My University Produces Idiots
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This link will bring you to an article in the University of Minnesota's M Magazine. Here are a few select quotes from it that led me to write a fairly discouraged letter to the editor which I have pasted below as well as the response to the letter.
Selected Qoutes:
When you have serious discussion with your friends, what do you talk about?
"We talk about politics, religion, boys, our families, shopping, parties, clothes...." says Evenson. "We debate little things [in politics]. Like some of us are Democrats and some are Republicans, but we all agree that Condoleeza Rice is cool.... We'll have a conversation and we're talking about different views, but we aren't trying to sway people to the other side."
So let me get this straight, when you have "serious discussions" you talk about shopping, parties, and clothes? Geebus! I'd hate to hear a casual conversation.
What do you see as the greatest challenge facing your generation?
Evenson thinks the biggest challenge is finding a good leader for her generation. "You don't hear anything from our generation [yet]," she says. "We'll have to wait until we're about 30 to see who's going to be a leader."
She's also concerned about increasingly violent and seemingly bizarre crimes. "Most everyone has this moral sense of dignity and common sense," she says. "But then there are these freaky people... If that's all that makes the headlines, maybe there's a [real moral problem in society]."
Damn, it's always those "freaky people" I wish we could just deport them or something.
How do you feel about the war in Iraq, as well as the potential for a draft?
Evenson's opinions have varied, but her current stance is firm. "Since we're already over in Iraq, I think you have to support it, because we have people over there who are dying, and if you don't support it, that means you're not valuing their lives." She says that during her junior year of high school, when the war began, she "wasn't all for it," but now that our troops are there, we "have to deal with it. There's no point protesting it, because that's... a waste of time."
As I point out in my letter, that's just horrifying flawed logic. If you don't support a cause in which people are willing to die for then you don't value their lives? I value a lot of people's lives whose causes I don't support.
What are your thoughts on career vs. family after you finish with school?
Evenson's plan? "I would like to work for about two years--more or less--and then get married, have maybe three kids, and never work again. That's what my mom did. I want to stay at home, volunteer at the kids' school, etc. We're talking about the soccer mom thing, only without the minivan.
"I envision a nice life. I'll be happy."
Nice attitude, obviously someone is working very hard at getting their MRS. Degree. Pathetic.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Dear M Magazine,
I was skimming through the Spring 2005 edition when I came across the Class of 2008 article. In the context of an issue celebrating the strides Title IX has made for the female student athletes in Minnesota and nation wide, I was very disheartened by the responses expressed by LynAnne Evenson in the Q & A session printed in the Class of 2008 article. Now I might even be pleased that M didnít select the most intelligent and articulate students they could find to show off the brilliant minds the University if producing, but the responses from Evenson definitely do arouse some curiosity as to how these two students were selected as representatives of the freshman class.
Responding to the question of "What do you see as the greatest challenge facing your generation?" Evenson says that she feels some confidence in the goodness of people as a whole "But then there are these freaky people. If that's all that makes the headlines, maybe there's a [real moral problem in society]." Could you elaborate on who these "freaky" people are so I can do my best to avoid them in the future? This "unique" (for lack of a better word) logic continues in her next response as she answers how she feels about the war and the possibility of a draft. This quote is the one two that M chose to highlight in the article. "Since weíre already over in Iraq, I think you have to support it, because we have people over there who are dying, and if you donít support it, that means youíre not valuing their lives." Huh? I'm really trying to do the math on this one, but it just doesn't add up. So what she's telling us is that if people are dying for a cause and you don't support it you're not valuing their lives? I suppose it would therefore be safe to assume that the anti-war movement, which wishes to bring the soldiers home alive isn't valuing their lives because they don't support the war? Well, Evenson says she "wasn't all for the it," at first, but now she has come to the conclusion that "There's no point in protesting it, because that's a waste of time." Well I'd really hate to waste the time of such a bright student who clearly is too busy investing herself in her future to be bothered by the troubles of the world. "I would like to work for about two years more or less---and then get married, have maybe three kids, and never work again..We're talking about the soccer mom thing, only without the minivan. I envision a nice life. I'll be happy." Please thank Evenson for reminding us that Feminism is about choice. Her future of volunteering at the kids' school aside, what I don't understand is why the University of Minnesota chose to send me a publication that profiles the life of a student who shows no interest in making use of her education and then has the nerve to ask me for money to support the U. I envision a happy life too, one in which the University doesn't remind me how many students it produces that seem to lack any redeeming character every time I write another check for my loans.
