tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post9144340923897788563..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Anti-intellectualism: It's all in the familyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-82048630891717507492013-06-01T17:30:14.300-04:002013-06-01T17:30:14.300-04:00P.P.S. If the conversation really goes badly, I ca...P.P.S. If the conversation really goes badly, I can always right things by bringing up Uncle Gus's bad driving skills. He had this big old Eldorado Cadillac, hurtling down Highway 17-92 through Orange City, and he was a teacher all his life and he loved to talk, and he loved to wave his hands when he talked, and you'd go "AAAAH!!! Get your hands on the STEERING WHEEL!" and he Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-2084024311264035262013-06-01T17:16:27.115-04:002013-06-01T17:16:27.115-04:00P.S. The recent post about the students at Weber S...P.S. The recent post about the students at Weber State sending the balloon with a digital camera and parachute-and-GPS transponder so you can get the camera back was cute, but not exactly something new. It's been a common high-school science fait project for about 5 years now, and was pioneered in Britain. It shows yet again how little the commercial press knows, when covering a science storyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-10839301944668139912013-06-01T17:11:28.941-04:002013-06-01T17:11:28.941-04:00It is good to give some thought to conversation in...It is good to give some thought to conversation in case one is invited to a dinner party at Ted Nugent's home. I don't think that my invitation is imminent, but then as they told me in Scouts, be prepared. <br /><br />I say that I teach optics and modern physics to engineers and scientists. This includes how chemistry works, and how to make computer chips, so what exactly is it that you Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-66123931004460306272013-06-01T16:38:35.760-04:002013-06-01T16:38:35.760-04:00As Carl Sagan noted in "The Demon-Haunted Wor...As Carl Sagan noted in "The Demon-Haunted World," the fusillade of "whys" from a two-year-old are an attempt at controlling adult behavior. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-26735508375417438042013-06-01T16:34:13.362-04:002013-06-01T16:34:13.362-04:00I hate to tell you, but instead of bringing up ODE...I hate to tell you, but instead of bringing up ODEs and calculus (which you and I know are elementary, but your knuckle-dragging acquaintance probably doesn't), you should have just said:<br /><br />"I didn't know that there was an un-American way to do engineering math, which is what I teach."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-67312073046745786062013-06-01T14:25:36.925-04:002013-06-01T14:25:36.925-04:00But before he could move I grabbed me a chair
And ...But before he could move I grabbed me a chair<br />And said watch him folks 'cause he's a thoroughly dangerous man<br /><br />Well you may not know it but this man's a spy<br />He's an undercover agent for the FBI<br />And he's been sent down here to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan<br /><br />He was still bent over holdin' on to his knee<br />But everyone else was lookin' Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-57678268189211966162013-06-01T00:31:31.318-04:002013-06-01T00:31:31.318-04:00Stella: ARGH! Shame on me.
Zora: yes! That expres...Stella: ARGH! Shame on me.<br /><br />Zora: yes! That expression bugs me too. Love your idea about the shriek. Too bad you can't produce a big tentacle.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02906546940408742913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49613678296955175542013-05-31T12:38:16.758-04:002013-05-31T12:38:16.758-04:00I chewed my tongue bloody last summer on our famil...I chewed my tongue bloody last summer on our family vacation with my in-laws, who both vote Right. Listening to my MIL talk to her Libertarian brother on the phone about how Obama was giving away free cell phones to people on Welfare so that they'd vote for him nearly sent me over the edge. I could not, and did not try to explain that the Lifeline program was started by Reagan in 1984 (mostlyBurntChromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055976331443607569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-7814252391820176252013-05-31T12:21:16.371-04:002013-05-31T12:21:16.371-04:00I am stealing both of those responses. Brilliant.I am stealing both of those responses. Brilliant.BurntChromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055976331443607569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-9672223063577651242013-05-31T10:18:32.931-04:002013-05-31T10:18:32.931-04:00I have many, many such relatives in my extended fa...I have many, many such relatives in my extended family. I love them all dearly and the family reunion weekend is one of my favorite of the year, but this is why we all drink. A lot. They know that I'm a liberal, atheist, feminist professor and I know that they are mostly fundie Catholic anti-intellectuals who drank the Fox News kool-aid a long time ago. We all roll our eyes at each other kshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10758001473313265911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-24470447528374600472013-05-31T07:55:31.745-04:002013-05-31T07:55:31.745-04:00Right you are, Cynic!Right you are, Cynic!Edna Expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11438002061912782295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-15841993237929401762013-05-31T07:54:41.184-04:002013-05-31T07:54:41.184-04:00Good that you have a line of defense. I feel simil...Good that you have a line of defense. I feel similarly bolstered on at least one side of my family; the other side is never in the same room together, so these confrontations become a nonissue. Edna Expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11438002061912782295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-85598299692475283642013-05-31T07:48:13.109-04:002013-05-31T07:48:13.109-04:00I wish I had a great quip for such idiots. I actu...I wish I had a great quip for such idiots. I actually like Beaker Ben's idea about referencing ultra conservatives who teach. If I encountered this stuff on a regular basis, I'd research really crazy things some famous academic conservative said to college students and present it as an "I know, right!!!" I don't have the energy to find a good tidbit right now, and it wouldBellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15686242633678466958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-24308118646452988862013-05-31T07:37:51.028-04:002013-05-31T07:37:51.028-04:00Great stuff!
