As I spend time on a variety of media sources, I am faced with a long list of issues - all of them of considerable importance - that I am supposed to be concerned about. Off the top of my head, here are some of the things I am asked to be engaged in/worry about/support/fix:
Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, Racism, Police Violence, Climate Change/Melting Ice Caps/Drowning Polar Bears/Rising Sea Levels, Same Sex Marriage, Trans Women's Participation in Women's Sports, Growing Authoritarianism Worldwide, White Christian Nationalism, "Stolen Elections", Critical Race Theory in our Schools, Where Trans Persons are allowed to Pee, Cancel Culture from the Left, Cancel Culture from the Right, Inflation, Poverty, Hunger - at home & abroad, The War in Ukraine, North Korean Rockets, The Future of the University, The Plight of Adjuncts, Endangered Species, the Price of Oil, Plastic in the Oceans, etc etc etc
It's a long list and there is probably some overlap but anymore, these kinds of topics just form an average Tuesday's media consumption - even when one is not a serious media junkie. I am overwhelmed and am now to the point where having even minimal interest in some of these issues is beyond me. I'm not saying they are not important, but I am saying I really don't care what happens in that area of society.
The director of all things woke at Artem U sends out an email once a week asking for our support, outrage, awareness, wailing, gnashing of teeth & rending of garments or whatever about the latest issue of the moment. I am now at the point where reading about the big meeting on Tuesday so we can all express our love and support for the latest entry in the Misery Olympics actually makes me angry.
I hereby give myself permission to say "I don't care about....." and I refuse to believe that makes me a bad person/racist/bigot/misogynist/homophobe/white supremacist/ Islamophobe/anti-Semite/Libtard or other term of approbation that everybody want to throw around willy nilly these days. I'm just out of Fvcks to give.
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 27, 2022, 03:36:11 PM
As I spend time on a variety of media sources, I am faced with a long list of issues - all of them of considerable importance - that I am supposed to be concerned about. Off the top of my head, here are some of the things I am asked to be engaged in/worry about/support/fix:
Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, Racism, Police Violence, Climate Change/Melting Ice Caps/Drowning Polar Bears/Rising Sea Levels, Same Sex Marriage, Trans Women's Participation in Women's Sports, Growing Authoritarianism Worldwide, White Christian Nationalism, "Stolen Elections", Critical Race Theory in our Schools, Where Trans Persons are allowed to Pee, Cancel Culture from the Left, Cancel Culture from the Right, Inflation, Poverty, Hunger - at home & abroad, The War in Ukraine, North Korean Rockets, The Future of the University, The Plight of Adjuncts, Endangered Species, the Price of Oil, Plastic in the Oceans, etc etc etc
It's a long list and there is probably some overlap but anymore, these kinds of topics just form an average Tuesday's media consumption - even when one is not a serious media junkie. I am overwhelmed and am now to the point where having even minimal interest in some of these issues is beyond me. I'm not saying they are not important, but I am saying I really don't care what happens in that area of society.
The director of all things woke at Artem U sends out an email once a week asking for our support, outrage, awareness, wailing, gnashing of teeth & rending of garments or whatever about the latest issue of the moment. I am now at the point where reading about the big meeting on Tuesday so we can all express our love and support for the latest entry in the Misery Olympics actually makes me angry.
I hereby give myself permission to say "I don't care about....." and I refuse to believe that makes me a bad person/racist/bigot/misogynist/homophobe/white supremacist/ Islamophobe/anti-Semite/Libtard or other term of approbation that everybody want to throw around willy nilly these days. I'm just out of Fvcks to give.
It's OK to be aware of the topics that you mentioned and to know a little about any of them, but you shouldn't be dwelling on any of them like you would dwell (or should dwell) on your primary area(s) of expertise and what you are supposed to do with that expertise at the college that employs you.
If something does pull at you and compels you to get involved more actively, then let it pull you in, but don't feel obligated to do so.
I do think that if someone does have legitimate expertise in one of those aforementioned areas, then they should get more involved, even if it's very
squirmy from having to deal with idiots who only think they know as much or more than a real expert.
QuoteThe director of all things woke at Artem U sends out an email once a week asking for our support, outrage, awareness, wailing, gnashing of teeth & rending of garments or whatever about the latest issue of the moment. I am now at the point where reading about the big meeting on Tuesday so we can all express our love and support for the latest entry in the Misery Olympics actually makes me angry.
As Frank Knight put it: A general human proclivity for romanticism—including all interests in conflict with the quest for truth—hardly needs demonstration. Within wide limits, human nature clearly
finds many forms of fiction more interesting than truth.
