Blog Archives

The Education of Bob

7/29/2020

I spent 25 years of my life as a student in a classroom. Surely that made me educated.

Not even close.

Sure, I knew a lot about mathematics. Not as much as you might think I should, but I could at one time speak with authority about things with fancy names such as fields and rings and homology and functions and Hilbert spaces and fixed point theorems and graph theory and a host of other mathematical subjects I needed to know in order to pass an oral exam.

But I didn’t have the vaguest understanding of some extremely important concepts. My education had barely begun.

A major shift came two years after my formal education ended. I had gotten a job I loved and realized I was extremely lucky. I’d had a privileged life of the middle class with loving parents, a good local school system, and encouragement to go to college. I felt I should pay back somehow.

Where I lived there was an organization called the Volunteer Service Bureau. It had a book you could thumb through listing all the organizations needing help. I devoured it, looking for an activity that, in my arrogance, would be significant. I didn’t want to stuff envelopes, important as that is. Two organizations jumped at me.

We Care was a suicide prevention and crisis intervention agency where volunteers answered phones from distraught callers, or even went for personal visits with desperate individuals.

Teen Hotline was a similar organization designed for young people. I figured that would be okay because I was only a teenage number of years away from being a teenager myself.

I didn’t realize, until I called them to volunteer, that they were the same organization with different phone numbers. My call turned into a 22-year association that ended only when the “powers that be” in their lack of wisdom decided it should be staffed by professionals, not volunteers. That decision killed the organization because what most people needed was a caring, not a professional, voice.

It was also what I needed. Because I learned a lot, and my education soared.

I learned during that time the sound bites so frequently heard just weren’t true. If the welfare queen in a Cadillac existed somewhere, I never saw her. If someone was having financial problems, it didn’t mean they weren’t working hard at two or more low paying jobs. Being gay didn’t mean being immoral. Having mental health problems didn’t mean weakness of character.

For the first time I developed associations with Blacks, gays, Hispanics and many others. They enhanced my life and I came to realize how much people gave up by excluding diverse groups from their lives. I know my own has been enriched beyond measure by such contacts.

I entered We Care/Teen Hotline a Republican and emerged a moderate left leaning liberal where I remain.

Wonderful as that experience was, I was still an individual with much to learn.

I hope I have matured a bit as a result of the protests that have followed the murder of George Floyd. While I can never come close to understanding the fear of being someone targeted by police simply because of the color of one’s skin, I am beginning to appreciate the reality of the situation. I cannot imagine the courage it takes to live under such conditions for one’s entire life. I hope real change is possible.

I, and many others, still have so much to learn.

16 Comments

Yes, Daddy

7/22/2020

0 Comments

Son, you are now old enough to learn what it is to be a real man. I am going to teach you and I expect you to do exactly as I say. If you do not, you will be punished severely. Is that clear?

Yes, Daddy.

You are to be a success. That means you will make a great deal of money and you will be powerful. These are the only measures of a real man. If you do not achieve both goals, you will be a failure. No son of mine will be a failure. Do you understand?

Yes, Daddy.

Never admit to anyone you are wrong. EVER! You take it as reality that you never make mistakes. And that you know everything, are smarter than everyone else about every subject, and you never doubt it.

Yes, Daddy.

Say whatever it takes to achieve your goals. If other people indicate you are lying or state anything negative about you, you are to know they are wrong. Ignore what they say and accuse them loudly and repeatedly of the same thing. Never back down.

Yes, Daddy.

If someone who works for you disagrees with you in any way, fire them and state categorically that they are incompetent and worthless. Even if you have previously praised them when you hired them. Never indicate you have changed your mind. Just concentrate on how bad they are.

Yes, Daddy.

If people want what you want, or stand in your way for any reason, make up derogatory names for them and use the names over and over. Squash them in every way you can. You can refer to their looks, their stupidity, or any other attribute that denigrates them. Do not worry about truth, because what you say will become the truth. Be merciless.

Yes, Daddy.

Do not waste time learning in school about anything except making money and gaining power.

Yes, Daddy.

Do not dare to fail me, Donald. If you act as instructed, there is no limit to what you can accomplish, including becoming president of the United States.

