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Gone for a burton.

Geiginni wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:04 am "Don't equate your own lack of ambition to others' lack of opportunity."

This sounds like something Mitch McConnell would say.

Or wait, maybe the opposite.

jason from volo wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:29 pm

sparky wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:27 pm Gone for a burton.

Haven't heard that one before..

In this context, does "burton" refer to an ale?

It is a wartime phrase meaning that the subject has died in action. A pint of the dark stuff, please! I probably should’ve capitalised that. Gone for a Burton.

losthighway wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:07 pm

Geiginni wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:04 am "Don't equate your own lack of ambition to others' lack of opportunity."

This sounds like something Mitch McConnell would say.

Or wait, maybe the opposite.

The opposite.

Something that I think over the years has applied to many friends and acquaintances who like to think their own slacker ethic has kept them from "the good life" in the same way that systemic racism and economic injustice has kept others from attaining upward mobility.

It's not "the man keeping you down" when you come from a place of privilege and are just too fucking lazy to realize it.

Or to put it another way: You're not automatically an "ally" to the underprivileged just because you chose let opportunity pass you by or lack the initiative to take advantage of it.

My father to me age 14 regarding our beloved family cat that ran away:

"Well... she's probably coyote shit by now."

“Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.”

And those who can’t do or teach become academic administrators.

Geiginni wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:25 pm

losthighway wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:07 pm

Geiginni wrote: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:04 am "Don't equate your own lack of ambition to others' lack of opportunity."

This sounds like something Mitch McConnell would say.

Or wait, maybe the opposite.

The opposite.

Something that I think over the years has applied to many friends and acquaintances who like to think their own slacker ethic has kept them from "the good life" in the same way that systemic racism and economic injustice has kept others from attaining upward mobility.

It's not "the man keeping you down" when you come from a place of privilege and are just too fucking lazy to realize it.

Or to put it another way: You're not automatically an "ally" to the underprivileged just because you chose let opportunity pass you by or lack the initiative to take advantage of it.

Sometimes shit just happens, and sometimes people have issues that aren't obvious and don't amount to being slackers. Not saying your pals aren't slackers, just saying somethings can look like but aren't laziness. Undiagnosed conditions can be behind a lot of things.

Geiginni wrote: “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.”

\

As someone who has dedicated his working life to education, I find this a bit of a prick take. Though, some people really shouldn't teach, even in a field that they do.

And those who can’t do or teach become academic administrators.

I feel this one though. It stings to sift through all the ridiculous admin job listings while reading about departments closing and tenure lines being cut.

VaticanShotglass wrote: Sun Oct 09, 2022 8:11 pm

Geiginni wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:25 pm

losthighway wrote: Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:07 pm

This sounds like something Mitch McConnell would say.

Or wait, maybe the opposite.

The opposite.

Something that I think over the years has applied to many friends and acquaintances who like to think their own slacker ethic has kept them from "the good life" in the same way that systemic racism and economic injustice has kept others from attaining upward mobility.

It's not "the man keeping you down" when you come from a place of privilege and are just too fucking lazy to realize it.

Or to put it another way: You're not automatically an "ally" to the underprivileged just because you chose let opportunity pass you by or lack the initiative to take advantage of it.

Sometimes shit just happens, and sometimes people have issues that aren't obvious and don't amount to being slackers. Not saying your pals aren't slackers, just saying somethings can look like but aren't laziness. Undiagnosed conditions can be behind a lot of things.

Geiginni wrote: “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.”

\

As someone who has dedicated his working life to education, I find this a bit of a prick take. Though, some people really shouldn't teach, even in a field that they do.

And those who can’t do or teach become academic administrators.

I feel this one though. It stings to sift through all the ridiculous admin job listings while reading about departments closing and tenure lines being cut.

I work for a college, and I can say that the people in administrative positions that have exact equivalents outside academia are the same as anywhere. HR, marketing, IT, janitors, security guards and maintenance crews are just trying to do their thing and go home with a paycheck. Now, when you get into deans, chairs, provosts, academic department secretaries, admissions officers, bursars, etc, those people are usually unqualified to do anything at all. If they're old, they also have a chip on their shoulder about how they should just be able to make their own IT, HR and marketing decisions, much like any aged academics.

VaticanShotglass wrote: Sometimes shit just happens, and sometimes people have issues that aren't obvious and don't amount to being slackers. Not saying your pals aren't slackers, just saying somethings can look like but aren't laziness. Undiagnosed conditions can be behind a lot of things.

I get that, and I support a much better safety net, have no doubt about that. The social contract is broken. At the end of the day, people need to own their shit, not make excuses without putting in any effort. I see a world of narcissism disguised as righteousness, from all sides.

Geiginni wrote: “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.”

\

VaticanShotglass wrote: As someone who has dedicated his working life to education, I find this a bit of a prick take. Though, some people really shouldn't teach, even in a field that they do.

Yeah, you have G.B. Shaw to thank for that one. It’s just the lead in to my addendum.

VaticanShotglass wrote:

And those who can’t do or teach become academic administrators.

I feel this one though. It stings to sift through all the ridiculous admin job listings while reading about departments closing and tenure lines being cut.

Instead of “Defund the Police”, perhaps “Defund College Administration”, needs to be the new chant everywhere. Tuition didn’t become burdensome until schools decided to bloat themselves by hiring all the grads that aren’t fit to teach or want to go into the private sector, Those admins all need nice new offices to compete with the country-club facilities they feel they need to provide incoming undergrads.

biscuitdough wrote: Sun Oct 09, 2022 9:40 pm I work for a college, and I can say that the people in administrative positions that have exact equivalents outside academia are the same as anywhere. HR, marketing, IT, janitors, security guards and maintenance crews are just trying to do their thing and go home with a paycheck. Now, when you get into deans, chairs, provosts, academic department secretaries, admissions officers, bursars, etc, those people are usually unqualified to do anything at all. If they're old, they also have a chip on their shoulder about how they should just be able to make their own IT, HR and marketing decisions, much like any aged academics.

Yes. Big difference between admins who make the university function or provide student support and the pseudo CEOs that who cost so damned much. I am as guilty as many of not being specific in my criticisms. Walking around campus as faculty peers and I rarely intend to refer to the former when saying "administrators" or "the administration." I need to be better about that. Perhaps unfairly, I think of most student support, maintenance, food workers, etc. I always think of the term, "staff." I've worked those jobs too. I'm applying to a few right now, though you can't apply to help students sign up for classes without learning the latest corporate lingo for knowing program requirements. Some listings want you to have an MA in something that specific.

There's just so much evil bullshit and moron management cult thought rolling down hill, there's a big mental divide between those two different sorts of jobs.

It's a more general problem with managerial glut. They come up with all these trends and ideas based on zero or scant evidence of efficacy, but implementing them as policy makes it seem like they are actually doing something for the organization. Take libraries. I've worked in them, my ex-wife still works in them. She had to put up with so much crazy, pointless, incompetent bullshit being mandated every few months. For example, one of the top folks, maybe the president or VP decided libraries should be more fresh and modern, like a Verizon store, and do away with all the check out desks in entire metro branch system. It was apparently a library trend. You know those desks with the computers, staplers, pencils, scanners, all that shit librarians need on hand at a designated, clearly indicated location in order to help patrons? yeah, get rid of it. Instead, you have a flat screen and a scanner on a pole for self check out, and Librarians now have to stand around awkwardly nearby wearing an ipad on their hand like at the cell phone store. Said it would break down barriers and modernize the space for customers. "space." "customers." bullshit. I think it is now okay to have desks again, though.