Syllabus #25

How has your week been?  Have you seen, heard, read, watched, or done anything interesting?  I hope the answer is yes to at least one of the above, or my follow up is, have you checked your pulse lately? 

Honestly, I love Slate but I wish I could diversify my readings a little bit more this week.  The thing is, I don't subscribe to The New York Times or The Atlantic and I've already blown through my free article allotments.  Beggars can't be choosers, although Andy once had a dude hit him up for food in a fast food joint, and when Andy offered him fries, dude turned them down and kept pushing for the chicken tendies.  That wasn't my story to tell, but let's not make it weird.

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Here's the good, the bad, and the aesthetically displeasing from the past week:

This just in:  Raffi is still alive and laying down fresh beats, and if memory serves he said a bad word in this article. 

This line of gender neutral/inclusive dolls is amazing.  I remember when it was a big deal that there was a doll named Kenya with dark skin and curly hair, but it was still reinforcing oppressive white beauty standards because a major selling point of the doll was that you could straighten her hair with magic lotion.  We've come a long way.

In other news of products created by people who meant well, are labradoodles canceled now?  I have no opinions on them, but whatever combination of breeds charlie is, is the true Frankenstein monster.  The worst, most jacked up labradoodle pales in comparison to his complete and utter lack of chill. 

 Dewey Dewey Dewey, can't you see? Sometimes your moves just victimize me.  Librarians cleaning house.

Daria is everything I ever wanted to be.

The struggle is real relative.

I think we're running out of ways to express dismay about the actual state of things.  Stranger than fiction.  WTF.  This can't be happening.  Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?  Is this even real?  I give up.

Reading:

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.  I have mixed emotions about this one.  I'm about three quarters of the way through it, and it has been eye opening to learn about his specific chaotic upbringing and the types of situations he observed first hand.  I know a lot of my students experience similar situations and hope that they have positive forces in their lives the same way the author was able to lean on his grandparents for stability and support.  I do feel like he waffles back and forth with the way he frames the problem of the white working class, though.  At many times he seems to place all the blame on individuals for their poor choices, while at others he acknowledges the systemic and cultural problems that give rise to those choices.  I guess it truly is a combination of both, and it's hard to talk about the macro-level and micro-level problems in the same breath, which is what makes it such a thorny issue to address in the first place.

Chances Are... by Richard Russo.  Actually I haven't yet started this one but it's cued up in my Kindle.  I can't even remember what compelled me to put it on hold at the library, but I'm excited to be surprised.

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Until next time, [insert calligraphy font vinyl decal trite motivational quote on your kitchen wall here].