1.) I have a loving, incredibly supportive family, in spite of my many faults and foibles.
2). I have had the support - whether financial, familial, or personal - to do most of what I want, unlike so many others in the world.
3). I have had access to a top-notch education, interacting with too many people to mention who have inspired me - in pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and in graduate school. I have made so many friends through my opportunities in so many cultures and in so many places. For this, I thank you all.
4.). I, unlike so many others, have the opportunity to live in the place that I want, with all of the Western accoutrements that I want.
5). I have two wonderful dogs, who make my life so much richer. Even if they drive me nuts at times.
6). I have had the access to a top-tier education, without (over)-burdening my family, friends, or my country.
7). That I live in a country where I am free to live my own life within reason, and that I have access to a viable democratic process, without the threat of a dictatorship. In the United States, we really do take our government, for all its numerous faults, for granted.
8). That I have a wonderful group of friends, centered in the United States but branching to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Korean Peninsula, and in many other places throughout the world.
9). EC. Thanks to your tutelage and your influence, you showed me things in the world that I never could have known existed. You took a young, immature student under your wing (whether you liked it or not) and truly made me a citizen of the world. You took me to places I never would have had the opportunity to visit otherwise. And now, you are one of my greatest and dearest friends.
10). CS. You also took me under your wing in a hectic time of my life. I don't know what I would have done without the tutelage and friendship of you, DG, BC, CA, AD, LF, and so many others. You and RI took a young, rather immature student and helped form him into a viable member of society. Thank you so much for that.
11). LW. Even though at times, I have absolutely hated you, you really made me think about the world in a different and more enriching way. You made me question the world, and the written word, in a way that I never had before.
12). Personally, I am indebted to my ancestors, who braved struggles I cannot even begin to imagine in order to make the lives of their descendants better; my family, especially my parents and grandparents, for things too numerous to list; my brothers, for kicking my ass when I really deserved it, and for inspiring me more than they'll ever know; and for my friends, for sticking with me when I know I didn't deserve it.
I am the luckiest guy in the world. I can't begin to thank all of the people who have influenced my life to be what it is today, but this is my feeble attempt. Bless you all, all that you do, all in your families and all you care about, and all that you hold dear.
Cheers,
SM
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Fall TV and other random ruminations...
Since most of my day is spent corralling two very active (but sweet as can be) dogs, one of my guilty pleasures at night it premium cable. There are three shows in particular that I adore at the moment: Dexter and Homeland from Showtime, and Boardwalk Empire from HBO.
1). Dexter is a great show simply because the premise is so bizarre. The writers have managed over the course of prior seasons to make you cheer lustily for a serial killer vigilante. This season they have moved the focus a bit to religion, to show how the message of religion can simultaneously be completely cleansing and completely corrupted. In a world with suicide bombers, hateful right-wing zealots, generous and selfless believers, and dedicated religious communities, I really have found strong resonance in the season's message (to date).
2). Homeland is great on a few different levels - one the one hand, it's a great redux of the Manchurian Candidate style of film from the Cold War era. You certainly feel for the main character, Brody - he was imprisoned by Al-Qaeda for eight years and when he finally returns home, his wife has moved on to his best friend (who subsequently took care of his children in the wake of Brody's apparent death) and he is pulled in dozens of directions all at once. The CIA operative - the other main character - believes he is a cloaked Al-Qaeda agent. The CIA agent, Carrie Matheson (portrayed brilliantly by Claire Danes), is supposed to be on anti-psychotics and always seems about one disaster away from completely coming unglued. That being said, she really is a very refreshing female character for the state of TV these days - she is fiercely independent (as much as is possible in the CIA), isn't afraid nor morally conflicted to use her sexuality to get what she wants, and is as tough as they come. It's really a great break from the usual treatment of women on television as sex objects, empty characters, or worse, empty heads. Danes played Matheson as a woman just on the brink of coming completely unglued, and it's fascinating to watch. I love Damien Lewis in just about anything (especially Band of Brothers), and he is great as Brody as well.
3). Boardwalk Empire's second season has really had me rethinking what the series was all about. At first, I thought it to be a rather simplistic bit of retrograde film-noir for an audience unschooled in the classics of the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Furthermore, as is also true, I thought it was at times violent for violence's sake (imagine that, coming from Scorsese). However, I feel the writers have really found their feet in the second season. Instead of a parochial focus on Atlantic City and how Prohibition initiated the processes that led directly to the rise of modern organized crime in the U.S., the writers have moved to a broader focus on class and class mobility. In my mind - although admittedly, I am a trained Marxist historian and scholar, so I see class struggle in everything - the second season has become the story of class struggle in early 20th century America. It has as neatly as possible tied in the many divergent stories of immigration and the proletariat in early modern American capitalism. Irish and Jewish immigrants, the violence and hatred towards African-Americans struggling for workers' rights, women slowly asserting their place in early modern America (and, importantly, not men giving it to them: in Boardwalk Empire women are fiercely independent and active agents, more so than any recent period piece in memory). The writers even get the processes correct: how crime served as a vehicle of class mobility for those not afforded the privilege of being born white and male in early 20th century America. That really struck me because that was precisely what my M.A. thesis was about, although my M.A. thesis concerned criminal gangs in a later period in South Africa.
However, the show has always had undertones of simplistic philosophy that panders to the lowest common viewer. The last episode (aired 4 December) once again pushed the Oedipus Rex tale to the front, eschewing the brilliant story of class warfare for the tired tale of Oedipus (Jimmy) killing his father (first Nucky, symbolically; and now the Commodore, literally) and continuing the portrayal of Jimmy's skin-crawling relationship with his mother. I'm not sure where the writers are going with that, and I must wait until the finale to pass judgement, but in the wake of the scandals at Syracuse and Penn State it is once again upsetting to see these issues pushed to the fore. (However, one must remember that the writers no doubt wrote these episodes long before the scandals at Syracuse and Penn State were reported, so please don't mistake my dictate for condemnation: merely an observation)
I cannot wait for next Sunday, as all the shows wrap up their seasons. It has been truly enlightening and rewarding viewing. Carry on, writers!
1). Dexter is a great show simply because the premise is so bizarre. The writers have managed over the course of prior seasons to make you cheer lustily for a serial killer vigilante. This season they have moved the focus a bit to religion, to show how the message of religion can simultaneously be completely cleansing and completely corrupted. In a world with suicide bombers, hateful right-wing zealots, generous and selfless believers, and dedicated religious communities, I really have found strong resonance in the season's message (to date).
2). Homeland is great on a few different levels - one the one hand, it's a great redux of the Manchurian Candidate style of film from the Cold War era. You certainly feel for the main character, Brody - he was imprisoned by Al-Qaeda for eight years and when he finally returns home, his wife has moved on to his best friend (who subsequently took care of his children in the wake of Brody's apparent death) and he is pulled in dozens of directions all at once. The CIA operative - the other main character - believes he is a cloaked Al-Qaeda agent. The CIA agent, Carrie Matheson (portrayed brilliantly by Claire Danes), is supposed to be on anti-psychotics and always seems about one disaster away from completely coming unglued. That being said, she really is a very refreshing female character for the state of TV these days - she is fiercely independent (as much as is possible in the CIA), isn't afraid nor morally conflicted to use her sexuality to get what she wants, and is as tough as they come. It's really a great break from the usual treatment of women on television as sex objects, empty characters, or worse, empty heads. Danes played Matheson as a woman just on the brink of coming completely unglued, and it's fascinating to watch. I love Damien Lewis in just about anything (especially Band of Brothers), and he is great as Brody as well.
3). Boardwalk Empire's second season has really had me rethinking what the series was all about. At first, I thought it to be a rather simplistic bit of retrograde film-noir for an audience unschooled in the classics of the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Furthermore, as is also true, I thought it was at times violent for violence's sake (imagine that, coming from Scorsese). However, I feel the writers have really found their feet in the second season. Instead of a parochial focus on Atlantic City and how Prohibition initiated the processes that led directly to the rise of modern organized crime in the U.S., the writers have moved to a broader focus on class and class mobility. In my mind - although admittedly, I am a trained Marxist historian and scholar, so I see class struggle in everything - the second season has become the story of class struggle in early 20th century America. It has as neatly as possible tied in the many divergent stories of immigration and the proletariat in early modern American capitalism. Irish and Jewish immigrants, the violence and hatred towards African-Americans struggling for workers' rights, women slowly asserting their place in early modern America (and, importantly, not men giving it to them: in Boardwalk Empire women are fiercely independent and active agents, more so than any recent period piece in memory). The writers even get the processes correct: how crime served as a vehicle of class mobility for those not afforded the privilege of being born white and male in early 20th century America. That really struck me because that was precisely what my M.A. thesis was about, although my M.A. thesis concerned criminal gangs in a later period in South Africa.
However, the show has always had undertones of simplistic philosophy that panders to the lowest common viewer. The last episode (aired 4 December) once again pushed the Oedipus Rex tale to the front, eschewing the brilliant story of class warfare for the tired tale of Oedipus (Jimmy) killing his father (first Nucky, symbolically; and now the Commodore, literally) and continuing the portrayal of Jimmy's skin-crawling relationship with his mother. I'm not sure where the writers are going with that, and I must wait until the finale to pass judgement, but in the wake of the scandals at Syracuse and Penn State it is once again upsetting to see these issues pushed to the fore. (However, one must remember that the writers no doubt wrote these episodes long before the scandals at Syracuse and Penn State were reported, so please don't mistake my dictate for condemnation: merely an observation)
I cannot wait for next Sunday, as all the shows wrap up their seasons. It has been truly enlightening and rewarding viewing. Carry on, writers!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Theo Epstein's To-Do List for 2012
As a huge Cubs fan, I'm excited about Theo Epstein taking over the Cubs. Cub upper management has recently been an abject fiasco at all levels. They alienated and let go a team legend (Sandberg), allegedly because they wanted more experience in the manager's role - and then promptly signed their third-base coach and interim manager for 6 weeks as the full-time manager. Jim Hendry made some excellent moves early in his tenure as Cubs GM - he pilfered the Pittsburgh Pirates, getting Aramis Ramirez for virtually nothing. Ramirez is the best third basemen the Cubs have had since Ron Santo; and, finally healthy, he put up another quietly and under appreciated good year for the Cubs. However, the end of his tenure cannot really be defended. He signed an aging Alfonso Soriano to a monster contract, and agreed to virtually untradable terms with the volatile Carlos Zambrano. He signed Jacques Jones and Milton Bradley voluntarily, and played Carlos Silva regularly. He failed to step in when players were feuding with the manager, sportscasters, trainers, and every other Cub employee. Basically, he allowed a culture of contention to root itself throughout the club at all levels. That being said, Theo Epstein is not entering a situation with the cupboard totally bare. Starlin Castro shows the potential to be an electrifying shortstop; Matt Garza has ace potential, and pitched well this year; and Marmol has the nastiest stuff in the NL. The bullpen, when healthy, can also be nasty - featuring Cashner, Samardzija, Russell, Marshall - there really are some arms along the LF line that opposing lineups do not want to see. However, Epstein does have his work cut out for him - the following are my ideas for improving the Cubs for 2012.
