the [Republican] party."
Throughout, not at all far from my mind while watching, were these words from W.E.B. Dubois about Lincoln: "I love him not because he was perfect but because he was not and yet triumphed. The world is full of illegitimate children. The world is full of folk whose taste was educated in the gutter. The world is full of people born hating and despising their fellows. To these I love to say: See this man. He was one of you and yet he became Abraham Lincoln."
Two, I went to a movie at a theater. I was trying to remember the last time I went and I keep coming back to Brother Bear, to which I took Bopper about 9 or 10 years ago. I can't recall any other movie since. Much, much more often than not I feel like I've wasted two hours or more of my life afterward. That's not to mention the wasted money. Oh, I forgot, the Hollywood-types aren't greedy; they actually deserve what they are paid, even if movie tickets are now about $10 apiece.
The movie was, as noted in the post title, Lincoln. My plan had been to wait until the DVD or pay-per-view on the boob tube. I had heard many good things about the movie from colleagues and students and had read a number of very flattering reviews, even my historians. But I went into Lincoln with some caution. First, it was a Hollywood movie, the likes of which most frequently disappoint me greatly. Second, I know what Hollywood does to history, either for the sake of entertainment or for a political agenda. Third, and this was my greatest trepidation, I am an admittedly Lincoln superfan. I can't say that I have many heroes in history, but if I have only one, it's Lincoln. I fully admit I buy into the Lincoln mythology. Any biography of Lincoln I wrote would undoubtedly be a hagiography. Oh, I know the myths (I even had a student write on a final exam that Lincoln owned slaves. Where do they hear that crap? It's not remotely true. Come to think of it, one of my son's high school history teachers repeated that garbage.) and I know Lincoln had faults. Hey, he was human!
So, what about Lincoln? I thought it was great. I suppose the acting was very, very good. No doubt a lot of Oscar nominations, if not awards, are going to come out of this movie. And the history was pretty darn good, too. Oh, there were some errors and quite a few speeches or exchanges were pure fiction, as far as I know. But the tenor was right! What enthralled me wasn't the movie or the scenes or cinematography (or whatever it's called). It wasn't the acting, good as it was. It was the persona of Lincoln that hung over the movie.
Here's an example. Thaddeus Stevens, by most accounts hardly a likable guy, but rapier-sharp with his tongue, admitted after the passage of the 13th Amendment: “[It] was passed by corruption, aided and abetted by the purest man in America.” I have never seen that comment in any of the histories I've read. And, knowing him a bit, it doesn't seem like anything Stevens would even think. But such a comment was stark and striking, capturing the esssence of Lincoln--at least to a Lincoln-lover like me.
There was this theme throughout the movie of a sort of Civil War bi-partisanship. I think such a 20th and 21st Century notion would have been foreign to Lincoln. Oh, he dropped the Republican Hannibal Hamlin of Maine (isn't that a great name!?!?!?) as VP to choose the very mediocre (and I'm being generous here) Democrat from Tennesse Andrew Johnson. It would prove to be a horrible choice, but it was an attempt for Lincoln to put into action the words he would later utter in his Second Inaugural. But this getting Democrats to vote for the 13th Amendment to show some sort of bi-partisan agreement on ending slavery is ridiculous. Maybe that's Spielberg's present political view showing through; I don't know.
But the movie clearly showed what many people forget or don't know. Lincoln was a great politician. A guy I used to work with told students that Lincoln never won an election until he became President. That's another falsehood and a big one. First off, he was "elected" captain of his militia squad during the Black Hawk War--that's how things were done then. He, of course, was elected to Congress, the House of Representatives where he was a bitter and outspoken critic of "Mr. Polk's War," the Mexican War. And, in Illinois, he was elected to the state legislature for several terms. All this running as a Whig in a largely Democratic state, Illinois. And, some historian tallied up the populations of the counties of Illinois in 1858, the year Stephan A. Douglas was re-appointed to the US Senate (that's how it was done then) after the famous Lincoln/Douglas Debates. Had it been a state-wide, at-large election of the people, Lincoln likely would have defeated his Democratic opponent, too. Clearly, Lincoln was a savvy, hard-nosed, brilliant politician, as even Douglas noted. "He is the strong man of the [Republican] party."