Thank you,
(Suspeckted) UMD Class of 2003
RESPONSE TO LETTER:
Hi (Suspeckted),
Thought I'd send a quick response to your note, as I am the person who wrote the Class of 2008 story (as well as Title IX) and probably know the most about it.
Thanks for your letter; we appreciate your detailed and obviously heartfelt response. Just to let you know, we were excited about the idea of following two students throughout the course of the year to get their take on what it's like to be a freshman at the U, plus follow their ups and downs, etc. We didn't have students in mind, although we were searching for some diversity. Ultimately, I used the names of a few students that the Office of Admissions provided me, talked to them on the phone, and hoped that they'd be suitable for the long haul. Once I did the first interviews with them, there wasn't much turning back.
Not to defend LynAnne, because I certainly don't agree with all of her opinions and her take on life, but she is just one person--one fairly random person--who I thought was a good voice for the mix, given that she's a first-generation college student from an inner-city school. Quite obviously, those are just her opinions, and not representative of the whole student body, either here or at any of the other campuses. I'm also guessing that--agree with her or not--she's probably not the only student who feels that way about the war. Who knows, her opinions may change again in a year or two.
We certainly had some mixed feelings about her responses and how they'd be taken, and that's just a little bit of the background and rationale. Again, thanks for your note and your time. Cheers.
--Rick
This link will bring you to an article in the University of Minnesota's M Magazine. Here are a few select quotes from it that led me to write a fairly discouraged letter to the editor which I have pasted below as well as the response to the letter.
Selected Qoutes:
When you have serious discussion with your friends, what do you talk about?
"We talk about politics, religion, boys, our families, shopping, parties, clothes...." says Evenson. "We debate little things [in politics]. Like some of us are Democrats and some are Republicans, but we all agree that Condoleeza Rice is cool.... We'll have a conversation and we're talking about different views, but we aren't trying to sway people to the other side."
So let me get this straight, when you have "serious discussions" you talk about shopping, parties, and clothes? Geebus! I'd hate to hear a casual conversation.
What do you see as the greatest challenge facing your generation?
Evenson thinks the biggest challenge is finding a good leader for her generation. "You don't hear anything from our generation [yet]," she says. "We'll have to wait until we're about 30 to see who's going to be a leader."
She's also concerned about increasingly violent and seemingly bizarre crimes. "Most everyone has this moral sense of dignity and common sense," she says. "But then there are these freaky people... If that's all that makes the headlines, maybe there's a [real moral problem in society]."
Damn, it's always those "freaky people" I wish we could just deport them or something.
How do you feel about the war in Iraq, as well as the potential for a draft?
Evenson's opinions have varied, but her current stance is firm. "Since we're already over in Iraq, I think you have to support it, because we have people over there who are dying, and if you don't support it, that means you're not valuing their lives." She says that during her junior year of high school, when the war began, she "wasn't all for it," but now that our troops are there, we "have to deal with it. There's no point protesting it, because that's... a waste of time."
As I point out in my letter, that's just horrifying flawed logic. If you don't support a cause in which people are willing to die for then you don't value their lives? I value a lot of people's lives whose causes I don't support.
What are your thoughts on career vs. family after you finish with school?
Evenson's plan? "I would like to work for about two years--more or less--and then get married, have maybe three kids, and never work again. That's what my mom did. I want to stay at home, volunteer at the kids' school, etc. We're talking about the soccer mom thing, only without the minivan.
