The Invisible Counterpoint

My reply to Barbara Ehrenreich’s essay on Salon: Helping the stupid Depression story be told Re: To my own amazement, "Nickel and Dimed" quickly ascended to the bestseller list and began winning awards. Criticisms, too, have accumulated over the years. But for the most part, the book has been far better received than I could have imagined it would be, with an impact extending well into the more comfortable classes. Associating oneself in anyway with you gives one working class-sympathies cred, as well as appreciative-of-one-of-America's-foremost-essaysists cred (I mean, who dislikes you?). In addition, your extended sojourn amongst the untouchables didn't leave you exempted from where you'd been previously -- back once again to being one of America's NYRB foremost. In addition, your book was warzone adventure, from someone who lived, breathed, and even ate it, all its ghastliness. You really counted flinching from the frighteningly permanently ...

"But you -- the UBC Arts graduates of 2009 -- are well-equipped for challenges. You've learned to think critically, communicate well, and cooperate with others to achieve common goals. You've acquired a respect for the insights and accomplishment of past generations, so that you stand on the shoulders of giants -- rather than starting at ground level again." (Michael Byers, “Dear Grads, Help Save Us!,” The Tyee, May 27 2009) Last time I checked, this whole standing on the shoulders of giants thing was under about 50 years of non-stop challenge by people in the Arts, who pretty loudly assessed these giants as amounting to, well, giants -- that is, monsters. Faculty of Arts a bit on the conservative side at UBC? Or is it just tactically smart to feed students' parents what they want to hear (and can be expected to handle), that is, that will gloss their brood in genteel shine? The speech you delivered was no doubt truthful to your experience and sense of thin...

If what you're most concerned about is getting smart, creative kids, you might want to direct them to school themselves by going to itunes u. It's all lectures, unfortunately --which are never as truly educative as the back-and-forth. (But many Harvard undergrad classes are just large lectures, too, though: some significant education takes place in inadequate settings.) Anyway, not just putting money into the old system but finding different ways to think of education, should be the agenda. If the next few years look like just more and more spending cuts to education, maybe just say to hell with it, and get your kids hooked on itunes U. Berkeley's there! So too MIT! They want to reach you, not wait 'til you reach them! Plus, though it's slow in motion, true, it's part of a beginning trend to challenge the for-to-long unchallengeable surrection of the institutional degree as Saint, as assured transport to respectability and the middle class. Maybe check out...