1). Revamp the pitching staff. The Cubs starting pitching needs a near complete overhaul. The Cubs have two known commodities now, ace Ryan Dempster and younger stud Matt Garza. Dempster is getting on in years, and probably doesn't have more than 2 years or so left as an effective ML starter. But what the Cubs need now is an unquestioned ace, a shut-down, strikeout pitcher. Rangers SP CJ Wilson, a free agent to-be, would be an interesting acquisition, but I still don't feel as he's up to dueling the Halladays and Hudsons of the National League. Still, he would work very well in making the Cubs staff deep again. Should the Rays go into firesale mode, any team in the Majors would jump at Price or Shields, both of whom would fit perfectly with Garza and the Cubs. I'm not sure what's in the minor league pipeline, but the Cubs desperately need at least two more quality starters to compete in the Central.
2). Middle of the order bat. Chicago desperately needs a killer hitter. Wishful thinking would have Pujols in Cubbie pinstripes next year, but I doubt he leaves St. Louis unless there is more bad blood there than appears. Prince Fielder would be an interesting choice too - although, to make a cheap shot, his body type isn't conducive to long-term productivity. The man's done nothing but hit since he came up, and he plays hard and puts up monster numbers. I don't really think you can critique his body type until it begins to affect his play. Carlos Pena did an adequate job this year, but the position where the Cubs really need to get an elite player is at first.
3). Make a decision on youth. Quade had a tough job from day one this season. He had a big-budget team that would struggle to reach .500, knowing full well that he was on the hook for performances this season. What should have happened is that the Cubs should have turned loose the kids. Darwin Barney and Castro proved that the Cubs have a good farm system in place, and especially when faced with a losing year, the best move the Cubs could have made was to throw the kids in the fire. For example, we still don't know if Tyler Colvin can play. We still don't know if Wellington Castillo can play. We have a bevy of young starting pitchers to try out. Throw them in with no pressure, and see who sinks and who swims. The Cubs weren't going to compete with the Cardinals and the all-in Brewers this year, anyway. Why do you not fire up the Iowa circuit and see who can hack it in the Show?
4). Make a decision on Quade. I have nothing against Quade personally; I think he did a decent job with a poorly-constructed team. He got renaissance years out of Ramirez and, to a degree, Soriano. Marlon Byrd was doing well until a facial injury derailed his year. However, he completely lost Zambrano, he mismanaged the youth, and doesn't seem to work a bullpen very well. Marmol had a horrible season by his standards; yet he and his fragile psyche were left to rot in the seldom-used closer's role. Marshall was the best pitcher out of the bullpen, yet was not given the closer's shot despite Marmol's struggles. The Cubs alienated Ryne Sandberg, who they had groomed for years to be manager and who had succeeded at every level the Cubs assigned him. Yet when the time came to make a change, they took the unknown commodity of Quade rather than a team legend. Epstein here has some very tough choices to make: do you retain Quade as a lame-duck for what will likely be a losing season in 2012, waiting for contracts to come off the books and to revamp the farm system and the organization? Do you bring in a younger manager, such as Sandberg, to implement your system right off the bat? Or do you choose a proven winner, such as Terry Francona? (Assuming, of course, that Francona and Epstein are on good terms and that Epstein had little to do with the disgraceful way Francona was treated as he was leaving Boston) Will another manager who fits Epstein's system - Joe Maddon, perhaps - want a shot at a big-market club rather than the frustrating purgatory of Tampa Bay? Or someone more familiar with the system, such as popular Cubs announcer Bob Brenly? (I have no idea why a WS-winning manager such as Brenly can't get a managerial sniff from another team. Baffling to me.)
The Cubs don't really have a good shot at much in 2012, in my opinion, especially with the resurgent Cardinals and the loaded Brewers (even though the Brewers have no system left and are financially strapped). But signing Pujols or Fielder does two things which benefit the Cubs: one, it gains Chicago a much-needed power bat; and two, it severely weakens the Cubs' primary opposition. Signing Pujols would be a major coup and a huge blow to the Cardinals, because he has been there franchise for the past decade. Fielder would not be as big of a blow, partially because the Brewers also have Ryan Braun locked down but also because he doesn't represent the city and the team quite as much as Pujols does to St. Louis. So with that being said, here are my thoughts on what the Cubs 2012 Opening Day lineup should be:
1). Starlin Castro, SS. Kid showed his rookie year wasn't a fluke, and proved himself as a leadoff hitter. Needs to work much more on base-stealing and base running.
2). Darwin Barney, 2B. Quality 2-hole hitter; moves the ball around well and a good baserunner.
3). Fielder/Pujols, 1B. No explanation needed.
4). Aramis Ramirez, 3B. Resurgent year from him - with few quality 3B on the market, I think you re-sign Aramis to a 2-3 year deal.
5). Marlon Byrd, CF. Marlon is the heart and soul of the Cubs - when he went out by injury, the club really struggled. Uses all fields well and plays an excellent CF.
6 - 7). Alfonso Soriano/Geovany Soto. Both players are becoming question marks, although Soriano had roughly the year I think we can expect from him from here on out. Both need to work on contact and using the opposite field. A team can't win with constant Ks with 1 out and runner in SP. Unacceptable at this level.
8). Tyler Colvin, RF. When given the chance, he showed he can play. Give him a shot.
9). Matt Garza, SP. While Dempster is the unquestioned leader of the staff, Garza has the stuff and is the future of the staff. May as well put him in the driver's seat now.
1). Revamp the pitching staff. The Cubs starting pitching needs a near complete overhaul. The Cubs have two known commodities now, ace Ryan Dempster and younger stud Matt Garza. Dempster is getting on in years, and probably doesn't have more than 2 years or so left as an effective ML starter. But what the Cubs need now is an unquestioned ace, a shut-down, strikeout pitcher. Rangers SP CJ Wilson, a free agent to-be, would be an interesting acquisition, but I still don't feel as he's up to dueling the Halladays and Hudsons of the National League. Still, he would work very well in making the Cubs staff deep again. Should the Rays go into firesale mode, any team in the Majors would jump at Price or Shields, both of whom would fit perfectly with Garza and the Cubs. I'm not sure what's in the minor league pipeline, but the Cubs desperately need at least two more quality starters to compete in the Central.
2). Middle of the order bat. Chicago desperately needs a killer hitter. Wishful thinking would have Pujols in Cubbie pinstripes next year, but I doubt he leaves St. Louis unless there is more bad blood there than appears. Prince Fielder would be an interesting choice too - although, to make a cheap shot, his body type isn't conducive to long-term productivity. The man's done nothing but hit since he came up, and he plays hard and puts up monster numbers. I don't really think you can critique his body type until it begins to affect his play. Carlos Pena did an adequate job this year, but the position where the Cubs really need to get an elite player is at first.
3). Make a decision on youth. Quade had a tough job from day one this season. He had a big-budget team that would struggle to reach .500, knowing full well that he was on the hook for performances this season. What should have happened is that the Cubs should have turned loose the kids. Darwin Barney and Castro proved that the Cubs have a good farm system in place, and especially when faced with a losing year, the best move the Cubs could have made was to throw the kids in the fire. For example, we still don't know if Tyler Colvin can play. We still don't know if Wellington Castillo can play. We have a bevy of young starting pitchers to try out. Throw them in with no pressure, and see who sinks and who swims. The Cubs weren't going to compete with the Cardinals and the all-in Brewers this year, anyway. Why do you not fire up the Iowa circuit and see who can hack it in the Show?
4). Make a decision on Quade. I have nothing against Quade personally; I think he did a decent job with a poorly-constructed team. He got renaissance years out of Ramirez and, to a degree, Soriano. Marlon Byrd was doing well until a facial injury derailed his year. However, he completely lost Zambrano, he mismanaged the youth, and doesn't seem to work a bullpen very well. Marmol had a horrible season by his standards; yet he and his fragile psyche were left to rot in the seldom-used closer's role. Marshall was the best pitcher out of the bullpen, yet was not given the closer's shot despite Marmol's struggles. The Cubs alienated Ryne Sandberg, who they had groomed for years to be manager and who had succeeded at every level the Cubs assigned him. Yet when the time came to make a change, they took the unknown commodity of Quade rather than a team legend. Epstein here has some very tough choices to make: do you retain Quade as a lame-duck for what will likely be a losing season in 2012, waiting for contracts to come off the books and to revamp the farm system and the organization? Do you bring in a younger manager, such as Sandberg, to implement your system right off the bat? Or do you choose a proven winner, such as Terry Francona? (Assuming, of course, that Francona and Epstein are on good terms and that Epstein had little to do with the disgraceful way Francona was treated as he was leaving Boston) Will another manager who fits Epstein's system - Joe Maddon, perhaps - want a shot at a big-market club rather than the frustrating purgatory of Tampa Bay? Or someone more familiar with the system, such as popular Cubs announcer Bob Brenly? (I have no idea why a WS-winning manager such as Brenly can't get a managerial sniff from another team. Baffling to me.)
The Cubs don't really have a good shot at much in 2012, in my opinion, especially with the resurgent Cardinals and the loaded Brewers (even though the Brewers have no system left and are financially strapped). But signing Pujols or Fielder does two things which benefit the Cubs: one, it gains Chicago a much-needed power bat; and two, it severely weakens the Cubs' primary opposition. Signing Pujols would be a major coup and a huge blow to the Cardinals, because he has been there franchise for the past decade. Fielder would not be as big of a blow, partially because the Brewers also have Ryan Braun locked down but also because he doesn't represent the city and the team quite as much as Pujols does to St. Louis. So with that being said, here are my thoughts on what the Cubs 2012 Opening Day lineup should be:
1). Starlin Castro, SS. Kid showed his rookie year wasn't a fluke, and proved himself as a leadoff hitter. Needs to work much more on base-stealing and base running.
2). Darwin Barney, 2B. Quality 2-hole hitter; moves the ball around well and a good baserunner.
3). Fielder/Pujols, 1B. No explanation needed.
4). Aramis Ramirez, 3B. Resurgent year from him - with few quality 3B on the market, I think you re-sign Aramis to a 2-3 year deal.
5). Marlon Byrd, CF. Marlon is the heart and soul of the Cubs - when he went out by injury, the club really struggled. Uses all fields well and plays an excellent CF.
