Say goodbye to one crappy year

I see posts all over social media and even in daily papers about how Americans are down on the economy and government and so many other of the "usual suspects" when it's time to be negative about the state of the world.

But have you gone to a mall lately? I don't know how many dollars people are spending but there are sure a lot of folks out spending (or at least browsing). 

Gas is $2.39/gallon today and I will use some King Soopers points this weekend to fill up at a dollar off THAT amount. 

Americans spent 3-5 percent more this Christmas than last year. 

Yes, lots of desperate people are crossing our southern border in search of something even a little better than what they were suffering through in Venezuela or China or Haiti, etc. During the season where we sing about "no room at the inn," we play the part of Scrooge quite willingly. 

"Hey, we're already here. Forget how we got here," Americans proclaim. "You people are late and are not invited. Sure, we need you to do a bunch of crappy jobs and help grow our economy, but don't bother us with facts or reason. Happy New Year!"

I was thinking of what Joe Biden must be thinking these days as most of America clambors for him to drop his reelection bid. "Thanks for nothing, Joe,'" says most of the public. "Yes, you've done a solid job but we want something new and shiny... like Trump???"

It's tough to love a country so dominated by morons, or at least moronic ideas and misconceptions. But I resolve to try to be a bit more forgiving even of the "I'm voting for Trump because there is an 'R' after his name" crowd. 

I want to act all high and mighty and condemn all those sanctimonious people who seem to have signed off on a president who is more vulgar and bigoted and dictatorial than any of them would ever accept in themselves. At some point, when you shrug off immoral actions and beliefs as "just politics," you are shrugging off your own immorality.

Oh, crap. See, I just lapsed back into lecturing and sermonizing... The good news is that there are two days until any 2024 resolutions will kick in, so consider this one last sigh of exasperation. 

Post-semester blues give way to new ideas

The end of a semester is a great opportunity to do some whining, experience some regret, and make plans for a better future... at least, that's how they have affected me for decades. 

The month between college semesters is the perfect time to browse great writing from across the internet, though I tend to favor sources like the New York Times and Washington Post since the writers usually confine themselves to under-800 words. That allows for a clear thesis and for a bit of depth without overwhelming readers with overly complex writing. 

And when I am looking for models for my college writers, I am acutely aware that giving them 2,000+ word essays means most of them will simply skip that reading. Those students didn't sign up for a literature class. They want to sharpen their writing... well, mostly they want to fulfill a graduation requirement. 

I spend a couple hours each morning with coffee, some sort of pastry, and my iPad, reading whatever appeals to me in the online NYT and Post sites, along with the "replica" version of the Denver Post and the non-profit Colorado Sun. I often detour into The Athletic, part of my Times subscription, searching for signs of an exciting Iowa football offense in the future or reveling in the latest exploits of Caitlin Clark. I also subscribe to the print version of The Atlantic magazine... though I confess that I probably spend more time reading online articles that come in a digest each afternoon than thumbing through the monthly publication. 

To my chagrin, I only open a novel a couple times a week. Reading fiction and nonfiction books more regularly is a great resolution for my 2024 list. 

But when my biorhythms dip mid-afternoon, my go-to is more likely to be old episodes of "Moonlighting." David and Maddie and their rapid-fire arguments (with underlying flirtation) is not something you get much in modern TV series. The show itself barely acknowledges the idea of a logical plot and Bruce Willis spouts wisecracks even while a bad guy if firing a pistol (or a hand-held laser in one season one episode). 

The show is a bit dated (from the mid-80s) but the vivid characters and the joy in playing with language make the show a treasure. I look forward to stealing some interchanges to repurpose in some future readers theater scripts though only patrons over the age of 60 will have even vague memories of the show (or of a young Mr. Willis and a stunning Cybill Shepherd). Agnes Dipesto answering the phone in rhyme remains one of the best recurring bits in TV history.

I have often wished that in my real life I could be as quick with a line as Harold Hill. And Bruce Willis gives the professor a run for his money in terms of speed and wit and saucy attitude.

It takes a special talent to write such rapid fire dialog, combing precision with "hearing" the words as they will be spoken by the actors. A speciality of "Moonlighting" is overlapping dialog, where both David and Addie are blithely speaking about their own situation and may not even be sharing the same topic. Yet a viewer can pick up the gist of both speakers. 