I'm all in favor of a political revolution. However, I'm also skeptical it is going to happen, whether or not I work for it. I don't think there's much to be gained by worrying about things I can't influence. There's also a good deal of BS from all sides that I don't have much time for. Maybe there's a case for being an informed citizen, but when one's political choice is between the moderate right and fascists, there's no point in getting fine-grained about it. I haven't watched a politician give a speech in decades. I delete a lot of emails from apparently well-meaning people without reading them.
I do make efforts to keep up on some issues that interest me. It can help my teaching. But I keep my focus pretty narrow. I listen to the occasional podcast. Occasionally I refresh with Democracy Now. But not a lot.
I do see a lot of people on social media who are constantly up in arms about various issues. I have known some political junkies who know everything about what is going in Washington DC and around the country. I guess it is good that some people like doing that. There is a performative element to it all which I find a bit hard to take.
On the other hand, I do think it is good to occasionally take a stand on something, when I have the energy to do so. Not because I think I can make a diference, but to avoid complete motivational nihilism.
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 27, 2022, 03:36:11 PM
I hereby give myself permission to say "I don't care about....." and I refuse to believe that makes me a bad person/racist/bigot/misogynist/homophobe/white supremacist/ Islamophobe/anti-Semite/Libtard or other term of approbation that everybody want to throw around willy nilly these days. I'm just out of Fvcks to give.
Related to this, I'd be very supportive of any level of government refusing to declare
any more days, weeks, months dedicated to causes. Invariably they are promoted by activists, who use incredibly benign language to get the "recognition", but then proceed to imply that the government's "recognition" of the issue amounts to support for all of their political agenda.
Quote from: marshwiggle on March 27, 2022, 04:29:21 PM
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 27, 2022, 03:36:11 PM
I hereby give myself permission to say "I don't care about....." and I refuse to believe that makes me a bad person/racist/bigot/misogynist/homophobe/white supremacist/ Islamophobe/anti-Semite/Libtard or other term of approbation that everybody want to throw around willy nilly these days. I'm just out of Fvcks to give.
Related to this, I'd be very supportive of any level of government refusing to declare any more days, weeks, months dedicated to causes. Invariably they are promoted by activists, who use incredibly benign language to get the "recognition", but then proceed to imply that the government's "recognition" of the issue amounts to support for all of their political agenda.
As Bob Dole said, a good day in government is not causing a good thing to happen. It's preventing a bad thing from happening.
Voters are tired of the media's pessimism and alarm.
https://theliberalpatriot.substack.com/p/the-democrats-common-sense-problem?s=r
ETA: Before someone accuses me posting a non-sequitur, 'word salad' 'derailing' or such: I posted this link by way of noting that secundum's fatigue with the constant demands to care more seems to be common at this time.
I think we all do our best, with our individual worlds and with the big wide world. And we all run out of bandwidth. Sometimes we get rebooted.
If I don't attend to those things, my art goes stale.
M.
IDGAF about the Oscars "drama".
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on March 28, 2022, 10:25:50 AM
IDGAF about the Oscars "drama".
Isn't that kind of like "useless redundancy"? (In general; not specifically related to this year's "events".)
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on March 28, 2022, 10:25:50 AM
IDGAF about the Oscars "drama".
Why didn't they ask JP-S?
M.
At least they've stopped being racist.
Quote from: mamselle on March 28, 2022, 12:11:38 AM
If I don't attend to those things, my art goes stale.
M.
I'm glad you feel that your art is healthy as I'm a lover of fine music. However...
The impression I've had from much of the social justice activism of the last several years is it seems to do something very important for the people promoting it, whereas it doesn't have clear objectives or timelines for things to be completed.
Quote from: marshwiggle on March 28, 2022, 10:32:51 AM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on March 28, 2022, 10:25:50 AM
IDGAF about the Oscars "drama".
Isn't that kind of like "useless redundancy"? (In general; not specifically related to this year's "events".)
Yeah, I suppose so. It's sparked something among my acquaintances in a way that the usual stuff doesn't, though. They're also wrong, but for once I can't be bothered.
Quote from: mamselle on March 28, 2022, 10:34:19 AM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on March 28, 2022, 10:25:50 AM
IDGAF about the Oscars "drama".
Why didn't they ask JP-S?
M.
Good question. We're not going to like the answer.
