I’m Back….And Raring To Go

And it looks like there is a lot to be done to my beloved, somewhat ignored blog. During my hiatus I have done quite a bit of reading and learning, but admittedly, I am guilty of indulging in the luxury of focusing on my teaching more than anything else. The result is that while I enjoyed my pedagogical immersion, the time has come to get the ball rolling again and finish what I started. To that end I have been working through my lists with pretty good speed, and will be setting the date for my exams in the next few weeks, and I am super excited.  Of course, the setting of the date comes with a certain amount of pressure, but I don’t think I’m any more worried than anyone else that has or will take them.

The interesting thing about reading for exams is that no matter how fast you try to get through the material, some ideas/theories will not be rushed. Then their is the negotiation of the information; most ideas have to marinate before I can write about them, and this makes the process longer. Despite repeated attempts at being efficient, my reading leads me to thinking about the triple duty that exams perform; they simultaneously inform our scholarship, prepare us for associate professorship, and teach us  a subtle lesson about professionalization. Once employed, making the time to do research and publish is probably going to be one of the most important challenges that I will face.  That coupled with the decreasing amounts of positions in my field, and the amount of department freezes that have been listed on the Rhet/Comp Wiki, there is no telling what the job market will be like when I become job ready. That said, I am still eager to finish my journey and begin the next chapter of my life; a new job, new place to live, and an opportunity to engage language in all the ways that can interrupt the current notions about what discourse is really about.  Yeah, I’m back and raring to go.

One step forward, two steps back?

Alarming. That’s the only word I can think of describe the most current happenings. I am very concerned about our new President-Elect. Apparently, the reason Michelle, Sasha, and Malea were not on stage at the time of his acceptance speech was because he feared they would witness his assassination. There were a few threats prior to the election, and now the threats are continuous. The latest threat came in the form of a promise to kill him before January 20th.

The overtness of racism in our beloved country has reached a new level. Since the election, there have been racist incidents across the country. In Virginia,  students whose families are against Obama turned their backs on the flag during the pledge of allegiance. In Staten Island, a young man was beaten by 4 white young men wielding bats, screaming “Obama” as they struck him. On the Baylor College campus, a clothesline was used to create a noose that was then flung over a tree branch, obviously mimicking a lynching. And finally, a cross was burned on the lawn of Obama supporters in New Jersey. Perhaps the most compelling thing about these events is the exposure of how dangerous our country has become. Why are we fighting a war to (supposedly) ensure democracy in the Middle East, while the citizens of our own great country have no respect for the Democratic process? Can you say physician heal thyself? Now more than ever we need to invest in our country, our problems, and perhaps more importantly our deficiencies.

We, as a country. are in real danger if these incidents persist. What will happen if Obama is indeed assassinated? Those of us that have waited a lifetime for this moment are not going to continue to tolerate these types of threats to OUR rights. Instead of concerning ourselves with leading the way when it comes to the global economy, wars, and being a ’super-power’, perhaps the time has come to lead by example.If having a Black president isn’t progress, than what is?

White Priviledge, Republican Style

This from Tim wise, who articulates white priviledge in a way that only he can do…

http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/this-your-nation-white-privilege

This Just In…

I just got this from Kathryn Ortiz, courtesy of the Latino Caucus listserv…Thanks, Kathryn! Folks, this is yet another example of why we need to get the Republicans out of office!

Examples of “Palinese”: a language of the double standard:

If you’re a minority and you’re selected for a job over more
qualified   candidates you’re a ‘token hire.’

If you’re a conservative and you’re   selected for a job over
more qualified candidates you’re a ‘game   changer.’

Black teen pregnancies? A ‘crisis’ in black America.
White teen pregnancies? A ‘blessed event.’

If you grow up in Hawaii you’re ‘exotic.’
Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you’re the quintessential
‘American story.’

Similarly, if you name you kid Barack you’re ‘unpatriotic.’
Name your kid Track, you’re ‘colorful.’

If you’re a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting
the   individual, you’re ‘reckless.’
A Republican who doesn’t fully vet is a   ‘maverick.’

If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your
organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000
to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard
Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000
new African American voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional
Law   professor, then spend nearly 8 more years as a State Senator
representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming
chairman  of the state Senate’s Health and Human Services
committee, then  spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate
representing a  state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 131
bills and serving  on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public
Works and Veteran’s  Affairs committees (whew!), you are woefully inexperienced.

If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor
of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as
the governor of a state with 650,000 people, you’ve got the most
executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the
Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and therefore well
qualified  to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so
because  your state is the closest state to Russia.

If you are a Democratic male candidate who is popular with
millions of people you are an ‘arrogant celebrity’.
If you are a popular republican female candidate you are ‘energizing the base’.

If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself
and makes his own decisions you are ‘presumptuous’.

If you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions
you refuse to explain, you are a ” ’shoot from the hip’ maverick.”

If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are   ‘an
elitist ‘out of touch’ with the real America.
If you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis,
with multiple disciplinary infractions, you are a “hero”.

If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you
are an ‘empty suit’.
If you are a part time mayor of a town of   7000 people, you
are an ‘experienced executive’.

