Tuesday, November 11, 2014
NEW COMPETITION
OK. Here is a new competition for college-level teachers: What is the most egregious student failure to recognize a cultural reference in one of your classes? We could offer an old "What me worry?" Alfred E. Newman MAD Comics T-Shirt as a prize. I think I may have one around [very worn.]
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One of my acquaintances at Princeton showed a group of first-year students an iconic photo of Marx. Not a single one recognized him. I've just sent a friend request to you on Facebook so I can share it with you.
I should add: I meant, of course, Karl, not Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, or Gummo.
I was demonstrating the ad hominem fallacy this semester and gave the example that people say Annie Hall and others films should not be revered because Woody Allen is a potential pedophile. At first I realized no one in the class had seen or heard of Annie Hall, but to my greater surprise all but one or two students (out of 60ish), knew who Woody Allen was! And he's still making movies, and in the press for accused perverted behavior! Not to mention Blue Jasmine was a huge success, and they were old enough to experience it.
Well, some of my students knew who Yul Brenner was. Some (but not many) know of Dean Martin (why him? 'cause I use his theme song as an example of scope ambiguity in my baby logic class). John Coltrane, not so much.
On the rare occasions that I wear a tie, I sometimes wear one whose design includes the iconic images of Marx and Lenin. Even some faculty blank on that. Weird.
During a module on constructed languages, I was very excited to show the students a clip from the Esperanto movie "Incubus," starring William Shatner (acting in Esperanto about as well as he acts in English). "This is going to blow their minds," I thought. Nope. Most didn't recognize him, and those that did said "That's the guy from the Priceline commercials."
I once observed that in my day, professors used to observe that students failed to recognize cultural references. To say the least, not a one had any idea about what I was saying.
I had a very pious christian student claim that without god all things are possible during the trolley problem. I then said "So you're a fan of Dostoevsky", and he replied "who?"
Rihanna
Usher
Niecy Nash
"Call of Duty"
xkcd
Taught Nozick in my Global Justice course last fall. Only one student in the class - a basketball player - knew who Wilt Chamberlain was.
Teaching it again tomorrow. No athletes in my class this year. We'll see how it goes...
OK, Dostoyevsky I can see, but Wilt Chamberlain? Good grief, is there no justice?
Maybe I'm too presumptuous but I thought every Christian that's wrestled with morality has crossed paths with Fyodor!
Or at bare minimum had this name brought up in a high school class...
Also I must confess my sins, when I read the Wilt Chamberlain example recently, I thought he was some white CEO in England.... (I'm 28).
Utterly off topic, but this might interest Prof. Wolff and his readers:
Income Distribution And A Simple Labor Theory Of Value, by Robert Vienneau
http://robertvienneau.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/income-distribution-and-simple-labor.html
And,
Links. Ricardo is right. Sinn used to be right. Trichet was wrong (check point 6 and the link included)
It's not exactly about Marx, but about Ricardo's land rent (note particularly the finding that "After World War II, the elasticity of house prices with respect to income growth was close to or even greater than 1").
By Merijn Knibbe
http://rwer.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/links-ricardo-is-right-sinn-used-to-be-right-trichet-was-wrong/
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