Speaking of rapid fire: I have already downloaded and reformatted several fine writing models for next semester, with topics ranging from how pizza became an iconic American dish to why "rizz" was the 2023 word of the year, to why most younger people think putting a period at the end of a text is odd, perhaps threatening and certainly overly formal.

They range from 800 to 1,200 words and I even add annotations to provide a bit of direction to my college readers. We may be online but even a pale version of in-class comments and insights adds to my enjoyment of the courses. 

As for the students? Who knows?

It's still true that no one ever went broke underestimating American ignorance

"Powell shouldn’t expect too many attaboys from the press. Good news does not sell as well as hysteria."

Jennifer Rubin commentary on Dec. 15, 2023

Not to be hopelessly repetitive and naive, but this is a good week to remind ourselves that it is human nature, and certainly the nature of news reporting, to place more attention on bad news than good news. The quote above refers to the media not giving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell much credit for the American economy closing in on recovering from the pandemic disruptions without going into recession.

Inflation has cooled from over 9 percent to just above 3 percent over the past six months. Mortgage rates have dipped, if only slightly, with prospects for further decreases. Gasoline prices have plunged, with steady per gallon reductions over several months. 

If the common wisdom of people voting in accord with their pocketbooks holds, President Biden should be coasting to reelection and the national mood should be at least cautiously optimistic. He is not doing any coasting, of course, and the national mood continues to be dark and dangerous.

Of course there is a lot of bad news, from war in Ukraine to war in Gaza to antisemitism on some campuses and in lots of the broader country. Men continue to exert power over women in any way they can, with the latest battlegrounds being over abortion restrictions. In Texas, for example, it appears that a woman may obtain an abortion only after she faces death (and maybe simply dies). I guess the ultimate power over women is to deny them their lives. Men are under some pressure to stop assaulting women, though that will never end, leaving abortion restrictions a nice option for males who thirst for any sort of power over others.

The press will continue to report on all the bad news and should do that, of course. Ignorance really is NOT bliss. But wouldn't it be nice to see some headlines that might help balance some of the original coverage that focused on disaster and discord and doom (hey, that's a lot of "d" words)?

I read that a majority of Americans polled say that their own personal economic situation is fine, and their neighborhood seems OK... but what about the country?

I also read that most Americans with children enrolled in public schools are very supporting of their schools and teachers and educational goals more generally. Most of the negative views are from the childless and the elderly who have not had much, if any, connection with schools in many years. 

I'm not sure how to confront or persuade people who are content to spout all sorts of unsupported claims, most based on sheer ignorance. Cable news and Russian bots provide the tribal connections the ignorant need to maintain their fictional positions. 

My hope is that, eventually, reality and truth are revealed. When Americans see that they are actually doing OK (did you see that the stock market just reached a record high?), that the government is working to support a wide range of issues and people, and that all the made-up culture wars have nothing to do with them, isn't it time to dial down the outrage and anger?

Where the children are all above average

We are entering a traditional couple weeks of discontent for many college students, where past neglect of some assignments, accumulated missed deadlines, and dubious choices about balancing their various interests and obligations produce panic and regret.

As an adjunct professor, I receive a selection of classic "I am pleading for a chance to complete some extra credit to help me earn a higher mark" emails each semester, this semester being no exception. It is also shocking... shocking, I say! to learn of sudden illnesses and sad deaths of family pets or worse, hurried visits to see dying relatives one last time. 

To requests for extensions of due dates, I invariably say something like, "I am so sorry about your illness/your family stress. Of course you can have a couple extra days. I look forward to seeing your work soon."

I know. Weak. Why even post assignment deadlines when they are nearly always flexible? I even accept late work when no communication came my way, simply deducting some points from scores depending upon just how late the assignments are submitted. The record is about 60 days late, which basically meant the highest score possible for that student was 50 percent. Not good but not fatal.

I am sure I am adding to the sense among my fellow Americans that all rules are flexible and even pointless... and that deadlines like showing up to work on time and meeting important deadlines can always be subject to further conversation. 

I really do prefer to see samples of student writing rather than simply assign failing grades (though I must admit that entering a zero for a missing assignment is quite easy and even satisfying in the moment). 