6 - 7). Alfonso Soriano/Geovany Soto. Both players are becoming question marks, although Soriano had roughly the year I think we can expect from him from here on out. Both need to work on contact and using the opposite field. A team can't win with constant Ks with 1 out and runner in SP. Unacceptable at this level.
8). Tyler Colvin, RF. When given the chance, he showed he can play. Give him a shot.
9). Matt Garza, SP. While Dempster is the unquestioned leader of the staff, Garza has the stuff and is the future of the staff. May as well put him in the driver's seat now.
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Benefits and Adverse Effects of Religion
Lately, much of my attention has focused on the benefits and detriments of religious belief in today's world. I will not regale you with the gritty details, but I have been privy to a lively (and at times, vitriolic and acrimonious) debate on the relative merits of religion in today's American society, as least as practiced by a significant number of people in the so-called "Bible Belt" of the American South. The basic arguments, as can be expected, were between a self-described atheist and a number of Christians of an older generation. Both sides have their merits, but the acrimony and venom which spewed forth from this argument astounded me.
Full disclosure, I am not a particularly religious person. I consider myself spiritual, but as a historian and as an academic, I'm not convinced by the concept of religion.* I'm open to it, but it just doesn't seem to mesh with what I've read and experienced in my life. That being said, religion and religious belief gives comfort to billions of people across the world. I may not be religious, but that does not preclude my respect for those of a different opinion. If your religion comforts you and offers you a bulwark against the socio-political predations of life in the 21st century, then I have no valid basis to deny you your beliefs. I have no problem (nor should anyone else, in my personal opinion) with those who rely on their religion and a means of personal comfort. However, I do feel that when proselytization and evangelicalism come into the equation that the very basis of religion is done a disservice and is molded to the often-nefarious political and social viewpoints of a 'chosen' few, railing from the public pulpits against social activism, labor unions, homosexual rights, women, abortion, and any other number of progressive issues.
My primary issue with religion and how it is practiced by many in the United States today is that it has become a vehicle of psychological colonialism. My academic background is in southern Africa and the developing world, so I am admittedly very sensitive to the predations and ravashings of colonialism upon indigenous cultures. For example, when Europeans ventured into the Americas, the people they found eventually became classified as 'barbarians,' simply because they didn't share the same cosmological or social mores. When Europeans ventured into Africa, Africans became identified almost with the sub-human. Both of these colonialist endeavours utilized Christian evangelicalism (not to mention virulent disease) as a method of differentiation and subjugation. Indigenous people the world over were deemed to be inferior because they were not white and not Christian. I feel that modern evangelicals have employed the same psychological tools in their works today.
For example, I have acquaintances who have spent a good amount of time in East Asia, working under the auspices of a major international organization. They have done good works in their community, teaching English and helping with many other areas of the community. However, their personal viewpoint on the society in which they are a guest is as follows: [t]hese people should be grateful for my presence, for it is through me that they can understand the love and grace of Jesus Christ. If I may, please let me utilize their viewpoint - fairly or unfairly - as representative of the evangelicals in which I have come into contact.
Let us deconstruct the personal viewpoint of my acquaintances. First, their viewpoint implicitly denies the human decency in the culture of which you are a guest. It suggests that 'these people' don't know any better, and your particular worldview is infinitely more important than theirs because you are Christian, white, Western, American, or any other signifier of superiority. Secondly, it takes an astonishing amount of ego and self-importance to imagine one's self as the vehicle of a prophet. Finally, it also assumes that one can know the mind and intentions of God, which is another disgusting and inappropriate display of self-importance (particularly, again, in a society where one is a guest). Just as the colonialists I discussed before, evangelicals see themselves as a superior being in the wilderness. I fail to see the fundamental difference between the willful and violent destruction of a society, such as British colonialism foisted on the world and that psychological colonialism of which evangelicals today are cheerfully and voluntarily taking part. They aim to accomplish the same ends with different means. Although colonization was a horrid, bloody affair, I think that evangelicalism has the same end product: it aims to destroy that deemed as 'inferior' by Westerners (who invent the game, make the rules, and then pass the judgement) in a psychological sense. What makes it more nefarious to me is the subversive methods utilized by my acquaintances: they deem their 'subjects' not intelligent enough to devise their true intentions** while simultaneously discarding their worldview. And that is my primary disagreement with the evangelical right in the United States today: they deem themselves Popes of the entire world, with no justification for their claims to pre-eminence.
Perhaps I'm guilty of what I profess to detest, in a different sense: perhaps I am guilty of the supposition of academic superiority. However, I remain convinced that there is nothing more dangerous in the world than blind faith, and nothing more illuminating and rewarding than insight, thought, and compassion for one's fellows.
*My thoughts about this are rather self-indulgent, but so is the very idea of a blog - so bear with me. As a historian, I'm constantly shocked by how quickly the meaning of a particular text can change because of political or social developments in a particular society. For example, the tracts of early modern feminists such as Anthony and Stanton were viewed as dangerous and revolutionary in their time by the social status quo. Decades later, they came to be seen as the opening (and quite moderate) salvo of a much broader struggle against male domination by figures such as Gloria Steinham. Similarly, read the Communist Manifesto in light of the developments in mid-19th century Germany, and then read it again from the perspective of mid-America one century later. My point is that texts are living, evolving documents. History, philosophy, and science have all born that out. While religious texts and beliefs have certainly evolved - and don't misconstrue this piece as the author's contention that they haven't - many mainstream Christian politicos and public figures still believe in the literal truth of the Bible instead of interpreting it as a living, breathing, changing document over the course of some four thousand years. As an academic, I find this kind of intellectual apathy paralytically ignorant. But again, that is my personal opinion.
**I should have mentioned: my acquaintances paranoia extends to the point where they believe the Obama administration, the NSA, the CIA, and the FBI all monitor their communication to the point where they end emails with PR** instead of "Pray" or "YARP." I'm not an intelligence officer, but I believe it possible that American intelligence officials can decipher those particular encryptions. Furthermore, they are stationed in a country which is largely non-Christian, so they evangelicalism is practiced, in their opinion, 'covertly.'
Full disclosure, I am not a particularly religious person. I consider myself spiritual, but as a historian and as an academic, I'm not convinced by the concept of religion.* I'm open to it, but it just doesn't seem to mesh with what I've read and experienced in my life. That being said, religion and religious belief gives comfort to billions of people across the world. I may not be religious, but that does not preclude my respect for those of a different opinion. If your religion comforts you and offers you a bulwark against the socio-political predations of life in the 21st century, then I have no valid basis to deny you your beliefs. I have no problem (nor should anyone else, in my personal opinion) with those who rely on their religion and a means of personal comfort. However, I do feel that when proselytization and evangelicalism come into the equation that the very basis of religion is done a disservice and is molded to the often-nefarious political and social viewpoints of a 'chosen' few, railing from the public pulpits against social activism, labor unions, homosexual rights, women, abortion, and any other number of progressive issues.
My primary issue with religion and how it is practiced by many in the United States today is that it has become a vehicle of psychological colonialism. My academic background is in southern Africa and the developing world, so I am admittedly very sensitive to the predations and ravashings of colonialism upon indigenous cultures. For example, when Europeans ventured into the Americas, the people they found eventually became classified as 'barbarians,' simply because they didn't share the same cosmological or social mores. When Europeans ventured into Africa, Africans became identified almost with the sub-human. Both of these colonialist endeavours utilized Christian evangelicalism (not to mention virulent disease) as a method of differentiation and subjugation. Indigenous people the world over were deemed to be inferior because they were not white and not Christian. I feel that modern evangelicals have employed the same psychological tools in their works today.
For example, I have acquaintances who have spent a good amount of time in East Asia, working under the auspices of a major international organization. They have done good works in their community, teaching English and helping with many other areas of the community. However, their personal viewpoint on the society in which they are a guest is as follows: [t]hese people should be grateful for my presence, for it is through me that they can understand the love and grace of Jesus Christ. If I may, please let me utilize their viewpoint - fairly or unfairly - as representative of the evangelicals in which I have come into contact.
Let us deconstruct the personal viewpoint of my acquaintances. First, their viewpoint implicitly denies the human decency in the culture of which you are a guest. It suggests that 'these people' don't know any better, and your particular worldview is infinitely more important than theirs because you are Christian, white, Western, American, or any other signifier of superiority. Secondly, it takes an astonishing amount of ego and self-importance to imagine one's self as the vehicle of a prophet. Finally, it also assumes that one can know the mind and intentions of God, which is another disgusting and inappropriate display of self-importance (particularly, again, in a society where one is a guest). Just as the colonialists I discussed before, evangelicals see themselves as a superior being in the wilderness. I fail to see the fundamental difference between the willful and violent destruction of a society, such as British colonialism foisted on the world and that psychological colonialism of which evangelicals today are cheerfully and voluntarily taking part. They aim to accomplish the same ends with different means. Although colonization was a horrid, bloody affair, I think that evangelicalism has the same end product: it aims to destroy that deemed as 'inferior' by Westerners (who invent the game, make the rules, and then pass the judgement) in a psychological sense. What makes it more nefarious to me is the subversive methods utilized by my acquaintances: they deem their 'subjects' not intelligent enough to devise their true intentions** while simultaneously discarding their worldview. And that is my primary disagreement with the evangelical right in the United States today: they deem themselves Popes of the entire world, with no justification for their claims to pre-eminence.
Perhaps I'm guilty of what I profess to detest, in a different sense: perhaps I am guilty of the supposition of academic superiority. However, I remain convinced that there is nothing more dangerous in the world than blind faith, and nothing more illuminating and rewarding than insight, thought, and compassion for one's fellows.
*My thoughts about this are rather self-indulgent, but so is the very idea of a blog - so bear with me. As a historian, I'm constantly shocked by how quickly the meaning of a particular text can change because of political or social developments in a particular society. For example, the tracts of early modern feminists such as Anthony and Stanton were viewed as dangerous and revolutionary in their time by the social status quo. Decades later, they came to be seen as the opening (and quite moderate) salvo of a much broader struggle against male domination by figures such as Gloria Steinham. Similarly, read the Communist Manifesto in light of the developments in mid-19th century Germany, and then read it again from the perspective of mid-America one century later. My point is that texts are living, evolving documents. History, philosophy, and science have all born that out. While religious texts and beliefs have certainly evolved - and don't misconstrue this piece as the author's contention that they haven't - many mainstream Christian politicos and public figures still believe in the literal truth of the Bible instead of interpreting it as a living, breathing, changing document over the course of some four thousand years. As an academic, I find this kind of intellectual apathy paralytically ignorant. But again, that is my personal opinion.
**I should have mentioned: my acquaintances paranoia extends to the point where they believe the Obama administration, the NSA, the CIA, and the FBI all monitor their communication to the point where they end emails with PR** instead of "Pray" or "YARP." I'm not an intelligence officer, but I believe it possible that American intelligence officials can decipher those particular encryptions. Furthermore, they are stationed in a country which is largely non-Christian, so they evangelicalism is practiced, in their opinion, 'covertly.'