Great stuff!<br />Bellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15686242633678466958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-66665664237600675542013-05-31T07:22:13.817-04:002013-05-31T07:22:13.817-04:00Because in American culture Ph.D.s are presumed gu...Because in American culture Ph.D.s are presumed guilty of being condescending elitists until/unless they/we can prove otherwise (see title). Some of us aren't very good at it (see my complete inability/unwillingness to care/talk about sports), which probably perpetuates the stereotype. Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-76473949002321195432013-05-31T07:14:45.511-04:002013-05-31T07:14:45.511-04:00I'm blessed with fairly few such relatives at ...I'm blessed with fairly few such relatives at the moment (death has definitely thinned the herd); most of my contact with the wingnut crowd comes via facebook (high school classmates, from a pretty rigorous girls' school, so it tends to be an educated, pearl-clutching "what is our country coming to?" version, though with the same underlying message. And fortunately I'm not Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-92071235723176609622013-05-31T06:23:47.544-04:002013-05-31T06:23:47.544-04:00I like this approach--turn on the questions like a...I like this approach--turn on the questions like a two-year-old who has just discovered "Why?" This could work, especially if I remember to never give up, never surrender.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14298623277254751613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-43248585586351658702013-05-31T02:07:55.809-04:002013-05-31T02:07:55.809-04:00This also works well for freshmen who think they&#...This also works well for freshmen who think they're saying profound things that are just moldy ideas.The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-82144584783682507232013-05-31T02:07:12.848-04:002013-05-31T02:07:12.848-04:00I always ask for examples of what they mean when I...I always ask for examples of what they mean when I know they're just restating crap they've heard on Fox News but for which they have no evidence.<br /><br />"Liberals are brainwashing our students," they say. <br />"What do you mean?" I ask. <br />"Well, you know, universities promote the Obama Agenda."<br />"I'm not sure what you mean."<br />&The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-23882334772141454902013-05-30T23:33:19.206-04:002013-05-30T23:33:19.206-04:00ARGH!
It's "Never GIVE up! Never surr...ARGH! <br /><br />It's "Never GIVE up! Never surrender!"<br /><br />And I suggest being completely drunk.StellafromSparksburghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17584701718285662953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-85051492063790783952013-05-30T20:18:32.599-04:002013-05-30T20:18:32.599-04:00Actually, if anything, we're helping ignorant ...Actually, if anything, we're helping ignorant reactionaries take over the country. After all, the more time people spend in school, the fewer children they have. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49971865057244482262013-05-30T19:31:03.439-04:002013-05-30T19:31:03.439-04:00I did once have an uncle on my mother's side t...I did once have an uncle on my mother's side tell me that my career was bullshit and not a real job. I agreed with him, because after all, I only owned one car while he owned three, two of them dissolving into rust on his front lawn and the third one currently leaking oil in the driveway. <br /><br />Fortunately, there are precious few wingnuts in my family, so the rest of the family gangedProfessor Chiltepinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10087270705989845484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-2298945058678116682013-05-30T18:45:34.849-04:002013-05-30T18:45:34.849-04:00Galaxy Quest! Okay, you know that female alien who...Galaxy Quest! Okay, you know that female alien who falls in love with the Tony Shalhoub character? And you know her annoying blank smiley-face expression? That's how I look after a few hours in the company of these relatives. But if I could master her otherworldly shriek, that would really shake things up!<br /><br />The really bizarre thing about these encounters is that whenever I try to Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14298623277254751613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-47529602581792519442013-05-30T18:38:00.077-04:002013-05-30T18:38:00.077-04:00This will come up next week when the first relativ...This will come up next week when the first relatives show up at the door.<br /><br />I just smile and take the card out of my wallet that shows I'm a paid member in a certain socialist party of northern Canukistan. If I scare you, then be afraid. Very, very, afraid. Sarcastic Bastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01407507896787403097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-39107045602059931082013-05-30T18:16:31.210-04:002013-05-30T18:16:31.210-04:00"Buddy, my colleagues and myself are the only..."Buddy, my colleagues and myself are the only thing standing between you and a total disintegration of civilization as we know it.<br />You should fall on your knees and thank us."Iyrrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06272150097841691708noreply@blogger.com