If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are ‘extremist’.
If you believe in creationism and don’t believe global warming is
man  made, you are ’strongly principled’.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left
your  disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month,
you’re a   Christian.
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years with whom
you are raising 2  daughters, you’re ‘risky’.

If you’re a black single mother of 4 who waits for 22 hours after
her  water breaks to seek medical attention, you’re an
irresponsible parent,   endangering the life of your unborn child.
But if you’re a white married mother who waits 22 hours, you’re spunky.

If you’re a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press
calls you   ‘First dog.’
If you’re a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican,
the   right-wing press calls you ‘beautiful’ and ‘courageous.’

If you kill an endangered species, you’re an excellent hunter.
If you have an abortion you’re not a Christian, you’re a murderer
(Even if it resulted from rape!)

If you teach abstinence only in sex education, you get teen parents.
If you teach responsible age appropriate sex education, including
the   proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

Palin the Playful Pundit

After watching Palin’s acceptance speech, and having my intelligence insulted, I felt inspired to make a few observations…

Sarah says, the difference between governor and community organizer is responsibility.  There is undoubtedly a difference, but here it is: The first includes payment for services rendered, recognition, and personal gain.  The latter is predicated on altruism; a community organizer gets no glory-accepts no payment, and while not devoid of ambition, it is certainly not the sole motivation.

Sarah says: We must challenge the status quo, but to do this you would have to:

1. stop the war, not glorify it by focusing your speech on who “fought for the American people” and will continue to do so.

2. Plan for alternative fuel sources instead of initiating the battle cry of her party: DRILL, DRILL DRILL

3. Care about ALL children, not just those with special needs (although this does serve to demonstrate her tunnel vision).

Sarah says: I make appropriate cuts, I sold the jet on E-bay, and I fired the chef!  I have vetoed enough propositions to save the state of Alaska half a million (or billion?) dollars.  Question: What did she veto in order to save half a million dollars? What an interesting omission! What does that tell us? That fiscal wealth (at any cost) is what she will be helping McCain endorse. AND HOW MUCH DID SHE GET FOR THE JET?

During her self conratulatory speech, Sarah says: she “returned revenue where it belonged-to the people of Alaska-by telling Congress “thanks but no thanks” on a business proposition to build pipelines. How was that revenue returned, and who got it?

Sarah says: she sealed the deal for the gas pipeline. Now we know who to thank for the (inevitable) environmental fallout. But then again, she doesn’t believe that homosapiens have anything to do with the destruction of the Earth. Hey Sarah! Have you ever heard the phrase “GO GREEN”?

Sarah says: We need to stop depending on other countries for our oil and other natural resources. She also claims that “SHE” has plenty (in Alaska).  Who knew it was her’s to parcel out? But, Sarah, do you have a plan for when “YOUR” resources run out? Because as the largest consumers of natural resources in the world the (entire) U.S. is gonna be in trouble when YOUR oil/gas runs out!

Sarah says: We need more nuclear plants. Apparently, there are threats lurking behind every corner. Wait-isn’t that how we got into this mess in the first place. And yes, by mess I mean WAR. Now your thinking Sarah! More nuclear plants are just what we need to kill more young people!  And the axis of evil is the Middle East?

Sarah says: Obama has written two memoirs, but has not authored a single law! Well, little Sarah, perhaps the reason for that is that instead of surrounding himself with lobbyists and the like, he has more to contribute to the country at large than ABSOLUTE MONARCHY.

Sarah says: Obama never uses the word victory when he talks about the war.  Perhaps that is because death and destruction benefit no one. PEACE, however, benfits EVERYONE.

Sarah pokes fun at Obama’s plan for the environment, and claims that she will be working to end our dependence on foriegn oil while Obama is “turning back the waters and healing the planet”.  CHEEKY, but tranparent.  Then again,  I guess her promise to turn water into wine (by way of less taxes) for the Republicans is a better plan. Especially since she’s so into (gunshot) weddings.

Sarah says: Obama wants to tax the rich. YES HE DOES. She got that one right. Good for her! BUT, little Sarah, that raise will only apply to those that can afford it, where as the republican way is to save more money for those who already have plenty. Of course your supporters are angered by this-because it means that the time for hiding their fiscal assest is at an end. Sarah, the American people includes the poor. Maybe you should try to wrap your head around that.

Sarah says: Obama wants to end the war now that we are on the verge of a victory in Iraq. What victory in Iraq? I must have missed the memo-or the cease fire that usually accompanies a VICTORY.

Sarah says: Obama is worried about the Miranda Rights? Yes, he’s worried about obeying the LAW while seeking JUSTICE, not utilizing the power given to the commander and chief to behave in a way that reflects the same kind of terrorism that the current WHITE HOUSE claims to be fighting against.

Sarah says: McCain is not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one. Yes, we know Sarah. That’s why he’s done all of Bush’s dirty work all of these years. If he were as brave as you claim, he would have maintained his maverick status and stuck to his political agenda.