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 27, 2022, 03:36:11 PM
As I spend time on a variety of media sources, I am faced with a long list of issues - all of them of considerable importance - that I am supposed to be concerned about. Off the top of my head, here are some of the things I am asked to be engaged in/worry about/support/fix:
Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, Racism, Police Violence, Climate Change/Melting Ice Caps/Drowning Polar Bears/Rising Sea Levels, Same Sex Marriage, Trans Women's Participation in Women's Sports, Growing Authoritarianism Worldwide, White Christian Nationalism, "Stolen Elections", Critical Race Theory in our Schools, Where Trans Persons are allowed to Pee, Cancel Culture from the Left, Cancel Culture from the Right, Inflation, Poverty, Hunger - at home & abroad, The War in Ukraine, North Korean Rockets, The Future of the University, The Plight of Adjuncts, Endangered Species, the Price of Oil, Plastic in the Oceans, etc etc etc
It's a long list and there is probably some overlap but anymore, these kinds of topics just form an average Tuesday's media consumption - even when one is not a serious media junkie. I am overwhelmed and am now to the point where having even minimal interest in some of these issues is beyond me. I'm not saying they are not important, but I am saying I really don't care what happens in that area of society.
The director of all things woke at Artem U sends out an email once a week asking for our support, outrage, awareness, wailing, gnashing of teeth & rending of garments or whatever about the latest issue of the moment. I am now at the point where reading about the big meeting on Tuesday so we can all express our love and support for the latest entry in the Misery Olympics actually makes me angry.
I hereby give myself permission to say "I don't care about....." and I refuse to believe that makes me a bad person/racist/bigot/misogynist/homophobe/white supremacist/ Islamophobe/anti-Semite/Libtard or other term of approbation that everybody want to throw around willy nilly these days. I'm just out of Fvcks to give.
Are you familiar with the work of Thomas Benjamin Wild, Esq? He, too, has no more fvcks to give. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8aulstjbV8&list=PLPyd_sRwAIxYVyAAvRKxGjc9E1MryFV4_&index=5). He has been rather my muse these last few weeks, not least because of his Covid-era anthem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHhY-lZyhjM&list=PLPyd_sRwAIxYVyAAvRKxGjc9E1MryFV4_&index=1).
QuoteThe director of all things woke at Artem U sends out an email once a week asking for our support, outrage, awareness, wailing, gnashing of teeth & rending of garments or whatever about the latest issue of the moment. I am now at the point where reading about the big meeting on Tuesday so we can all express our love and support for the latest entry in the Misery Olympics actually makes me angry.
So, 'the plight of the adjunct' (from your list) has been one of their topics? Somehow I doubt it.
I move in circles where nobody seems to pay any attention to the Oscars. I didn't even know about what happened until well into Monday. All I can say about it is that having somebody speak ugly about a loved one is understandably angering, but if you slap the offender upside the head you've just ceded the moral high ground yourself.
Quote from: apl68 on March 29, 2022, 07:37:24 AM
I move in circles where nobody seems to pay any attention to the Oscars. I didn't even know about what happened until well into Monday. All I can say about it is that having somebody speak ugly about a loved one is understandably angering, but if you slap the offender upside the head you've just ceded the moral high ground yourself.
And perhaps more important practically is that now the offending comment has had
vastly more publicity than it ever would have otherwise.
Quote from: marshwiggle on March 29, 2022, 07:39:42 AM
Quote from: apl68 on March 29, 2022, 07:37:24 AM
I move in circles where nobody seems to pay any attention to the Oscars. I didn't even know about what happened until well into Monday. All I can say about it is that having somebody speak ugly about a loved one is understandably angering, but if you slap the offender upside the head you've just ceded the moral high ground yourself.
And perhaps more important practically is that now the offending comment has had vastly more publicity than it ever would have otherwise.
As does the movie
G.I. Jane.
Quote from: mahagonny on March 28, 2022, 05:45:16 PM
QuoteThe director of all things woke at Artem U sends out an email once a week asking for our support, outrage, awareness, wailing, gnashing of teeth & rending of garments or whatever about the latest issue of the moment. I am now at the point where reading about the big meeting on Tuesday so we can all express our love and support for the latest entry in the Misery Olympics actually makes me angry.
So, 'the plight of the adjunct' (from your list) has been one of their topics? Somehow I doubt it.
Yeah. Too bad said adjuncts are not POC. Then we could all fall down crying at their sad, sad, lot in life.
Quote from: secundem_artem on March 29, 2022, 11:09:41 AM
Quote from: mahagonny on March 28, 2022, 05:45:16 PM
QuoteThe director of all things woke at Artem U sends out an email once a week asking for our support, outrage, awareness, wailing, gnashing of teeth & rending of garments or whatever about the latest issue of the moment. I am now at the point where reading about the big meeting on Tuesday so we can all express our love and support for the latest entry in the Misery Olympics actually makes me angry.
So, 'the plight of the adjunct' (from your list) has been one of their topics? Somehow I doubt it.
Yeah. Too bad said adjuncts are not POC. Then we could all fall down crying at their sad, sad, lot in life.
Indeed. Come to think of it, why are there so few black adjunct faculty? Only something like 7, 7 1/2 %.