Donald learned his lessons well and by lying, insulting, and mocking, he was able to convince many people that he possessed all the attributes of a good president. He liked being president. He had more power than his father ever had.

He wanted to keep being president. He would need to win Florida in the next election. He looked around and found a subservient congressman from that state.

He talked to the congressman and told him he thought of him as a son. He asked the congressman if he’d like to be governor of Florida. The congressman drooled and said he would. So Donald made it happen. The congressman knew he owed complete allegiance to Donald.

COVID-19 came to Florida. The congressman, now governor, knew it would be wise to shut the state down. He flew to Washington to ask permission and Donald said that would be all right for a short time, so the governor returned home and did it.

As the virus advanced, Donald said many things. Hydroxychloroquine was a cure for the virus. The virus isn’t all that bad and would go away soon. The country must open up from the shutdown. The country must not shut down again. Schools must reopen even if the virus was surging. There must be no official requirement that masks be worn.

He called in the man who was like a son to him and said, “Do you understand, Ron?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

0 Comments

Young People

7/15/2020

0 Comments

On June 28 the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, took an inordinate amount of airtime to say nothing. He eased our mind about the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state by reporting it’s the natural result of additional testing (only partially true) and blaming immigrant farm workers. He indicated Florida has done a wonderful job fighting the virus. I had to keep glancing at the TV to make sure it was he speaking and not his boss in Washington. His message hasn’t changed much in spite of the surge in infections since then.

He indicated displeasure with bars where young people congregated in direct violation of social distancing and mask wearing recommendations. Notice the word “recommendations.” There was no state mandate for masks. There still isn’t.

He said, “Like I said, they’re younger people, they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do.”

I, who have spent most of my professional life working with those in their twenties and late teens, found the statement offensive. It is lumping all young people into the same category.

Sure, they like to have fun, and like all of us when that age, they do stupid things. They have flocked to beaches and bars despite warnings against such action. They continue to do so. And some will never listen to reason. But the warnings so far by the governor and state officials have been wish-washy at best, and certainly not targeted to the young directly.

I can’t help but wonder if our younger citizens wouldn’t respond well to messaging aimed specifically at them and that enlists their aid in a national emergency. They responded well on their country’s behalf in World War II. True, it’s a different age now, but I believe the vast majority of them still are concerned with issues and the safety of their families, and with the state of our country. For example:

They volunteer for many organizations.

They organize rallies for social justice.

They plan protests against rampant gun violence.

They care deeply about the environment.

They worry about climate change.

Why would the governor not try to engage them in the current pandemic fight affecting us all? What is to be gained by writing them off without even an attempt to enlist their support?

Wouldn’t it be worth a try to get their cooperation?

How?

I’m sure there are many ways. But here’s a start. Request faith leaders to make a pitch to all attending their church. Ask college and university administrators and professors to contact all students on their rolls. Ask businesses such as fast food and other establishments employing mainly younger workers to request their assistance. Put out public service announcements on social media.

Will any of this make a difference?

I don’t have a clue. But it seems like a relatively small effort that just might have some influence on behavior that would improve the safety of all of us. And we need every bit of help we can get now.

Even more important, it will show our young citizens that they are respected and their help is as important as anyone else’s to the safety of the nation. They will see they aren’t being written off as a bunch of irresponsible individuals who are “gonna do what they’re gonna do.”

I, at least, have more faith in the younger generation than does our governor.

0 Comments

Masks

7/8/2020

2 Comments

When I was a kid, my favorite radio shows and comic books featured heroes like Batman and Robin, the Lone Ranger, and the Green Hornet.

They demonstrated common traits. They were strong personalities, fearless, self-confident, and working on the side of law and order.

And they all wore a mask.

There were dances, usually in literature, where everyone would sport a mask. There’s even an opera called A Masked Ball by Verdi. At them was the mysterious illusion that holding a mask to your face could hide your true identity.

My point is there was a time when a mask was considered a positive thing, something associated with solving crimes, saving lives, or maybe just having fun.

Still true.

Masks remain essential in the medical community where they have been standard for years. And now we all have the opportunity to effect positive change. Experts say wearing a mask is the most significant measure we can take to control COVID-19 until a vaccine comes along.

So why wouldn’t everyone embrace their use?