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Job frustrations
For those of you who haven't traveled down this particular road yet (or did so in the past), it's an incredibly frustrating job market out there at the moment. Not to oversell myself, but I am a fantastic teacher, it's what I'm most passionate about, and I can't even get a sniff in my local school district, even though I spent a year on a research project that explicitly benefited them AND I have a M.A. from a major university. I tried my alma mater (no dice without a Ph.D., even for night school and summer school positions), the local community college (a reply, but no definite interest), a local private school (didn't even email me back), and local public schools (no official reply about the job, but the position has been removed from the school district website). It's so frustrating to be very qualified and very good at something and then not even get patronizing interest from my local educational professionals. My post-graduate work focuses on something that should work well here - I studied African history and criminality in American history - in an area with a large African-American population. I have teaching experience doing the entirety of American history, a course on criminality and criminological theory, and African history. I also have great contacts within the local educational community. Yet still, no dice. I'm really at a wall as to what I should do next. I have some savings to fall back on, but it's important to start paying off the house and saving up money for family, kids, education, and healthcare down the road. I just have no idea as to what to do next. Really, outside of teaching, there's not much that's paying at the moment, and education is always first on the chopping block when it comes to funding during times of economic distress. I've bantered around ideas of starting independent research, but that again comes up against the fact that I don't have a Ph.D. and the powers-that-be feel that that means my work is unworthy of their time and effort, regardless of how important or even good my work may be. I've been helping out at my former job, but strictly on a pro bono basis as they are feeling the funding crunch as well, although I feel they would re-hire me in a second if funding was available. Graduate school was not a good experience for me, but at least there I had a pittance of a financial cushion to rely upon (even if it was significantly below what the U.S. Government called "the poverty line": I kid you not).
It's just so frustrating to know that you can really make a difference and no one will even consider giving you an opportunity to do so. I keep telling myself that it is "their loss," but in my case, "their loss" means depriving some students of a good education and a good teacher, and it makes me feel that much worse. Again, I'm aware this rant comes off as pretentious and arrogant, but it isn't intended to be so. It's just frustrating that places that need effective teachers won't even look at the ones who would do a very good job, and not explaining their rationale behind their hiring decisions.
Anyway, that's all for my occupational woes. On the domestic front, things are going well - we had our first accident-free day with the puppy yesterday, which was a great relief. I dry-heave whenever I have to pick up dog doo, and it's really not fun for anyone - I get angry and chastise the dog, which entails throwing her outside for half an hour, all while she whines and cries pathetically at the door. The older dog has gotten much better about playing with her frequently, all though the roaring barks that reverberate through my house do not do wonders for my sanity. I wish they would play quietly; but alas, it seems they are both conditioned to be loud (which is good in defence of any potential burglars who may try to face 125 pounds of dog plus an understandably angry man with a baseball bat). But they're doing well on all fronts, I still love the place, and my great friend Katherine and her fiance will arrive soon! I'm sure they'll love the place, and I look forward to escorting them around my new town before we head north for a wedding. But that's all for now - things are well, but getting a teaching job would certainly take a load off of my mind! Best, **
It's just so frustrating to know that you can really make a difference and no one will even consider giving you an opportunity to do so. I keep telling myself that it is "their loss," but in my case, "their loss" means depriving some students of a good education and a good teacher, and it makes me feel that much worse. Again, I'm aware this rant comes off as pretentious and arrogant, but it isn't intended to be so. It's just frustrating that places that need effective teachers won't even look at the ones who would do a very good job, and not explaining their rationale behind their hiring decisions.
Anyway, that's all for my occupational woes. On the domestic front, things are going well - we had our first accident-free day with the puppy yesterday, which was a great relief. I dry-heave whenever I have to pick up dog doo, and it's really not fun for anyone - I get angry and chastise the dog, which entails throwing her outside for half an hour, all while she whines and cries pathetically at the door. The older dog has gotten much better about playing with her frequently, all though the roaring barks that reverberate through my house do not do wonders for my sanity. I wish they would play quietly; but alas, it seems they are both conditioned to be loud (which is good in defence of any potential burglars who may try to face 125 pounds of dog plus an understandably angry man with a baseball bat). But they're doing well on all fronts, I still love the place, and my great friend Katherine and her fiance will arrive soon! I'm sure they'll love the place, and I look forward to escorting them around my new town before we head north for a wedding. But that's all for now - things are well, but getting a teaching job would certainly take a load off of my mind! Best, **
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Hope for the Future
This week, I've been working as an assistant with the Emerging Public Leaders program with the Riley Institute at Furman University. Basically, the Emerging Public Leaders program is an initiative that introduces rising high school seniors who exhibit leadership potential to leaders in the community, in the state, and former national leaders such as former SC Governor and Secretary of Education Richard Riley. The students spend a week at Furman, meeting with professors, the mayor, and other community figures; they spend a day in Columbia meeting with state political leadership officials. At the end of the program, each student comes up with a project that will improve their community in some way. Programs in the past have included a tree-planting program for the areas of the South ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and a program that provided sleeping bags to the homeless in Columbia. The students will receive funds to jumpstart their projects and, in one year's time, the students' projects will be judged and the winner will receive funds to continue the program. It truly is a fantastic program, and it has really impacted the lives of students, schools, and communities across the state and the country.
Kids these days are scapegoated for so much that goes on, with or (more often) without their input. Crime and drugs are two things most readily associated with teenagers, along with many other not-so-positive attributes. However, the group of teenagers I am working with this week should give everyone hope for the positive outlook for the future. The 2011-12 group is a positive, nice, upbeat, and confident group of teenagers. They all come from the state of South Carolina, they are all rising seniors in high school, and all of them have exhibited leadership potential as seen by their teachers, counselors, principals, and other authority figures. What has really struck me about this group is simply how nice and inviting they all are. Teenagers often get painted as 'hormonal,' 'moody,' 'standoffish,' or any other number of traits that unfairly reflect on both the person and the chemical changes they are going through in their transition from adolescence to adulthood. This group has accepted one another, respected the individuality and differing personalities of each and every one, and they are really growing as a team. This is understandably an exceptional group of young men and women, but they way they have grasped the mantle of leadership and ran with it in only their first few days of the program is both thrilling and inspiring. I hope they are able to take their passion and energy from this week and transfer it to their community service and leadership projects in their hometowns and in their schools.
Kids these days are scapegoated for so much that goes on, with or (more often) without their input. Crime and drugs are two things most readily associated with teenagers, along with many other not-so-positive attributes. However, the group of teenagers I am working with this week should give everyone hope for the positive outlook for the future. The 2011-12 group is a positive, nice, upbeat, and confident group of teenagers. They all come from the state of South Carolina, they are all rising seniors in high school, and all of them have exhibited leadership potential as seen by their teachers, counselors, principals, and other authority figures. What has really struck me about this group is simply how nice and inviting they all are. Teenagers often get painted as 'hormonal,' 'moody,' 'standoffish,' or any other number of traits that unfairly reflect on both the person and the chemical changes they are going through in their transition from adolescence to adulthood. This group has accepted one another, respected the individuality and differing personalities of each and every one, and they are really growing as a team. This is understandably an exceptional group of young men and women, but they way they have grasped the mantle of leadership and ran with it in only their first few days of the program is both thrilling and inspiring. I hope they are able to take their passion and energy from this week and transfer it to their community service and leadership projects in their hometowns and in their schools.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Long overdue update...
So, several new developments here at ClubMcP. I got a second dog, and she is the definition of sweetness and cute-iosity. We're still working on housebreaking, but I think she understands the general idea. She likes to have accident in bizarre places - she has pooed on top of the couch (twice) and she seems to think it appropos to pee on the sidewalk. I've never seen a dog do that - even as a puppy - unless is was an absolute emergency. But anyway, that's going well, and Dog #1 has been very patient (albeit grouchy) and hasn't acted aggressive other than the normal Alpha Dog duties of putting the whippersnapper in her place. They've even started playing together when we're outside, which is a very good sign.
House renovations have been going well. For those of you in the area, I can highly recommend David Chastain for whatever needs to be done. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty in installing all the random things that needed to be done around here - fixing the dog door, helping me fix the refridgerator, installing new countertops, raising the cabinets to where a six-foot man can actually use them without risking spinal injury by bending over too low, installing an antiqued silver backsplash, putting in a new sink...you get the idea. David has been a godsend.
Seeing as how the job search is not going well at all, I've decided I'm going to try to write a fictionalized account of my M.A. research. I want to stay busy in writing circles and, at the very least, it keeps my mind working and engaged in the field. Basically, it's going to be about a street urchin in 1970s-1980s South Africa and his life in gangs and his activities throughout the anti-apartheid struggle. I was even thinking about extending it generationally until it becomes basically a history of twentieth-century South Africa through the eyes of one family, similar to Charles Van Onselen's "The Seed is Mine" (not coincidentally, the best history book I have ever read [apologies to E.C.]). Not terribly original (at least the twentieth century idea), but I still think it is something that is worthwhile and that I would have a fun time doing. I don't have much faith in the traditional publishing companies, but I do have a friend in the publishing business who has published frequently with online presses, so perhaps that could be an option.
All of the beautiful weather we had in the spring has vanished. The last two days have been high 90s, with heat indexes in the 100s. Being the genius that I am, I decided that it would be a good idea to use the burn pile to burn off dead branches that the previous owners left behind on my property. They left a pile about 5 feet high and twelve feet across of dead branches that is a haven for all sorts of serpent-kind. Seeing as how I am fond of my dogs, I think it prescient to take care of that as soon as possible. However, for those of you new to the burning business, fire is hot. When it is already hot outside, the fire makes it very, very hot. I should have taken the meat thermometer down there to get a reading, but I didn't. I will not be so forgetful next time. Because of the humidity, the beautiful view I have has been dampened down somewhat, but when the evening comes and the haze clears off somewhat, it is still beautiful. My friend Trey came through on his way back to Winston-Salem a few days ago and was very sad to leave. He even went on a bike ride up Paris Mountain, which turned into a 30-mile trek in 97 degree heat. Trey is hard-core. But back on the point, mornings are wonderful here too - the mist rises from the intermittent valleys and it is a beautiful sight to wake up to (even when one's new canine friend deems is necessary to wake one up at 5:45 - 6:00 every morning). I guess if you have to get up that early and deal with a whining, crying, squirmy puppy, the least you can have is no messes to clean up and that beautiful view.
That's all from here now - more updates to come soon and hopefully some pictures to upload as well.
