Random Class DIscussions

One of the things about going to school is you can listen to all kinds of things people have to say.  Sometimes they are even valuable.  Yup, sometimes the stuff that come out in class discussions are thoughtful.

Especially if they come from me, of course.

For instance, one day, in political sociology, we were discussing the "ideal type" bureaucratic organizations, along the lines of Weber (You know, the ideal type being so monolithic and oppressive that it dehumanizes people, that people can only do whatever the rules they are to do no more no less).  After a while, I couldn't help myself, and asked, from my experience such things don't actually exist, so what's the point?

As the prof was elaborating on that, someone from behind raised their hand and say, something like, "I worked for the government this past summer, and they fit the ideal type to the T.  There's no room for any human decision, all by the book .... etc etc"  She was so proud of herself too.

Now, you guys all know that despite my mean persona, I am actually quite a nice person at heart.  I was actually tempted to say, "Well, it just shows that you were too junior to matter."  See, but I didn't.  I just kept my thinking to myself.  What's it to me?

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European History the other day, and the topic was Liberalism.  The prof showed a clip of Milton Friedman talking.

I banged my head on the desk.

Why show that fucking asshole?  He's a total jerk, moron, immoral shithead.

I went to the prof afterwards and said, I banged the head on the desk not because of you, but because I can't stand the guy.  Thought I should explain myself so he won't feel offended.

But MILTON FUCKING FRIEDMAN?  FUCK!

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Had a midterm the other day (three more to go).  I actually had finished it early, but I was stuck on one question.  I could even visualize the answer and where it was written in my notes.  Down to where on the page.  But the answer itself was a blur in my mind.  Just couldn't fetch that piece of memory.  Fuck.

Hope I don't have more of this.

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A different class on a different day.  Topic relates to how the state is the only institution that can legitimately employ violence.

A student raised her hand and said, yes, I can relate to that.  Back when the school started and people were moving in, there were police officers on campus.  Isn't that an example of the state using violence against people?

WTF!  How is the presence of police officers an act of violence?  Did they fucking pepper spray or shoot you?  Dumb ass!

My thinking?  These are First World problems.  Or more specifically, late modernist problems.  People today don't have to worry about basic things.  University students in particular, by and large, are from middle class families.  They complain about being poor while buying Starbucks.  In their cocoon world, "Problems" are magnified, because, honestly, they don't have anything complain about.

Am I just getting too old?  I have no use for whiners.

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In US history one  day, the prof was talking about the movie industry.  How it went from silent movies to talkies to all the special effects and now CGI and so on.

Then he looked around the room and said, "maybe only one of you will remember this.  But in the 70s they came up with Sensurround.  You remember that, Ed?"

I'm surprised he actually knew my name.  There are more than 100 people in the class.  But I guess he was happy to find someone older than he is.

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This Popular Culture class is killing me.  I thought, hey, I like novels and shit.  That would be great!  Well, it turns out that it's a cultural theory class, well, popular culture theory.  I must say I learn a lot of things I didn't know before.  And that's cool.  But this is so foreign to me.  I have a midterm coming up.  Pretty uncertain how I will do.

The good thing is I've already done the term paper (due Dec 2).  At least a decent first draft.  But of course, never having taken anything like this, I don't know if this is the kind of stuff he wants.  Oh well, he seems a nice guy.  Can't fault me on effort.  He requires 12 pages, but I did 16 (excluding bibliography)....

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This semester I am learning a lot of new stuff.  Things I didn't know much about, and in some cases, not at all.  Hey, I am NOT the professor in Gilligan's Island, NOR is my name Bryan Greenberg, I don't know everything!   

Anyway, all this new stuff is great and bad.  Great because after all, that's why I go back to school, right?  To learn stuff I didn't know before?   Bad, because it really is quite a bit of work if I want to keep my GPA.  Of course I can switch gears and do what I did the first time around.  Just graduate with a B+ average.  If I wanted that, I think it's party time.  But this time around I really want to do try.

We create our own problems, don't we?

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In the gym the other day I was talking to this lady who's also a retiree.  She used to work in the federal government, in the education ministry.  So we talked about education etc.  And she found out that I worked in the US.  So she wanted to find out what I thought about the US high school systems.  I said, well, I really don't know, since I did high school in Canada, and I sent my kids back to Canada for high school.

She said, oh?  Where did they go?

I told her I sent them back to my alma mater because I loved it.  She persisted.  Where?  I said, in St. Catharines.  Then she smiled, and asked, almost conspirationally, which one?

I told her.

And she said, oh, that's a good school.   One of the original Little Big Four!

I said, yeah, I know.  But I think it was better when I was there.  (If my sons are reading this, YOU brought down the school!).   

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OK, enough random shit.  Back to studying for my midterms.  A lot of ground to cover.  Sometimes I even wonder why the fuck did I ever quit teaching.  Sigh.  We create our own problems....