To be clear, nearly everyone has mentioned to me that they are NOT simply writing because of Conan, but of the idea of students posting on the page.
I want to be clear that I have control over the queue and so far have just posted whatever that came in that was "college misery." (You can't believe some of the intricately prepared spam messages I've been getting lately. I'll post one the next time one comes in.)
And I appreciate Conan falling on his sword below, too.
But let us be clear, I'm the moderator currently. Nobody else wanted to do it. I was told I could run CM the way I wanted to, and I'm going to do that. When Conan OR ANY STUDENT sends in some misery that is germane to our quite wide mission of celebrating the ugliness of the academy, well, I'm going to post it.
I do hear the complaints. I do understand them. I understand the page is different, and not like the good old days, and all of that. I even reached out to Fab this morning with an email and he said something like, "Who is this? How did you get my number? Please call back when my staff can take your compliment or complaint and we'll get you a bumper sticker or whatnot." So, I know I have him on my side.
Compound Crystal
I have mixed feelings about it. It had never occurred to me that a student would want to be here. I'm glad Crystal, who does not talk to us much - has given her position on it. She is the RGM, after all, and I don't have an argument with her point of view.
ReplyDeleteI do feel different about writing here when the notion that students might be reading comes up. It wasn't what I thought the page was either, but I've not been bothered by Conan's input. It's a different perspective.
Reg
It is a full body contact sport sometimes. The readers of all of these blogs over the past 10 years really give a shit about our little corner of the InternetworkedWebArea, and we often tell our tales to the mods with great passion, conviction, and all-too-often, high drama!
ReplyDeleteThat's good, but the poor mod always has to balance it all and do what's write for the WHOLE.
On RYS there were no comments. I don't think I have the patience necessary to have been a mod here at CM, because so much more of the dissatisfaction is public. At RYS I got complaints, but fuck 'em...LOL.
But Fab and the rest, and now Crystal the latest in line, have to moderate the group in a sort of public way. People quit. People leave. "I'm going to spend time in the meatspace," someone prominent once wrote years ago, leaving the rest of, supposedly, swimming like 4-cell creatures in a swampy ether of misery and pain.
So Will and two anonymous people are leaving in a huff - sorry, but that's how it reads. Crystal sounds like she knows what she wants to do, and, as she said, it's her call.
I remain an interested bystander and send all you oldtimers who remember the "goon old days" a hearty hello.
Cal of the California Cals (see what I did?)
It's her blog but may I suggest that she updates this:
ReplyDeleteWhat The Fuck Is This?
College Misery is a dysfunctional group blog where professors get the chance to release some of the frustration that builds up while tending to student snowflakes,
I agree. We've had staff, students, even an occasional administrator contribute. Perhaps, "where we get the chance"...
DeleteI think "professors" still works. Just because others get to vent, too, doesn't mean that professors get to vent less, or that the central purpose of the blog changes.
DeleteConan, keep posting. I will be reading.
ReplyDeleteI too have mixed emotions. Some of what Conan has written is brilliant, just brilliant. That student council funding story was awesome and had the kicker at the end that made it relevant to "us", as proffies.
ReplyDeleteBut, Conan, if you're going to write as much and as often as you do, perhaps start another blog? Seems like you're a natural at this.
Why would we lose one of the most talented contributors just because he happens to be a student? I know what really bothers you: had he not self-disclosed, he would have been able to pass for a professor.
DeleteMany students are young and inexperienced, write poorly and have a lousy attitude. That's what you really mean by student when you say that you don't want students here. Any student who is not like that is not a student in that sense. One could probably say that he or she is basically a professional who for some reason happens to be a student too. That individual could, in fact, be a real professional, a mature individual with work experience and with or without formal degrees but certainly not a typical student.
Not surprisingly, Monica and I are reading completely different texts.
DeleteUpdate: My first reply here was too unequivocal. I agree with Poopiehead, but I want Conan to post here as well.
ReplyDeleteI have disagreed with Conan on issues, but if he's interested in sharing his stories with us, and they are stories about the ways in which academia is miserable, I don't really understand the objection. I suppose a critical mass of student posters could turn this into a live-blog version of [site that must not be named] but we're a long way from that, it seems to me.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any problem with the student perspective, but, damn, just the sheer VOLUME of contributions by one author is a bit overwhelming.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q6uxn7tUuc
I'm sure the video is charming and tasteful, but I'm still not clicking.