House renovations have been going well. For those of you in the area, I can highly recommend David Chastain for whatever needs to be done. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty in installing all the random things that needed to be done around here - fixing the dog door, helping me fix the refridgerator, installing new countertops, raising the cabinets to where a six-foot man can actually use them without risking spinal injury by bending over too low, installing an antiqued silver backsplash, putting in a new sink...you get the idea. David has been a godsend.
Seeing as how the job search is not going well at all, I've decided I'm going to try to write a fictionalized account of my M.A. research. I want to stay busy in writing circles and, at the very least, it keeps my mind working and engaged in the field. Basically, it's going to be about a street urchin in 1970s-1980s South Africa and his life in gangs and his activities throughout the anti-apartheid struggle. I was even thinking about extending it generationally until it becomes basically a history of twentieth-century South Africa through the eyes of one family, similar to Charles Van Onselen's "The Seed is Mine" (not coincidentally, the best history book I have ever read [apologies to E.C.]). Not terribly original (at least the twentieth century idea), but I still think it is something that is worthwhile and that I would have a fun time doing. I don't have much faith in the traditional publishing companies, but I do have a friend in the publishing business who has published frequently with online presses, so perhaps that could be an option.
All of the beautiful weather we had in the spring has vanished. The last two days have been high 90s, with heat indexes in the 100s. Being the genius that I am, I decided that it would be a good idea to use the burn pile to burn off dead branches that the previous owners left behind on my property. They left a pile about 5 feet high and twelve feet across of dead branches that is a haven for all sorts of serpent-kind. Seeing as how I am fond of my dogs, I think it prescient to take care of that as soon as possible. However, for those of you new to the burning business, fire is hot. When it is already hot outside, the fire makes it very, very hot. I should have taken the meat thermometer down there to get a reading, but I didn't. I will not be so forgetful next time. Because of the humidity, the beautiful view I have has been dampened down somewhat, but when the evening comes and the haze clears off somewhat, it is still beautiful. My friend Trey came through on his way back to Winston-Salem a few days ago and was very sad to leave. He even went on a bike ride up Paris Mountain, which turned into a 30-mile trek in 97 degree heat. Trey is hard-core. But back on the point, mornings are wonderful here too - the mist rises from the intermittent valleys and it is a beautiful sight to wake up to (even when one's new canine friend deems is necessary to wake one up at 5:45 - 6:00 every morning). I guess if you have to get up that early and deal with a whining, crying, squirmy puppy, the least you can have is no messes to clean up and that beautiful view.
That's all from here now - more updates to come soon and hopefully some pictures to upload as well.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Life and Death
It has been an extraordinarily hard few weeks. About two weeks ago, the only grandfather I have ever really known passed away. He had been in poor health for a long time, and in all honesty, we never expected him to make it out of the hospital the last time he was admitted. But he pulled through and seemed to be doing much better. His mind seemed to be sharper than it had been in recent years, and although he was on oxygen, he really seemed to be in good health (relatively speaking, of course) and in good spirits. Earlier in the week he took a sudden downturn and was admitted to the hospital. While there, he contracted a blood infection - MRSA - and his immune system just couldn't fight off this last infection. So on Thursday, my grandfather, my beloved Da, passed away in North Little Rock.
Da was one of those people who never seemed to have a negative thing to say about anyone. To me, he was everything a grandfather should be - he was caring, almost to a fault. He was one of the most patient men I've ever met, which he had to be to survive spending sixty years with my grandmother. Kind, gentle, just a true Southern gentleman. The night before he died, I called his hospital room and got to speak to him for a moment. I got to tell him I loved him, and he seemed to know who I was and he told me he loved me too. From a completely selfish perspective, that is all I could ask for. There was so much more I wish I had time to say to him, but all of what I wanted to say could be encapsulated in that one simple phrase. I was incredibly lucky to have such a man in my life.
His funeral was beautiful - Da looked like he had just gone to sleep, and my cousin Hayley and I both remarked that he looked like he was just about to begin twiddling his thumbs (Whenever Da sat down, he invariably did that at some point). It was an incredibly tough weekend for everyone involved, but I take solace in the fact that he was the longest-lived member of his family (he was in his early 80s). He worked his entire life to provide for his family, he traveled, he saw the world, and spent his entire adult life with my grandmother. He doted on his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. It may be a cliche, but all of us were incredibly lucky to have such a man in our lives. He brightened the lives of everyone around him, and I was lucky to love a man so dear.
It has really been a tough spring for my father and aunt. Before losing their father, my dad had to have his beloved labrador put to sleep. Soon after my grandfather's death, my aunt learned her dog has an inoperable tumor in her mouth. Next, violent storm systems have crashed through central Arkansas, and my parents narrowly missed being hit by a tornado and a tree fell on my grandmother's shed from all the strong winds - narrowly missing her house. It really has just been one thing after another for everyone.
Throughout all of this, though, I really learned to appreciate the strong family I have. It was an incredibly tough period, but having everyone around really made it easier. Nothing is harder than being alone in times of despair and crisis, and I think that being around my family tempered the inconsolable pain of losing someone we all loved so much. It's terrible that it takes such tragedy to remind you how lucky you are to have such a strong, loving family, but that really hit home for me during this ordeal. Again, it may be a cliche, but with all the stories you hear about broken families and broken homes, I count my blessings that I have been blessed with such a close-knit, loving family. Life is hard enough as it is, and having such a loving community of brother and cousins and parents and grandparents makes everything so much easier.
Da, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you at the end, but I cannot express how lucky I was and am to have you as my grandfather. You were the best grandfather any grandson could ask for, and I only wish that everyone had the opportunity to know you. Rest in peace, until we meet again.
Da was one of those people who never seemed to have a negative thing to say about anyone. To me, he was everything a grandfather should be - he was caring, almost to a fault. He was one of the most patient men I've ever met, which he had to be to survive spending sixty years with my grandmother. Kind, gentle, just a true Southern gentleman. The night before he died, I called his hospital room and got to speak to him for a moment. I got to tell him I loved him, and he seemed to know who I was and he told me he loved me too. From a completely selfish perspective, that is all I could ask for. There was so much more I wish I had time to say to him, but all of what I wanted to say could be encapsulated in that one simple phrase. I was incredibly lucky to have such a man in my life.
His funeral was beautiful - Da looked like he had just gone to sleep, and my cousin Hayley and I both remarked that he looked like he was just about to begin twiddling his thumbs (Whenever Da sat down, he invariably did that at some point). It was an incredibly tough weekend for everyone involved, but I take solace in the fact that he was the longest-lived member of his family (he was in his early 80s). He worked his entire life to provide for his family, he traveled, he saw the world, and spent his entire adult life with my grandmother. He doted on his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. It may be a cliche, but all of us were incredibly lucky to have such a man in our lives. He brightened the lives of everyone around him, and I was lucky to love a man so dear.
It has really been a tough spring for my father and aunt. Before losing their father, my dad had to have his beloved labrador put to sleep. Soon after my grandfather's death, my aunt learned her dog has an inoperable tumor in her mouth. Next, violent storm systems have crashed through central Arkansas, and my parents narrowly missed being hit by a tornado and a tree fell on my grandmother's shed from all the strong winds - narrowly missing her house. It really has just been one thing after another for everyone.
Throughout all of this, though, I really learned to appreciate the strong family I have. It was an incredibly tough period, but having everyone around really made it easier. Nothing is harder than being alone in times of despair and crisis, and I think that being around my family tempered the inconsolable pain of losing someone we all loved so much. It's terrible that it takes such tragedy to remind you how lucky you are to have such a strong, loving family, but that really hit home for me during this ordeal. Again, it may be a cliche, but with all the stories you hear about broken families and broken homes, I count my blessings that I have been blessed with such a close-knit, loving family. Life is hard enough as it is, and having such a loving community of brother and cousins and parents and grandparents makes everything so much easier.
Da, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you at the end, but I cannot express how lucky I was and am to have you as my grandfather. You were the best grandfather any grandson could ask for, and I only wish that everyone had the opportunity to know you. Rest in peace, until we meet again.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
New house!
Apologies for the delay in posting, but things have been a bit crazy for the past two weeks or so. Here are my thoughts on the move:
Things I Like About My New House:
1) The view.
2) The view (not 'The View').
3) It keeps the rain out.
4) The view.
5) Darby never has to be on a leash again. She is quite excited about this development.
6) My bedroom has the greatest view I can imagine. Once I get some shutters, and am not awakened at the first light of dawn, I will be much more appreciative.
7) It's extraordinarily quiet. One really doesn't realize how much ambient noise there is until you leave it for awhile. Perhaps Thoreau was on to something (besides the shameless hypocrisy and not really being, as it were, in "nature.")
Things I Don't Like About My New House:
1) Try as I might, I still haven't put away all my crap.
2) Trash doesn't deliver/accept here. I am SOL for all my refuse needs.
3) I am on a well system. While I lived in Florida, I used water like it came from somewhere else and that I was in no way accountable for my proportional use of said aquatic dispensation. When you're on a well system, your thought process changes accordingly. While I wasn't wasteful in Florida, now I am very, very conscious about how much water I use and what I use while doing it.
4) For some strange reason, ladybugs have infested the windowsills of my house. Terminex told me that Clemson University releases them to kill aphids, pine beetles, and other "bad" insects. All things considered, a ladybug infestation is a good problem to have. Bad problem to have: wasps get in as well, and they don't fare so well against ladybugs, and I tend to swell up like a baseball glove when confronted (and assaulted) by said stinging insects. You do the math. RAID is on-hand at all times.
5) Internet doesn't *really* work here. My brother and sister-in-law recently moved to rural KY to start an ecologically-sustainable farm. I didn't pay much attention to their 21st century needs until I moved here. Keep in mind, I live eight minutes from a major liberal arts university. I live a 1/4 mile (if that: I have actually/odometrically measured it at .19 miles) from a major road in my new town. Despite the minimum of infrastructure it would require, Charter Communications has decided that they would not enjoy garnering ridiculous profits from rural consumers with few other options. To put this in perspective in a world beset by economic turmoil: I paid $100 for Charter to come and tell me that they didn't have a "line" that they could "tie in to." Consider my lawyer well informed, Charter. And I hope Direct TV, whose service actually does what they say it could do (and WHERE they said it could do it), destroys your archaic profit structure. It must be a real challenge to run cable up 1/4 mile when you cover the majority of the Southeast. Consider me, let's go with, perturbed.
6) And this is really pithy. And I know it seems that I don't appreciate the view I get to live with, day-in-and-day-out. But after having furniture, et cetera delivered here, I am SICK of having to desribe how to follow a driveway to the end of the road. people seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of that simple concept. We live in the United States. We've established our right of way to function one particular way for the last 340 years. I feel, as a professional driver, so should have probably mastered this concept by now. If not, then, don't blame me. You're the one that is misinterpreting simple driving rules in existence for centuries.