"I envision a nice life. I'll be happy."
Nice attitude, obviously someone is working very hard at getting their MRS. Degree. Pathetic.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Dear M Magazine,
I was skimming through the Spring 2005 edition when I came across the Class of 2008 article. In the context of an issue celebrating the strides Title IX has made for the female student athletes in Minnesota and nation wide, I was very disheartened by the responses expressed by LynAnne Evenson in the Q & A session printed in the Class of 2008 article. Now I might even be pleased that M didnít select the most intelligent and articulate students they could find to show off the brilliant minds the University if producing, but the responses from Evenson definitely do arouse some curiosity as to how these two students were selected as representatives of the freshman class.
Responding to the question of "What do you see as the greatest challenge facing your generation?" Evenson says that she feels some confidence in the goodness of people as a whole "But then there are these freaky people. If that's all that makes the headlines, maybe there's a [real moral problem in society]." Could you elaborate on who these "freaky" people are so I can do my best to avoid them in the future? This "unique" (for lack of a better word) logic continues in her next response as she answers how she feels about the war and the possibility of a draft. This quote is the one two that M chose to highlight in the article. "Since weíre already over in Iraq, I think you have to support it, because we have people over there who are dying, and if you donít support it, that means youíre not valuing their lives." Huh? I'm really trying to do the math on this one, but it just doesn't add up. So what she's telling us is that if people are dying for a cause and you don't support it you're not valuing their lives? I suppose it would therefore be safe to assume that the anti-war movement, which wishes to bring the soldiers home alive isn't valuing their lives because they don't support the war? Well, Evenson says she "wasn't all for the it," at first, but now she has come to the conclusion that "There's no point in protesting it, because that's a waste of time." Well I'd really hate to waste the time of such a bright student who clearly is too busy investing herself in her future to be bothered by the troubles of the world. "I would like to work for about two years more or less---and then get married, have maybe three kids, and never work again..We're talking about the soccer mom thing, only without the minivan. I envision a nice life. I'll be happy." Please thank Evenson for reminding us that Feminism is about choice. Her future of volunteering at the kids' school aside, what I don't understand is why the University of Minnesota chose to send me a publication that profiles the life of a student who shows no interest in making use of her education and then has the nerve to ask me for money to support the U. I envision a happy life too, one in which the University doesn't remind me how many students it produces that seem to lack any redeeming character every time I write another check for my loans.
Thank you,
(Suspeckted) UMD Class of 2003
RESPONSE TO LETTER:
Hi (Suspeckted),
Thought I'd send a quick response to your note, as I am the person who wrote the Class of 2008 story (as well as Title IX) and probably know the most about it.
Thanks for your letter; we appreciate your detailed and obviously heartfelt response. Just to let you know, we were excited about the idea of following two students throughout the course of the year to get their take on what it's like to be a freshman at the U, plus follow their ups and downs, etc. We didn't have students in mind, although we were searching for some diversity. Ultimately, I used the names of a few students that the Office of Admissions provided me, talked to them on the phone, and hoped that they'd be suitable for the long haul. Once I did the first interviews with them, there wasn't much turning back.
Not to defend LynAnne, because I certainly don't agree with all of her opinions and her take on life, but she is just one person--one fairly random person--who I thought was a good voice for the mix, given that she's a first-generation college student from an inner-city school. Quite obviously, those are just her opinions, and not representative of the whole student body, either here or at any of the other campuses. I'm also guessing that--agree with her or not--she's probably not the only student who feels that way about the war. Who knows, her opinions may change again in a year or two.
We certainly had some mixed feelings about her responses and how they'd be taken, and that's just a little bit of the background and rationale. Again, thanks for your note and your time. Cheers.
--Rick
The fact this is a magaizine geared toward alumni fundraising rather than just a student newspaper definitely puts it in a different perspective, now that I think about it. Thanks for the thought provoking article, and happy St. Patty's day, my good man.