Throughout, not at all far from my mind while watching, were these words from W.E.B. Dubois about Lincoln: "I love him not because he was perfect but because he was not and yet triumphed. The world is full of illegitimate children. The world is full of folk whose taste was educated in the gutter. The world is full of people born hating and despising their fellows. To these I love to say: See this man. He was one of you and yet he became Abraham Lincoln."
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Why Not?
Hey, why not "Sun Musings?" I have "Fri Musings" and "Sat Musings......"
Interesting that two of my conversations this past week, with Matt and with one of my running buddies, centered on Bo Jackson. Jackson might have been the best athlete ever--who knows? He certainly must rank pretty high on any list. He ran a 4.1 40; high jumped 6'8" in high school, was 6' 4" tall and weighed 240, and could throw and hit! But, by all accounts, he's a good person, one who knows integrity, honesty, and charity, not to mention appreciation. That leads me to two stories, one about Jackson.
I guess the Tampa NFL team (whose name I can't remember) invited Jackson down during the winter of his senior year at Auburn for a workout. Since Jackson was eagerly finishing his baseball season, he inquired about eligibility; that is, would the Tampa trip, the flight down and accommodations, have an adverse effect on his senior year of baseball. Oh, no, said Tampa. You'll be fine. Once Jackson returned to Auburn, his baseball coach revealed this would make him ineligible to play baseball! He was steamed. According to my buddy, Jackson was drafted first by the Tampa team, but refused to sign with them. He gave up millions of dollars because they lied to him. Of course, he was later drafted by the Raiders, where he played, but for much less money than a first-rounder. Good for Jackson! I knew there was a reason I liked the guy.
And, according to Walter Williams, the CEO of Branch Banking and Trust, one of the ten largest banks in the US, is also a man of integrity. John Allison refused to let his bank do any business, that is, lend money to, with developers who bought property by having government take it from people. How cool! No doubt there was a lot of money in there for BB&T, but because the government stole people's property (OK, legal stealing often called "takings" or "eminent domain"), he wouldn't let his company be a part of the theft and booty. Yep, I now have another person I admire.
I read a nifty article in The American Scholar, "The Disadvantages of an Elite Education." Wow, did some of it ring home for me! The author, who spent 14 years at Yale and Columbia, noted the gaps in his education, the "disadvantages," what one of his friends calls "Ivy Retardation."
There are some stinging remarks here. The Ivies and other "elite" institutions "leave their students in the paradoxical position of wanting to advocate on behalf of the working class while being unable to hold a simple conversation with anyone in it." He noted two Ivy grads, Al Gore (Yale) and John Kerry (Harvard)--or did I mix that up?--"both earnest, decent, intelligent men, both utterly incapable of communicating with the larger electorate." I might disagree with the characterization, but not the conclusion. I think I have blogged about his phenomenon and the people who have it--"arrogant elitism" I have called it.
Those who know me realize I am not Mr. Fix-it. I am pretty much all thumbs when it comes to mechanical things. I once scored in the 27% on a mechanical aptitude test. Oh, when I was younger, I'd try, often taking four or five times as long to finish a job as it should have taken. But I remember my days at Amherst. How many times did I earn money for grinders or pizza by working on cars, for instance, changing the oil or replacing mufflers and tailpipes, for guys who had no idea how to do either? Again, I'm mostly a klutz when it comes to handyman stuff, but far more than once I'd help the fraternity custodian/caretaker (Joe Zygmont, a great guy with not much education, but with whom I had a number of enlightening conversations) around the house.