All that said, I love this place. You couldn't get me out of here with dynamite and a bulldozer. Although I shudder at the prospect of having to buy a mower that can function on a 30 degree angle, I still would not move for anything.
Things I Like About My New House:
1) The view.
2) The view (not 'The View').
3) It keeps the rain out.
4) The view.
5) Darby never has to be on a leash again. She is quite excited about this development.
6) My bedroom has the greatest view I can imagine. Once I get some shutters, and am not awakened at the first light of dawn, I will be much more appreciative.
7) It's extraordinarily quiet. One really doesn't realize how much ambient noise there is until you leave it for awhile. Perhaps Thoreau was on to something (besides the shameless hypocrisy and not really being, as it were, in "nature.")
Things I Don't Like About My New House:
1) Try as I might, I still haven't put away all my crap.
2) Trash doesn't deliver/accept here. I am SOL for all my refuse needs.
3) I am on a well system. While I lived in Florida, I used water like it came from somewhere else and that I was in no way accountable for my proportional use of said aquatic dispensation. When you're on a well system, your thought process changes accordingly. While I wasn't wasteful in Florida, now I am very, very conscious about how much water I use and what I use while doing it.
4) For some strange reason, ladybugs have infested the windowsills of my house. Terminex told me that Clemson University releases them to kill aphids, pine beetles, and other "bad" insects. All things considered, a ladybug infestation is a good problem to have. Bad problem to have: wasps get in as well, and they don't fare so well against ladybugs, and I tend to swell up like a baseball glove when confronted (and assaulted) by said stinging insects. You do the math. RAID is on-hand at all times.
5) Internet doesn't *really* work here. My brother and sister-in-law recently moved to rural KY to start an ecologically-sustainable farm. I didn't pay much attention to their 21st century needs until I moved here. Keep in mind, I live eight minutes from a major liberal arts university. I live a 1/4 mile (if that: I have actually/odometrically measured it at .19 miles) from a major road in my new town. Despite the minimum of infrastructure it would require, Charter Communications has decided that they would not enjoy garnering ridiculous profits from rural consumers with few other options. To put this in perspective in a world beset by economic turmoil: I paid $100 for Charter to come and tell me that they didn't have a "line" that they could "tie in to." Consider my lawyer well informed, Charter. And I hope Direct TV, whose service actually does what they say it could do (and WHERE they said it could do it), destroys your archaic profit structure. It must be a real challenge to run cable up 1/4 mile when you cover the majority of the Southeast. Consider me, let's go with, perturbed.
6) And this is really pithy. And I know it seems that I don't appreciate the view I get to live with, day-in-and-day-out. But after having furniture, et cetera delivered here, I am SICK of having to desribe how to follow a driveway to the end of the road. people seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of that simple concept. We live in the United States. We've established our right of way to function one particular way for the last 340 years. I feel, as a professional driver, so should have probably mastered this concept by now. If not, then, don't blame me. You're the one that is misinterpreting simple driving rules in existence for centuries.
All that said, I love this place. You couldn't get me out of here with dynamite and a bulldozer. Although I shudder at the prospect of having to buy a mower that can function on a 30 degree angle, I still would not move for anything.
Monday, February 21, 2011
On a Revolution(s), or In the Throes of Revolution
Throughout the history of modern democracy and revolution, certain figures always emerge as the demagogues, replete with hagiographies concocted by sycophantic underlings (and later by wishful and nostalgic academics [I plead guilty on this account myself]). Out of the American Revolution rose Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Franklin, and dozens of others. Out of the French Revolution came Robespierre and eventually Napoleon. The Russian Revolution elevated Marx, Lenin, Trotsky (for a moment), and Stalin to the historical memory. Cuba gave us Castro, Guevara, and Cienfuegos. South Africa contributed Mandela, Tutu, Sisulu, Tambo, de Klerk, and others. What is amazing about Egypt/Tunisia/Libya is how the revolutionaries have remained true to their populist roots. I wonder whether or not we can term these events in the Magreb and the Middle East as the birth pangs of the first postmodern revolutions. In these revolts we have a movement directed via Facebook and Twitter, driven by - to this point, at least - anonymous youth who appear to be completely uninterested in the hagiographic pursuits of the aforementioned historical characters. Ponder that concept for a moment: in these instances we have an anonymous populist/democratic uprising directed by social media yet devoid of self-serving politicians hell-bent on creating their own personal fiefdoms as Mubarak and Qaddafi had (with US support, in Mubarak's case). In these revolts we have an uprising of the PEOPLE, directed through social media, with individual identities shrouded behind avatars of beaches, birds, flowers, and eggs (for God knows why). The only historical parallel I can draw is between these Arab revolts and the ongoing revolution in Chiapas, which was also directed by the unknown and powered by the people: armed, yet non-violent; indigenous, yet Mexican; Marxist, yet willing to debate democracy in this brave new world in which we find ourselves.
This is truly a fascinating historical moment for any historian or political scientist. Let us only hope that the Egyptian army remains committed to the people and will continue to eschew violence in favour of honest and open democratic debate. Let us pray for the oppressed in Libya; and if revolutionary violence becomes necessary, let us pray it is swift, righteous, and ultimately victorious for the democrats of these new historical imaginings and new political communities. Let us hope that the superpowers remain committed to the ideas of self-determination we espouse in our own political philosophies and that we avoid the same mistakes and atrocities committed for the sake of political alignments in the Cold War. Democrats of the world have a chance, in this moment, to reshape the world in a more righteous and positive manner. Let us stand against oppression, against terror, against poverty and with the hopeful youth of the Middle East.
Salaam, aamaal, al-hubb jameel.
السلام والأمل، والØب.
This is truly a fascinating historical moment for any historian or political scientist. Let us only hope that the Egyptian army remains committed to the people and will continue to eschew violence in favour of honest and open democratic debate. Let us pray for the oppressed in Libya; and if revolutionary violence becomes necessary, let us pray it is swift, righteous, and ultimately victorious for the democrats of these new historical imaginings and new political communities. Let us hope that the superpowers remain committed to the ideas of self-determination we espouse in our own political philosophies and that we avoid the same mistakes and atrocities committed for the sake of political alignments in the Cold War. Democrats of the world have a chance, in this moment, to reshape the world in a more righteous and positive manner. Let us stand against oppression, against terror, against poverty and with the hopeful youth of the Middle East.
Salaam, aamaal, al-hubb jameel.
السلام والأمل، والØب.
Revolution in the Magreb and the Middle East
It's amazing to watch the youth of the Magreb and the Middle East in these tumultuous times. As Americans, I believe many of us take democracy for granted, especially among men and women of my generation. We would do well to remember that while democracy is an imperfect system, its merits far outweigh the abject terrors perpetrated by members of the Qaddafi and Mubarak regimes. Watching the youth of the Middle East rally and protest for democracy should remind us all not to stereotype North Africans and Middle Easterners as terrorists, or as enemies of the United States. In recent days and weeks they have shown themselves to be the new acolytes of the American experiment. Here's to hoping that they can establish a new branch of liberty in a part of the world that has not had that luxury.
On another note, we should affirm our solidarity with the men and women of Wisconsin in their time of need. Governor Walker's antics reek of McCarthyism - trying to erode one of the few protections that working-class folk have in this era of big business capitalism, where corporations run roughshod over those without 401ks and multi-billion dollar bailouts. Stripping public employees of the right to bargain only serves to weaken our democracy and our society. Even in dire financial straits, cutting funding for education and support for teachers is absurd. Can Governor Walker not understand that the backbone of a healthy economy is a well-educated population? I am not an economist, but that seems like a stretch of intellect an elected public official should be able to make.
Finally, it is heartening to see protestors in Wisconsin and Cairo, Tehran and Tripoli all expressing solidarity with one another in the interests of a more humane and equitable world, standing against terror and oppression. Hopefully these movements can all remember the examples of Tutu and Mandela and continue to pursue democracy and denounce violence.
Amandla!
On another note, we should affirm our solidarity with the men and women of Wisconsin in their time of need. Governor Walker's antics reek of McCarthyism - trying to erode one of the few protections that working-class folk have in this era of big business capitalism, where corporations run roughshod over those without 401ks and multi-billion dollar bailouts. Stripping public employees of the right to bargain only serves to weaken our democracy and our society. Even in dire financial straits, cutting funding for education and support for teachers is absurd. Can Governor Walker not understand that the backbone of a healthy economy is a well-educated population? I am not an economist, but that seems like a stretch of intellect an elected public official should be able to make.
Finally, it is heartening to see protestors in Wisconsin and Cairo, Tehran and Tripoli all expressing solidarity with one another in the interests of a more humane and equitable world, standing against terror and oppression. Hopefully these movements can all remember the examples of Tutu and Mandela and continue to pursue democracy and denounce violence.
Amandla!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Dogs chasing unseen prey
It's the little things in life, I tell you. Tonight, I was watching my dog. We were out on the deck, enjoying the few weeks of nice (redacted) weather, and she was trying to locate some animal under the deck. It was amazing. She would triangulate her ears. Then smell the air. And then, if neither of those tactics worked, she would let out a solitary, frantic bark, just to try to scare said prey into one slight movement where she could locate it with either her nose, eyes, or ears. It was amazing to watch. It reminded me of how we humans are so fundamentally dependent on our brains. Not to diminish the instincts of animals, but if you put homo sapiens sapiens (as I believe the correct terminology is as of 2011) in the bush, we would have to rely on only one sense. And watching my dog utilize her primal instincts to try to corner food that she knows damn well she doesn't even need was phenomenal to watch. Not to diminish human evolution, but to watch my dog utilize three senses to try to pinpoint a prey item that she doesn't even need for survival was fascinating to watch. So next time your dog chases a squirrel or your cat chases a mouse, try to conceptualize the tens of thousands (and in some cases, millions) of years it took for your "pet" to conquer those instincts. And then consider that homo sapiens sapiens haven't been around too terribly long. Interesting, no?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Moving and random musings
Let me tell you a thing or two about moving: it is a harrowing experience. At the moment, most of what I own is in non-descript boxes. From a philosophical level, it's very disturbing to have the mementos of your entire existence suddenly absent, tucked away, shrouded. One feels naked and susceptible without the daily comforts of certain possessions. Most everything that I can pack is packed at the moment - books, pictures, writings, clothes, et cetera. Only the day-to-day necessities are still lying around - TV, computer, some key books, bed, dog, guitars. I try not to think of myself as someone who's really connected to possessions, but it is very disconcerting not to have your pictures, books, and other things readily available. Although I took care to mark what was in which box, now I'm starting to figure out that most things are marked "books," "kitchen," or "miscellaneous," none of which come in terribly handy for the unpacking process. I'm one of those strange people who has to have books in a very specific order, and it honestly drives me nuts to think of my histories of Africa intermingling with texts on the French Revolution. Today, I realized that I packed Frantz Fanon and Booker Washington in the same box along with some virulently racist British-colonialist-racist-apologist literature from the early 20th century. From an intellectual - and from an OCD level - that's not good.
