Finding amusement in watching others fight it out

There are few things more amusing than watching your teacher (or most any authority figure) losing it and berating someone else. Those last two words are key, as being the object of an outburst would rarely be called 'amusing.'

Most of America, therefore, must be amused to observe various legislators reduced to mostly unhinged name-calling... of one another. 

One of the requirements of a civilized society is that people NOT resort to name-calling instead of rational debate, and that leads me to wonder just how civilized the U.S. really is right now. There is a laziness that lies at the heart of ad hominem attacks, such as one of Colorado's representatives calling another representative a potential suicide bomber. Or when an Arizona rep shares a crude video of himself beheading yet another female legislator. And the list goes on.

I grew up with "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," and I am tempted to apply that to today's America. In my hazy memory there really was a time past when the "winning" approach was to not fire back with return insults... and citizens, voters, etc., would eventually come to respect that "rising above the mudslinging."

But as a writing teacher I must acknowledge that at my core I believe that logic and words and rhetorical choices actually matter. To rise above can't mean we just dispense with all the features of good writing and persuasive arguments, relying instead on mutual hatred and distrust to keep at least some people on our side.

My motivation to continue teaching writing and expecting accuracy, logic, and clarity has now become quite simple: help one student at a time explore how strong thinking looks and how language reflects strong thinking (or does not). 

I had an epiphany of sorts a number of years ago that all my most effective teaching happened one-on-one, no matter how many students I had per class. I may have entertained larger numbers if I put together a particularly interesting lesson plan, but all my best student writers progressed partly due to conversations we had, views we shared, ideas we kicked around.

People don't like to think of themselves as just one among millions. They want to be "seen." They want to be acknowledged as individuals who possess some worth.

So I stick with teaching writing, hoping that those short responses and suggestions I share with each of my students produces small changes... or perhaps just sets something in motion. Teachers and politicians, to name two professions, may want to create mechanisms to make courses and positions more successful. But mechanisms always depend on simple cause and effect levers.

It turns out that cause and effect is rarely simple.