Another comment in the article, again citing a "disadvantage" in less than flattering way, was "How can I be a teacher--wouldn't that be a waste of my expensive education? Wouldn't I be squandering the opportunities...? What will my rich friends think?" Rich friends? It was my own father who sounded those same thoughts. Several times he asked Karen if she could talk to me about leaving teaching. He made comments like, "You must be the only Amherst graduate who drives a Chevy." I wonder what he thought when I bought a Horizon--and then drove it for nine years?
I think the author is wrong in his view about the lack of passion for ideas among students and graduates at the elite colleges. In fact, I have found that to be exactly the opposite, especially among the teachers with whom I've worked. Oh, there are some who are very passionate, including two of my current colleagues (I think they are great teachers!). On the whole, though, ideas don't matter. I remember how few of the high school teachers actually read books or subscribed to magazines or journals in their disciplines. And, to get an in-service day (oh, how it pains me to write that!) devoted to discussing history? Yeah, right--they much preferred getting Nerf balls tossed at them. At one of the colleges, the department head and I tried to get a history newsletter, a journal of sorts, going among the history instructors on all five of the campuses. The journal would allow for articles or essays about history or the teaching of it, book reviews, etc. We were able to "publish" one issue. That one issue had just a few submissions, all by the same few folks. We tried to get the word out, encouraging others to write something, anything--to no avail. Nobody wanted to do it. I never understood and complained to my department head, "How can people who teach college history not have a passion for writing about it?" We weren't looking for Pulitzer material, just an opportunity to share passions.
He writes, "The disadvantage of an elite education is that it's given us the elite we have and the elite we're going to have" These will be the people, dare I say arrogant people?, who "will soon be running a corporation or an institution or a government." And they can't (or won't!) communicate with the common folks. Of course, they or at least some of them might well think, "Why should we have to communicate with them?"
It's an interesting article and the author has some insightful views. I went to one of these "elite" instutions. But, I don't think I came away with many of these attitudes or "disadvantages" cite in it/by him. I don't think I have "Ivy Retardation." First, I never felt I was one of the elite, at least not academically (and certainly not socially!). Second, my own background was far different than those described by the author and far different from many of my schoolmates. Third, there were far too many people ready and willing to slap me down (figuratively, not literally) if I developed such an "elitism." No, quite the contrary. My Amherst education was one of the defining episodes of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. My professors, my studies, my sports, and, especially, my friends--all were the greatest. I learned a lot, specifically and about life in general. My Amherst education was special and I am forever grateful for it.
But, I still enjoyed the article....
Interesting that two of my conversations this past week, with Matt and with one of my running buddies, centered on Bo Jackson. Jackson might have been the best athlete ever--who knows? He certainly must rank pretty high on any list. He ran a 4.1 40; high jumped 6'8" in high school, was 6' 4" tall and weighed 240, and could throw and hit! But, by all accounts, he's a good person, one who knows integrity, honesty, and charity, not to mention appreciation. That leads me to two stories, one about Jackson.
I guess the Tampa NFL team (whose name I can't remember) invited Jackson down during the winter of his senior year at Auburn for a workout. Since Jackson was eagerly finishing his baseball season, he inquired about eligibility; that is, would the Tampa trip, the flight down and accommodations, have an adverse effect on his senior year of baseball. Oh, no, said Tampa. You'll be fine. Once Jackson returned to Auburn, his baseball coach revealed this would make him ineligible to play baseball! He was steamed. According to my buddy, Jackson was drafted first by the Tampa team, but refused to sign with them. He gave up millions of dollars because they lied to him. Of course, he was later drafted by the Raiders, where he played, but for much less money than a first-rounder. Good for Jackson! I knew there was a reason I liked the guy.
And, according to Walter Williams, the CEO of Branch Banking and Trust, one of the ten largest banks in the US, is also a man of integrity. John Allison refused to let his bank do any business, that is, lend money to, with developers who bought property by having government take it from people. How cool! No doubt there was a lot of money in there for BB&T, but because the government stole people's property (OK, legal stealing often called "takings" or "eminent domain"), he wouldn't let his company be a part of the theft and booty. Yep, I now have another person I admire.