What is also very harrowing about moving is the expenses, which keep mounting. Today, I had to have a trailer hitch installed on my car. Three moving companies have surveyed the house to tell me how much space I need. Naturally, my computer is behaving as though it's on life support. Taxes are just around the corner, and I still haven't paid property taxes yet for this year. The new house will need some work done - creating a dog run, landscaping to curtail erosion and flooding worries, having decks installed, and other things - which will also not be cheap. I think the tension would be greatly reduced if I had a steady job lined up, but I can't seem to get anyone to return phone calls. I applied for a teaching job which I feel I am very well-suited for, and after leaving multiple messages with the powers-that-be I still have not heard anything. It's very hard to remain calm when so much is up in the air, but I keep trying to tell myself that things happen for a reason. I'm well-educated, I work well with people, and I have good contacts in my new city - something will turn up. The waiting, as Tom Petty said, is the hardest part.
I've also been thinking recently about the fragility of life, and why horrible things happen to great people. I have some great friends in my new town who have a one-year-old with severe health problems, and it seems that the moment that they're able to get their minds around one challenge with the infant, two more present themselves. I think about them constantly and marvel at how they're able to keep a positive attitude even when things around them seem to be going to hell. Their tribulations have reminded me of the importance of family, friends, and community - no matter what has happened to them, they have a fantastic support structure in place and they're situated well to deal with the challenges that will come as well as with the ones that have always presented themselves. It's just heartbreaking to watch over and over again when they finally get to a point where they feel they can deal with one challenge and another, more serious or complicated one emerges. It just seems cruel in the cosmic sense. I'm not very religious, so I don't buy into the common cliches such as "God wouldn't present you with a challenge you can't handle" or the others that are supposed to provide comfort. But I do believe in karma, I believe in the power of remaining positive, and I definitely believe in the importance of having a good group of family and friends. So for my part, I keep trying to remember that while they have an extremely difficult road, I honestly believe that they're blessed to have such a sweet family and very lucky to have the support system they do. It's hard enough watching what they've had to deal with simply as a friend, and I can't imagine what it would be like for them without the proximity of great friends and family.
That's about all from your noble scribe tonight. I'm listening to the livestream.com release of the Drive-By Truckers' new album, "Go-Go Boots," and I'm liking what I've heard so far. Take a moment today to think about what's good in your life and the blessings that you do have rather than those you don't. Don't take anything or anyone for granted, and suddenly the day seems just a bit brighter, warmer, and less harrowing.
What is also very harrowing about moving is the expenses, which keep mounting. Today, I had to have a trailer hitch installed on my car. Three moving companies have surveyed the house to tell me how much space I need. Naturally, my computer is behaving as though it's on life support. Taxes are just around the corner, and I still haven't paid property taxes yet for this year. The new house will need some work done - creating a dog run, landscaping to curtail erosion and flooding worries, having decks installed, and other things - which will also not be cheap. I think the tension would be greatly reduced if I had a steady job lined up, but I can't seem to get anyone to return phone calls. I applied for a teaching job which I feel I am very well-suited for, and after leaving multiple messages with the powers-that-be I still have not heard anything. It's very hard to remain calm when so much is up in the air, but I keep trying to tell myself that things happen for a reason. I'm well-educated, I work well with people, and I have good contacts in my new city - something will turn up. The waiting, as Tom Petty said, is the hardest part.
I've also been thinking recently about the fragility of life, and why horrible things happen to great people. I have some great friends in my new town who have a one-year-old with severe health problems, and it seems that the moment that they're able to get their minds around one challenge with the infant, two more present themselves. I think about them constantly and marvel at how they're able to keep a positive attitude even when things around them seem to be going to hell. Their tribulations have reminded me of the importance of family, friends, and community - no matter what has happened to them, they have a fantastic support structure in place and they're situated well to deal with the challenges that will come as well as with the ones that have always presented themselves. It's just heartbreaking to watch over and over again when they finally get to a point where they feel they can deal with one challenge and another, more serious or complicated one emerges. It just seems cruel in the cosmic sense. I'm not very religious, so I don't buy into the common cliches such as "God wouldn't present you with a challenge you can't handle" or the others that are supposed to provide comfort. But I do believe in karma, I believe in the power of remaining positive, and I definitely believe in the importance of having a good group of family and friends. So for my part, I keep trying to remember that while they have an extremely difficult road, I honestly believe that they're blessed to have such a sweet family and very lucky to have the support system they do. It's hard enough watching what they've had to deal with simply as a friend, and I can't imagine what it would be like for them without the proximity of great friends and family.
That's about all from your noble scribe tonight. I'm listening to the livestream.com release of the Drive-By Truckers' new album, "Go-Go Boots," and I'm liking what I've heard so far. Take a moment today to think about what's good in your life and the blessings that you do have rather than those you don't. Don't take anything or anyone for granted, and suddenly the day seems just a bit brighter, warmer, and less harrowing.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
In Honor of Black History Month
Combatting a bout of insomnia (and waiting for the Excederin PM to kick in), I turned to my trusty DVR to peruse Craig Ferguson's show from last night. Unbeknownst to me - expecting a late-night show of smarmy robots and dancing horses - Craig had Dr. Cornell West on to discuss the beginning of black history month. As an African historian, one of the questions constantly posed to me by friends, family, students, and others queries the meaning of 'black' and 'African-American' in today's politically correct (and politcally charged) climate. 'African-American' denotes men and women who are descendants of those who were forcibly excised from their familiar societies, customs, homes, lives, fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children, and friends beginning in the late fifteenth century and lasting until the nineteenth century. In order to further the interests of capitalism in the 'new' lands of the Americas, millions upon millions of African men and women were forcibly transported to replace the labour 'lost' by the epidemiological and militaristic genocide wrought on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Most of us are familiar with the story of slavery in what would become the United States, but few of us know that the United States was the final destination for only a fraction of the total number of African men and women exported to the Americas. The sugar plantations of the Caribbean and the new agricultural areas of Brazil became a holocaust for the Africans who had ended there. Not only did the practise of chattel slavery in the Americas devalue the lives of millions of Africans transported there, but the slave trade also served to destabilize societies in Africa, as new state formations were borne on the backs of profits gained by participation in the slave trade, and fueled by obsolete European weapons and by European liquor.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, prominent African-American scholars and orators - in the continental sense of the term - began to emerge. Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Dubois, and Marcus Garvey all began to redefine what it meant to be 'African,' 'American,' 'colored,' or 'Negro' in this era. Building on the contributions of these men and women, scholars and politicians in the mid-twentieth century began to envision a more inclusive definition for those of colour in the Americas - and in Africa. This is where the true power of the meaning of 'black' really evolved. Frantz Fanon, Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Julius Nyere, Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, and countless others envisioned a total community of those forcibly separated by the devastations and rapine of the slave trade. For these men and women, 'black' was something much more than a simplistic visual approximation of visible melanin and the ways in which it relates to and influences epidermical pigmentation - 'black' was community, togetherness, and a shared history, rallied and deployed against the vicious separation engendered by the historical dark forces of imperial capitalism, white domination, and oppression. Thus, when we refer to 'black' today, what we are truly referencing is this shared history and community which has developed in concert with the cycles of history. 'Black' is one of the most complete definitions of togetherness, yet over the course of history it has been used by captors to separate, simplify, denigrate, and oppress.
Dr. West spoke repeatedly of 'courage' - courage to encounter the shameful episodes of hate, distrust, and oppression in American history, and courage to love one another in spite of all the devastations of our mutual histories. This is not some manifestation of white guilt, or a racial mea culpa of monumental historical proportions. Orwell wrote that "he who controls the past controls the present" in his classic 1984. I hope that one day we can move beyond the charged, pessimistic descriptions of one another in favour of a more inclusive definition of what it is merely to be, with all the philosophic underpinnings and implications intended. All of us brothers, all of us sisters, all of us Americans, all of us citizens of this world, of our world.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, prominent African-American scholars and orators - in the continental sense of the term - began to emerge. Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Dubois, and Marcus Garvey all began to redefine what it meant to be 'African,' 'American,' 'colored,' or 'Negro' in this era. Building on the contributions of these men and women, scholars and politicians in the mid-twentieth century began to envision a more inclusive definition for those of colour in the Americas - and in Africa. This is where the true power of the meaning of 'black' really evolved. Frantz Fanon, Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Julius Nyere, Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, and countless others envisioned a total community of those forcibly separated by the devastations and rapine of the slave trade. For these men and women, 'black' was something much more than a simplistic visual approximation of visible melanin and the ways in which it relates to and influences epidermical pigmentation - 'black' was community, togetherness, and a shared history, rallied and deployed against the vicious separation engendered by the historical dark forces of imperial capitalism, white domination, and oppression. Thus, when we refer to 'black' today, what we are truly referencing is this shared history and community which has developed in concert with the cycles of history. 'Black' is one of the most complete definitions of togetherness, yet over the course of history it has been used by captors to separate, simplify, denigrate, and oppress.
Dr. West spoke repeatedly of 'courage' - courage to encounter the shameful episodes of hate, distrust, and oppression in American history, and courage to love one another in spite of all the devastations of our mutual histories. This is not some manifestation of white guilt, or a racial mea culpa of monumental historical proportions. Orwell wrote that "he who controls the past controls the present" in his classic 1984. I hope that one day we can move beyond the charged, pessimistic descriptions of one another in favour of a more inclusive definition of what it is merely to be, with all the philosophic underpinnings and implications intended. All of us brothers, all of us sisters, all of us Americans, all of us citizens of this world, of our world.