Unfortunately, somewhere between my youth and today, masks to some became a sign not of courage or fun, but of a threat to individual freedom.

Honestly, a threat?

Well, it seems to be. At least to many.

One can trace much of this to our head in the sand, virus denying, insecure president. The virus threatens his reelection. And that is all he cares about. So he declares COVID no longer a threat, or if it is still a threat it will soon die out, or if it won’t soon die out he’ll make up new lies.

But he WILL NOT WEAR A MASK.

Is it because wearing one is an admission that all his previous misdirections and predictions are false? Or is he just stupid? Whatever, his stand proves he lacks the courage to lead the nation through a crisis where his insecurity and incompetence will be clearly demonstrated.

Think about what could happen if the president acted, well, presidential, and ordered the entire nation to wear masks during interactions. And donned one himself.

But that will never happen because this president turns everything into a political conflict. I’ve often wondered if those near him spurn the mask because they are afraid to rile their boss.

Certainly a lot of them get sick.

Unfortunately, of course, when he speaks, his loyal adoring puppies follow suit. I understand at his recent Tulsa rally everyone entering was offered a mask. I saw a photograph taken there where I could make out roughly 75 people all jammed together. Exactly one employed a mask!

I’ve heard first-hand stories about mask wearers being ridiculed, pushed aside, spat upon.

Those doing such despicable acts cry this is a free country and no one is going to make them do anything they don’t want to do. It seems a requirement they wear a mask is a direct affront to their constitutional rights. I was surprised to learn the founding fathers devoted themselves to that topic.

What hogwash! What arrogance! What selfishness! What insecurity!

They are not freedom loving deep thinking saviors of the democracy. They are bullies who are a lot less smart than they think they are.

Turns out, though, the meaning of a mask hasn’t changed.

They are still worn by the heroes.

2 Comments

For Some Words There Are No Words

7/1/2020

2 Comments

Sheriff Joe Blowhard is addressing his county’s constituents who are threatened with an invasion of disease carrying mosquitos. Several in the county have gotten sick and everyone is worried.

Sheriff Joe, whose reelection bid will be put to the vote before long, stares hard at his audience and says, “Two things. First, the number of mosquitos is going down. Second, I’ve built a 20-foot wall surrounding our county that has completely stopped them.”

Some in the audience nod sagely. A few appear confused. But for the most part this is good news for the populace because they’d been having quite a time slapping the pests from their bodies and several of their friends were in the hospital.

And it relieves their minds because that stupid entomologist at the nearby university has been insisting for weeks the invasion was going to get worse, saying the bugs were breeding at an increasing rate within the county.

But Sheriff Joe says things will be better because of his wall. What a wonderful man!

He has other positive information for his people.

“I was asked by a reporter the other day.” He pauses, waiting for the requisite boos against the press to subside. “I was asked about the number of robberies in the county. I said they’ve dropped like you couldn’t believe.”

The people murmur with surprise and pleasure. One shouts, “How come, Sheriff Joe?”

“I discovered the problem was we were investigating too many complaints about stolen property, so our count was too high. To fix this I told my deputies to respond only to every third call. The number of official thefts has plummeted.”

Sheriff Joe is quite a character, good for a few laughs on our part. It’s obvious the arguments he’s using are ridiculous. A wall is not going to stop the attacks because the mosquitoes are breeding within the county, not to mention the ability to fly over the wall. And certainly not counting robberies doesn’t mean the robberies didn’t occur.

Poor Joe. There are no words to describe his lack of logic.

Thank goodness this was a poor work of fiction. It’s comforting to know this could never happen in real life.

On June 24 of this year my local paper reported two quotes by President Donald Trump.

On a visit to Arizona, while the cases of the coronavirus were surging in the state, he said, when speaking about his precious wall, “It stopped COVID, it stopped everything.”
Referring to the virus he said, “Cases are going up in the U.S. because we are testing far more than any other country, and ever expanding. With smaller testing we would show fewer cases!”

Oh, you might ask how Sheriff Joe did in the election. Many of the voters, in an unexpected move, experimented with the previously unknown concept of independent thinking and decided they’d been had. He lost in a landslide—to a scientist.

2 Comments

The Education of Bob

Yes, Daddy

Young People

Masks

For Some Words There Are No Words

Author

Archives

Categories