Sarah says: The journey is not supposed to be about personal discovery. Really? How many times has she discovered, uncovered, and recovered from her public scandals and purposeful misrepresentations concerning her family? Clearly she hasn’t discovered her future son in law’s MySpace page. You know, the one where he states quite clearly that he doesn’t want any children?

Finally, Sarah implies that her experience as a governor makes her more qualified than Obama. How can she compare the governance of her state population (655,435) to anything. There are more people on my beloved island of MANHATTAN (1,537,195) then in the state where she promoted so much (self- proclaimed) change.

But hey Sarah, at least you have snappy comebacks! Oh wait- those comebacks really belong to the CURRENT SPEECH WRITER FOR PRESIDENT BUSH. Damn, you can even write your own stuff?  Hey Sarah, your not in Juneau anymore!

Fall Season

While many have been looking forward to the fall sports season, I have been looking forward to a new semester. Despite my melancholy concerning the impending snow and cold, I was anxious to get back to teaching, and meeting new students. Usually, I form an attachment to my students and am sorry to see the semester end, but I have to say that the summer session does not qualify-and here’s why: I taught on-line. Now before you all take me to task for condemning technological progress and convenience, please allow me to state my case.

The summer session started off smoothly, as I had expected given the fact that I had received some training in on line teaching (thanks to George R.) and was putting into practice all that I learned. The fun stopped when I realized that more than half of my students believed that they could do nothing (or very little) and get good grades! For the most part, the issues were varied, but the biggest complaint I have is the gross lack of respect I had to tolerate.  The funny thing is that all that bravado is nothing more than virtual muscle flexing-because I know damn well these students wouldn’t have dared to behave that way in my classroom or to my face. Virtual muscles aside, they are not that crazy!  One student asked me not to waste his time by e-mailing him (which is funny, since it was an on line course, making e-mails a necessary evil), another accused me of not understanding how hard it was to take an on line course, and yet another didn’t even bother to do his papers, and told me he was quite content just to pass and get it over with.   I have to admit my solution is simply this: drop the damn course if you can’t (or won’t) do the work.  And if you don’t want to drop the course, then don’t complain about the consequences of your choice.

Sometimes I am truly amazed at the lack of regard for education, and the sense of entitlement that many of these students have.  For me, higher education is not a birthright, it is a privilege. So I am always amazed when students perpetually miss classes, ignore their academic responsibility, and actually have the nerve to fight at the end of the semester when they get exactly what they have earned: a poor grade. Suffice it to say that I was curious about teaching an online course, and so I requested to teach one. Now that my curiosity has been sated, I am over it. Give me the face-to-face-deal any day of the week.

But this negative expereince has been repaid in spades this semester. My reward, you ask? I have two sections of WRT 105, with students that are so smart I am thrilled to be their teacher! Even at 8 in the morning they are prepared to engage in discussion, offer their opinions, and ask questions. The 9:30 class is just as savvy, and even more awake and just as ready to learn.  I have some poets, some engineers, some VPA students, many from NYC, a few from Puerto Rico (YAY!), and many that are bilingual!  Like we say…No hay mal que por bien no venga!  Gracias a Dios!

On Death and Burials

Check out Kurt’s contribution to the rhetoric surrounding death, burial, consumerism, and ecology. Good stuff.

Malcolm X = Empowerment?

Here’s the latest: a Latina teacher is fired for being to “Afro-centric” in her teaching!  Because she tries to make up for the skewed history taught in most classrooms, her reward is termination-and don’t miss this-by her African American principal.  I realize that curriculum(s) must adhere to certain standards, but when a teacher is fired because of something like this, you have to ask yourself if education is the next bridge to freedom facing demolition.  We tell our children & students that if they work hard and study, they might have a chance at impacting the cycle of poverty that has prevented so many of their (our) ancestors from obtaining financial success.  We tell them that while meritocracy is really a bullshit concept, there is something to be said about the opportunities that are available now compared to 50 years ago. But is that the crux of the problem? Are we, as under-represented people, finally getting an authentic shot at (some semblance) of equality? Perhaps that is the issue at hand-that by exposing the corruption and systemic racism embedded within the history of our country through texts ( like Malcolm X), we are arming our students with the power to interrupt  (and possibly prevent?) the newest version of repression.  What we can tell clearly by this event is that fear is a powerful emotion.  And that fact that the instructor is both a Woman AND Latina? Don’t get me started on that one!

Victor’s Post

Victor Villanueva first post on the CCCC’s blog devoted to diversity can be found here: http://cccc-blog.blogspot.com/

I hope everyone takes a minute to read it.

CCCC’s Blog on Diversity

CCCC’s has created a blog that will be devoted exclusively to diversity issues.  According to the blog description, every two weeks a guest writer will post/initiate a conversation devoted to a particular issue that warrants intellectual discussion and response. The first guest blogger will be Victor Villanueva, and his post is set to appear on 29 May. Let’s do what we can to see that this blog not only has respondents, but productive conversations that might go beyond the blogosphere.  As we all know, diversity is an issue that has yet to establish a strong foothold within our discipline, despite the occasional nods, guest editors to our journal, and public displays of acknowledgment.