The Job Search
As most of you can attest, searching for a job in this economy is nothing short of disastrous. Earlier, I applied for a public school teaching job in a prominent Southern city. With an M.A. in history, I was politely informed that I was over-qualified for that particular offering. At that time, the district in question was unceremoniously dumping high-quality, experienced teachers who had been in the district for decades in favour of younger, less-qualified (read: 'cheaper') instructors. I worked in public education advocacy on a research project in the state in question the year after I graduated from my undergraduate university. The state in question ranks incredibly low in the quality of its public educational structure, for several different reasons. However, I knew damn well that they needed all the high-quality, dedicated teachers they could get. I find it incredulous that one can ever be 'over-qualified' for any job, particularly when the educational structure of the state in question was in veritable shambles. However, I was determined that I would have more control over my life than a post-secondary academic career would allow. In a rather backwards logical fashion, I decided to relocate to the city where I wanted to spend my life in the expectation - the rather optimistic expectation - that a job would turn up in some capacity. I applied for a wonderful program in the community which takes underprivileged yet promising students and supply them with the additional instruction and individualized attention that these students would need to develop their full personal, academic, and academic potential. I was one of the last three or four candidates for that position, yet they hired an alumni of the program. I feel they went in the direction that was best for the program, and I sincerely hope the program continues its great success, but I was devastated not to get that job after coming so close. Now, in stage three of job applications, I am applying to a private school in my new city and to my alma mater (speaking of optimistic expectations). In my estimation, it's better to have all these resumes out there in the hope that I can serve in some capacity, even with just an M.A. The new chair of the department was one of my old professors, whose courses I thoroughly enjoyed, and I have several great friends in the department. However, while crafting a letter of interest for the department chair, I was dumbfounded by how difficult I found it to be. Part of this must be the esteem which I held (and hold) for my former professors, and envisioning how amazing it would be to work with these people. To use a baseball analogy, it would be like being in AA ball and then all of the sudden being called up to play in the MLB All-Star Game. What do you write in that situation? What do you do if, by some miracle, you are hired and then manage to muck something up in your new position, in front of your esteemed colleagues? One thing I can tell you from experience is that it is maddening to submit an application and not receive some acknowledgement that the potential employer in question has received said application. Shouldn't you have a mere form email ready for these situations? Parents pay a significant tuition at this school; I'm certain that they have the resources to send such a letter. Perhaps this is just a busy time of the year, or perhaps I have unrealistic expectations of said institution, but that would settle my mind if I knew they had received my application.
So, my advice? Despite my caustic musings about my personal experience in my graduate program, I must admit that the progressive sadism of graduate school is preferable to unemployment, although I remain confident that something will eventually turn up. If not, than I get to sit in front of my new fireplace with my beloved dog, watching the sun set over the mountains - at least until the creditors figure out my new secret location.
So, my advice? Despite my caustic musings about my personal experience in my graduate program, I must admit that the progressive sadism of graduate school is preferable to unemployment, although I remain confident that something will eventually turn up. If not, than I get to sit in front of my new fireplace with my beloved dog, watching the sun set over the mountains - at least until the creditors figure out my new secret location.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
New house!
I guess I can't leave you on my first day of blogging with such a downer of a post. As I'm leaving graduate school, I'm relocating to South Carolina, where I finished my undergraduate degree at a small liberal arts school. I still have great friends in the area, and I can't wait to return. There are so many things I miss about my old/new town: great friends, actual seasons, it's closer (although this is a relative term) to my family, I'll have more room for the dog to run around, et cetera. Here are some pics from the new house:
Sunset from the front porch
The dog is a fan - no leash ever again!
Morning fog over the Blue Ridge Mountains
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Sunset from the front porch
The dog is a fan - no leash ever again!
Morning fog over the Blue Ridge Mountains
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Leaving Academia
Recently, after five years, I decided to leave academia. I have always been a good student, and I will always consider myself a scholar. However, for many people, academia is simply not a good fit. Certainly, a significant portion of the blame falls on my personal shortcomings. I am impatient. I have a low tolerance for much of the non-sensical bureaucracy that pervades academia (a point to which I will return momentarily). I have been a student, at the expense of my personal life, personal sanity, and - more recently - personal happiness, for the last twenty-two years. I am certain that many of my friends and colleagues feel the same way about academia, but I am also certain that many of them will feel my self-imposed exile is because 'I didn't have what it takes,' 'He didn't work hard enough,' or any other number of equally useless and non-descriptive cliches. What follows are some of my reasons for leaving academia, and they are both indictments on the process by which graduate students gain their supplementary degrees and some suggestions for how my chosen school and department - which, out of professional respect for my colleagues, who have toiled relentlessly with me in the trenches of academic pursuit - will remain safely anonymous.
1). No accountability for academic advisors. I'm a big fan of accountability. I believe that academia does a wonderful job as a meritocratous institution, where name recognition means little and where the quality of one's research, on a general level, ensures steady progress. However, there is also a dark side to the meritocracy of academia. It also means that respected scholars, who lack some of the necessary interpersonal skills to interact with students on both the undergraduate and graduate level, are granted tenure with little oversight from their superiors as to their work with their graduate students and undergraduates. As a result, graduate advisors are given free reign to indulge in academic sadism, ridiculing students who make an honest effort yet are simply not as familiar with either historiography or the historical background of a particular area. In fact, if I was to describe academia to an incoming graduate student - at least in my jaded perspective - I would term it progressive sadism. This was not the whole of my personal experience, but I will never forget nor forgive being ridiculed for honest mistakes in front of my friends, colleagues, and professors. It seems all graduate advisors recall their time in graduate school as a veritable hell on earth, and are intent on recreating that misery in their graduate students. Again, perhaps this is only my personal experience, but after many a Friday night of leaving the library with a cohort of frazzled graduate students, I feel comfortable in making the above statement.
*Addendum: my graduate advisor did do many wonderful things for me, granting me access to respected scholars and great friends. I have little issue with the personal attention, access, and tutelage the advisor gave me. The person in question was fantastic to me in several different ways, yet they were also unpredictable and inconsistent, which greatly frustrated my academic pursuits.
2). Academic bureaucracy. One of the most frustrating things about graduate school, at least for me, was the amount of bureaucracy required to accomplish anything. For example, to take qualifying exams, students have to get five signatures from their committee members, which either the department or the college promptly loses. Academics are busy people, and graduate students are much more so - gathering five signatures took some of us a solid month either because meetings were forgotten or any other such nonsense. Secondly, at least at my university, qualifying exams can only take place in a certain window of time in the term - a two week period. Given the hectic lives of graduate students and academics, this is virtually impossible. I challenge anyone outside academia to get five superiors and try to set a meeting in stone in a two-week period, all which they ostensibly communicate with one another to set the course of action regarding the exams. Furthermore, the bureaucracy makes no sense in the most basic terms. Due to a personal emergency, I was forced to take a term off of graduate school. When I returned in the fall, though I had been enrolled in the school for four years, the bureaucracy had no record of my employment at the school, and required me to re-establish residency in the state, though I had lived there now for five years and had previously established residency with the same department. Simply put, it was a completely miserable experience even though I had the correct paperwork as I was told by both the college and my own department.
Perhaps this is all bitter invective subconsciously designed to placate my own misgivings, but I am of the opinion that graduate school is the single-worst course of preparation for employment in any field of labour. I made some wonderful friends, I had some wonderful experiences, and I completed my degree. However, it is a soul-rendering enterprise, designed to drive personal and professional wedges between those who should be imbued with the camaraderie of shared experience. Instead - and particularly in the current job market - friends and colleagues are forced to compete on a very personal level for the same jobs year after year after year. While I expect that is no different than most job competitions, I cannot help but think that academia encourages personal relationships between colleagues only to tear them asunder on a very basic and visceral level. All this being said, academics serve the world in very specific and meaningful ways - next time you walk into a classroom, try to recall the vast amount of utter nonsense that your professor, teacher, or colleague went to to get to his or her position. Never underestimate your teachers and professors, and try to remember the personal sacrifices they made to be in a position to teach you.
*Footnote: these opinions are my own, and in no way represent the opinion of my university, my college, or my department. My university taught me many things in many different realms of life and work, and I will always remember it fondly for those reasons.
1). No accountability for academic advisors. I'm a big fan of accountability. I believe that academia does a wonderful job as a meritocratous institution, where name recognition means little and where the quality of one's research, on a general level, ensures steady progress. However, there is also a dark side to the meritocracy of academia. It also means that respected scholars, who lack some of the necessary interpersonal skills to interact with students on both the undergraduate and graduate level, are granted tenure with little oversight from their superiors as to their work with their graduate students and undergraduates. As a result, graduate advisors are given free reign to indulge in academic sadism, ridiculing students who make an honest effort yet are simply not as familiar with either historiography or the historical background of a particular area. In fact, if I was to describe academia to an incoming graduate student - at least in my jaded perspective - I would term it progressive sadism. This was not the whole of my personal experience, but I will never forget nor forgive being ridiculed for honest mistakes in front of my friends, colleagues, and professors. It seems all graduate advisors recall their time in graduate school as a veritable hell on earth, and are intent on recreating that misery in their graduate students. Again, perhaps this is only my personal experience, but after many a Friday night of leaving the library with a cohort of frazzled graduate students, I feel comfortable in making the above statement.
*Addendum: my graduate advisor did do many wonderful things for me, granting me access to respected scholars and great friends. I have little issue with the personal attention, access, and tutelage the advisor gave me. The person in question was fantastic to me in several different ways, yet they were also unpredictable and inconsistent, which greatly frustrated my academic pursuits.
2). Academic bureaucracy. One of the most frustrating things about graduate school, at least for me, was the amount of bureaucracy required to accomplish anything. For example, to take qualifying exams, students have to get five signatures from their committee members, which either the department or the college promptly loses. Academics are busy people, and graduate students are much more so - gathering five signatures took some of us a solid month either because meetings were forgotten or any other such nonsense. Secondly, at least at my university, qualifying exams can only take place in a certain window of time in the term - a two week period. Given the hectic lives of graduate students and academics, this is virtually impossible. I challenge anyone outside academia to get five superiors and try to set a meeting in stone in a two-week period, all which they ostensibly communicate with one another to set the course of action regarding the exams. Furthermore, the bureaucracy makes no sense in the most basic terms. Due to a personal emergency, I was forced to take a term off of graduate school. When I returned in the fall, though I had been enrolled in the school for four years, the bureaucracy had no record of my employment at the school, and required me to re-establish residency in the state, though I had lived there now for five years and had previously established residency with the same department. Simply put, it was a completely miserable experience even though I had the correct paperwork as I was told by both the college and my own department.
Perhaps this is all bitter invective subconsciously designed to placate my own misgivings, but I am of the opinion that graduate school is the single-worst course of preparation for employment in any field of labour. I made some wonderful friends, I had some wonderful experiences, and I completed my degree. However, it is a soul-rendering enterprise, designed to drive personal and professional wedges between those who should be imbued with the camaraderie of shared experience. Instead - and particularly in the current job market - friends and colleagues are forced to compete on a very personal level for the same jobs year after year after year. While I expect that is no different than most job competitions, I cannot help but think that academia encourages personal relationships between colleagues only to tear them asunder on a very basic and visceral level. All this being said, academics serve the world in very specific and meaningful ways - next time you walk into a classroom, try to recall the vast amount of utter nonsense that your professor, teacher, or colleague went to to get to his or her position. Never underestimate your teachers and professors, and try to remember the personal sacrifices they made to be in a position to teach you.
*Footnote: these opinions are my own, and in no way represent the opinion of my university, my college, or my department. My university taught me many things in many different realms of life and work, and I will always remember it fondly for those reasons.
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