For many college students taking my courses online, their course grade has only a vague relationship to their ability to write a clear argument, I'm afraid. So, I'm not sure precisely what the grades I assign really mean to anyone interested in hiring graduates or admitting them to graduate programs. I guess grades mostly reference student ability to meet deadlines and do adequate work. Most of my CSU students, in the end, earn either an A- or an A. This is despite the fact that most are mediocre writers, at best.

In a recent New York Times report on an analysis of grades at Yale, the researchers found that over 80 percent of Yale undergrads earned at least an A- last year. When everyone gets an A, I hope we can agree that grades are not much of a measuring stick.

On the other hand, if almost all students meet requirements and even produce solid work, is it fair to impose some sort of artificial limit on how many A's can be awarded in any one class? 

I could go on for pages on the philosophy of grading and on what grades might actually mean, but what I spent more time thinking about as I read about those Yale grades was that I have lost my inclination to care much about what mark a student earns (as long as the student earns at least a C, the lowest grade the two colleges I teach for will accept as "passing"). 

What I really care about is evidence that a student can build a compelling argument in the form of an essay or report or memo or even email. Their showing this ability is what will carry over and eventually add to their future success in business or nursing or engineering or teaching. 

Mostly, they all just need to graduate and get on with their lives. That degree is just a basic qualification, and the idea that I possess enough information and wisdom to sort all those college kids before the "real world" gets a chance is just silly. It is pointless for one lowly adjunct to hold the line against grade inflation or grade fictions.

How do I know this? Just check my pay stubs for my work.

Wallowing in pessimism today

I had not realized that I missed last Thursday.. and then remembered that it was Thanksgiving and family was here, airport runs were made, too much food was eaten... so I am forgiving myself (it's handy to be able to give yourself that grace). 

And now, back to the news. In a near-perfect demonstration of how American politics has descended into performance art over any semblance of substance, George Santos was voted out of the House today. Any Americans paying attention must have found this circus quite entertaining, beyond any wild plot Hollywood could write (now that screen writers can do that again).

New York voters were bamboozled by his brazen lies and must now feel chastened. Perhaps someone in the news media or even the political party hierarchy should take a look at all candidates running in the 2024 elections, just to, you know, avoid the most blatant grifters and charlatans.

I know. How naive of me. The House and Senate are full of grifters and perhaps always have been. But Santos created a basic standard that no one should squeeze under. 

That it took 11 months to eject this joker from the House of Representatives is what I mean by voters and politicians abandoning any interest in good legislation and providing complex protections for our 330 million citizens. 

This criticism does NOT apply to both parties equally, at least in the current climate, with Republicans continuing to cling to a fat, slimy old man who proudly declares that he will "rule" over the country in any way he sees fit should he be elected next November. 

President Biden is not engaging in showboating and performance and is taking all sorts of hits for that choice. He doesn't make for good TV and rarely shares something alarming on social media. The economy is the envy of the rest of the world right now, as we seem to be balancing somewhat higher inflation with avoiding a recession after the pandemic. 

The price of a gallon of gas, for instance, has decreased daily for nearly two months, but you would be hard-pressed to find headlines about that. Apparently, many of our fellow citizens will only be satisfied if prices for gas returned to 40 cents a gallon... the definition of wishful thinking.

What Americans most want is MORE... particularly those who have quite a bit. 

Many Democrats say they can't support Biden in 2024 because he hasn't managed to stop all killing in Gaza while eliminated Hamas as an organization and creating a Palestinian state by the end of the year.  That means that some of our most progressive neighbors have decided to defend (sometimes violently) a foreign state that is opposed to nearly every progressive value they support, from women's rights to free expression to academic freedom. 

Long live Hamas!

I guess it's the right of each American to be a dumb ass (I reserve that right for myself, of course). Maybe we deserve the coming spectacle of Democrats and independents sitting out a presidential election or wasting their vote on some aged Third Party politicians (and they are all ancient) who will likely hand the Electoral College to a doddering fool who fancies himself a savior of the nation.  

Perhaps when Trump becomes de facto emperor in early 2025, THAT might be the shock to waken the population to their failure to be an informed citizenry and members of what we have long bragged was society's "best hope."