DeleteThose who think he posts too often are free to post as well.
DeleteMaybe he drives his car too much as well?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJonathan, it turns out it's totally safe for work. The title is J-Roc uses a few two many "know what I'm saying"s, from which you might deduce the rest.
DeleteWait. Check me on this. Is it April 1 already? Are we seriously opening the gates to students, because some kid who started a debate club got into a snit with someone else on student council, and then got some adults to threaten her? Fuck, man, what did Dawson and Pacey do after that?
ReplyDeleteWeepy Wayne
Student council tried to embezzle funds.
DeleteThis is more than just arguing over who gets next round on the nintendo.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI actually had to sign in to an account, as I don't do anonymous (there's a difference between pseudonym and anonymous for those who don't get it). I rarely comment and only posted once, so a lurker, but I've been here since near the start at RYS. Some posts I love, some I hate, some I skip because they don't interest me. I have never liked the "more professional" type of posts or discussion, because that's not why I came to the page and I get enough of that force-fed elsewhere. If it were up to me, all the "how can I reach these keedz?" posts would be gone, but I'm a consumer, not contributor, of the content, so I shut up about it.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone posts coherently written, perhaps interesting material that fits, the what's to differentiate between student versus graduate student versus first-year tenure track versus adjunct? Not in the club? Is this page really so speshul and secret (you know, RYS was mentioned in a large newspaper, so not exactly hidden) that only the right sort need apply? How many of you have created fake reviews or responses on the-site-that-shall-not-etc.? How many would be A-OK if adjuncts or tutors weren't allowed to post because they're not "real" professors? How many here look down on people who teach at the wrong kind of school or research the wrong subject area?
For a page that gets accused of being cliquish and only allowing an in crowd, I'm taken aback, even ashamed, that this is such a big deal, particularly among anonymous commenters. I could see if the posts were whiny entitled snowflake idiocy that wasn't written as well as the average posts, but I'm not seeing that. I could see if there were a mad rush of students soiling the page, but, again, not so. Is there like a standard for how many posts someone gets? Is there some allocation that crosses the annoyance threshold?
How about this? Those who don't like what the blog has can go start *their* own blog. Those who don't like too many posts by one person can post something besides complaints or insults. If there's something that you hold dear about the blog, and it's tremendously important that the blog focus on it, then contribute. If not, STFU, as these kids say.
Conan, do what you want, as long as it's entertaining. I'm sorry that you get to see that adult professionals can be as narrow as that woman on the student council.
Conan, the only thing disappointing about anything you've ever written here is that you failed (as a speech and debate leader!) to have the perfect bon mot at the ready to bring the petulant princess to tears on the spot. Do carry on, sir.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy Conan's posts and I find them to be very much in the spirit of this site. Students are not the enemy. Toxic entitlement and proud ignorance are the enemy.
ReplyDeleteI will cautiously add that Conan's post are, to my mind, amusing, well written, and in the spirit of the misery. My only caveat, very cautiously added here since I do not help with many contributions myself, is that he has been contributing so much, maybe a bit too much. Maybe he could hold off, keep his posts for maybe once a week? But that is just my one little opinion! Conan, my dear, the haters will always hate, as the kids say. I hope you do not go away forever!
ReplyDeleteCrystal, I like your style (in addition to agreeing with your decision in this particular case, but as far as I'm concerned that's a secondary issue; whoever's willing to do the RGM job gets to call the shots, period.) You've clearly spent some time wrangling students, and that experience is paying off here at CM.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind a greater variety of posts (*including* Conan's), but, as others have pointed out, the way to get to that point is clear: if you want to read/hear more voices here, add your own. If we all followed that dictum, even once or twice a month, we'd have quite a smorgasbord of misery.
I have to ask. Is that Uma Thurman in the picture?
ReplyDeleteIt's three images. The actual face is a treatment if an Edie Falco headshot.
DeleteCome back Conan. Come back. U R 1 o'US
ReplyDelete