I read a nifty article in The American Scholar, "The Disadvantages of an Elite Education." Wow, did some of it ring home for me! The author, who spent 14 years at Yale and Columbia, noted the gaps in his education, the "disadvantages," what one of his friends calls "Ivy Retardation."
There are some stinging remarks here. The Ivies and other "elite" institutions "leave their students in the paradoxical position of wanting to advocate on behalf of the working class while being unable to hold a simple conversation with anyone in it." He noted two Ivy grads, Al Gore (Yale) and John Kerry (Harvard)--or did I mix that up?--"both earnest, decent, intelligent men, both utterly incapable of communicating with the larger electorate." I might disagree with the characterization, but not the conclusion. I think I have blogged about his phenomenon and the people who have it--"arrogant elitism" I have called it.
Those who know me realize I am not Mr. Fix-it. I am pretty much all thumbs when it comes to mechanical things. I once scored in the 27% on a mechanical aptitude test. Oh, when I was younger, I'd try, often taking four or five times as long to finish a job as it should have taken. But I remember my days at Amherst. How many times did I earn money for grinders or pizza by working on cars, for instance, changing the oil or replacing mufflers and tailpipes, for guys who had no idea how to do either? Again, I'm mostly a klutz when it comes to handyman stuff, but far more than once I'd help the fraternity custodian/caretaker (Joe Zygmont, a great guy with not much education, but with whom I had a number of enlightening conversations) around the house.
Another comment in the article, again citing a "disadvantage" in less than flattering way, was "How can I be a teacher--wouldn't that be a waste of my expensive education? Wouldn't I be squandering the opportunities...? What will my rich friends think?" Rich friends? It was my own father who sounded those same thoughts. Several times he asked Karen if she could talk to me about leaving teaching. He made comments like, "You must be the only Amherst graduate who drives a Chevy." I wonder what he thought when I bought a Horizon--and then drove it for nine years?
I think the author is wrong in his view about the lack of passion for ideas among students and graduates at the elite colleges. In fact, I have found that to be exactly the opposite, especially among the teachers with whom I've worked. Oh, there are some who are very passionate, including two of my current colleagues (I think they are great teachers!). On the whole, though, ideas don't matter. I remember how few of the high school teachers actually read books or subscribed to magazines or journals in their disciplines. And, to get an in-service day (oh, how it pains me to write that!) devoted to discussing history? Yeah, right--they much preferred getting Nerf balls tossed at them. At one of the colleges, the department head and I tried to get a history newsletter, a journal of sorts, going among the history instructors on all five of the campuses. The journal would allow for articles or essays about history or the teaching of it, book reviews, etc. We were able to "publish" one issue. That one issue had just a few submissions, all by the same few folks. We tried to get the word out, encouraging others to write something, anything--to no avail. Nobody wanted to do it. I never understood and complained to my department head, "How can people who teach college history not have a passion for writing about it?" We weren't looking for Pulitzer material, just an opportunity to share passions.
He writes, "The disadvantage of an elite education is that it's given us the elite we have and the elite we're going to have" These will be the people, dare I say arrogant people?, who "will soon be running a corporation or an institution or a government." And they can't (or won't!) communicate with the common folks. Of course, they or at least some of them might well think, "Why should we have to communicate with them?"
It's an interesting article and the author has some insightful views. I went to one of these "elite" instutions. But, I don't think I came away with many of these attitudes or "disadvantages" cite in it/by him. I don't think I have "Ivy Retardation." First, I never felt I was one of the elite, at least not academically (and certainly not socially!). Second, my own background was far different than those described by the author and far different from many of my schoolmates. Third, there were far too many people ready and willing to slap me down (figuratively, not literally) if I developed such an "elitism." No, quite the contrary. My Amherst education was one of the defining episodes of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. My professors, my studies, my sports, and, especially, my friends--all were the greatest. I learned a lot, specifically and about life in general. My Amherst education was special and I am forever grateful for it.
But, I still enjoyed the article....
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