I am in class. Dressed in a sky-blue Brook's Brothers cardigan buttoned to my collar bone, the sleeves end precisely where they should and my black boots start from the perfect hem. Surrounding me, in a semi-circle facing the board, are my peers decked out in their charity shop clothes. Mind you, not the Regent St charity shop, but the other charity shops on Main St.
I am enrolled in an international studies class as an elective, the topic being global conflict. It is a pseudo-subject, a quack course, if you must. It has all the pretense of a serious class concerning itself with the state of the world and the resolution of conflict over the course of the contemporary world. It's subscribers are the artsy (and kitschy) kind who spurt theories and tainted versions of history like they wrote it themselves the night before. The arrogant, full-of-shit ones are the easiest to distinguish: they come to class dressed in hemp and carry cloth bags adorned with psychedelic art/ethnic or tribal designs/environment or political messages. More often than not, they possess what in their opinion are edgy or norm-defining haircuts though it is plain to see that it is but an amateur version of Kelly Osbourne's bob. But most annoying of all, these people refuse to shut the fuck up. They are rude, self-absorbed, have no respect for anyone else's opinion and insensitive to the diversity that makes up a classroom. It is shameful that the learning process is impeded, retarded even, by the disgraceful pompous attitudes of a few.
I personally believe that university is the breeding ground of genius and academic excellence and profound wisdom is evident in both our tutors and our peers (given, not all but the notion of respect and equality calls for such an assumption until proven wrong). We are granted equal access to the pursuit of knowledge and therefore each opinion, whether declared with a squeak or bellowed thunderously, must be weighed with equitable consideration - even if just meeting with courtesy's demands. Therefore I am often disgusted by attitudes that in my opinion festers ignorance (failure to correct aforementioned asswipe is considered an accomplice and hence, asswipe by association) and violates the value of another person's opinion.
Interestingly, my encounters with asswipes occur mostly in the arts courses. I have no prevailing theory or hypothesis to explain this phenomena except to say that lousy fashion choices and lice-infested hair does not justify bad attitudes!
I am enrolled in an international studies class as an elective, the topic being global conflict. It is a pseudo-subject, a quack course, if you must. It has all the pretense of a serious class concerning itself with the state of the world and the resolution of conflict over the course of the contemporary world. It's subscribers are the artsy (and kitschy) kind who spurt theories and tainted versions of history like they wrote it themselves the night before. The arrogant, full-of-shit ones are the easiest to distinguish: they come to class dressed in hemp and carry cloth bags adorned with psychedelic art/ethnic or tribal designs/environment or political messages. More often than not, they possess what in their opinion are edgy or norm-defining haircuts though it is plain to see that it is but an amateur version of Kelly Osbourne's bob. But most annoying of all, these people refuse to shut the fuck up. They are rude, self-absorbed, have no respect for anyone else's opinion and insensitive to the diversity that makes up a classroom. It is shameful that the learning process is impeded, retarded even, by the disgraceful pompous attitudes of a few.
I personally believe that university is the breeding ground of genius and academic excellence and profound wisdom is evident in both our tutors and our peers (given, not all but the notion of respect and equality calls for such an assumption until proven wrong). We are granted equal access to the pursuit of knowledge and therefore each opinion, whether declared with a squeak or bellowed thunderously, must be weighed with equitable consideration - even if just meeting with courtesy's demands. Therefore I am often disgusted by attitudes that in my opinion festers ignorance (failure to correct aforementioned asswipe is considered an accomplice and hence, asswipe by association) and violates the value of another person's opinion.
Interestingly, my encounters with asswipes occur mostly in the arts courses. I have no prevailing theory or hypothesis to explain this phenomena except to say that lousy fashion choices and lice-infested hair does not justify bad attitudes!
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