Sally 8/28

The first class has come and gone. It was a challenge to locate the "classroom." Security did not know where it was located, nor did the folks at the circulation desk or bookstore, and best of all, it was not even on the campus map! The best direction I got was that it was in the general area behind Pugsley Hall thanks to the school operator. In hindsight, that challenge was quite appropriate considering the subject of the class - making sense of this senseless world in which we live! It was indeed a pleasant surprise to discover our class meets in the very comfortable surroundings of a "lodge!" Enjoyable, stimulating, and eye-opening are appropriate in describing Dr. Rog's lecture this past Tuesday night. I had never considered such a concept as postmodernism, but obviously it's been around for quite some time. To be able, at this point, to exactly describe this "condition" is beyond me; I have no doubt that as each week passes, the concept will become more clear. To be honest, I am relieved that this phenomena is, and has been, studied in depth by the educated; there is a measure of comfort in knowing others can describe what is witnessed on a daily basis around, and within, our society. One question I have is whether this is a Western Society (as in U.S.) occurrence or is it global....and is it contagious?! I would think that since the French and the Swiss can boast of their own cultural theorists, it must be global and not necessarily reflective of any particular country. Whew, I guess the U.S. isn't to blame then? Certainly, I think we do share much of the responsibilty for the senselessness and hypocrital behavior we see all around us in politics, society at large, and the educational system. Having hosted international students and skydivers (from Italy, France, and Spain) I know our American culture bares much responsibility in promoting an often rude and mindless I-have-to-be-entertained-and-get-it-cheap mentality by its citizens.

During the lecture, I heard some concepts that confirmed long-held feelings of my own. The opinion expressed that politics and the educational system have collapsed are bold and honest statements. No longer do I feel that this is an observation without foundation...seems I am in good company since I believe those are true statements, as well. Personally, the defensive "don't be afraid of change" rhetoric expressed by authority is no longer as patronizing to me -and that's just after one class! There must be something to all of these "changes" which, in my opinion, are anything but positive for our society. In fact, the social climate in the U.S. is alarming. Watching talking heads/experts screaming and overtalking each other on "news" shows has long been disgusting to me for one very distinct reason: where is the respect? I can imagine a young 5th or 6th grader observing this behavior, then acting it out himself at school. Most likely, that student would be tracked as being a troublemaker when in fact he is modeling behavior exhibited by adults...that is ADULTS....on national television. Doesn't make sense to me, but more than being non-sensical, I believe it is quite harmful to our society. The entertainment aspect of the "news" show may attract young audiences but parents would be well-advised to scratch that venue off the list for the younger members of the household! We have been encouraged to watch "bad" t.v. this semester for examples of postmodernism - this should be an interesting journey!