The Long, Disjointed, and Tedious Story of Why I Wear a Tie to Class Every Day
The pleasantly balmy weather we are now having induced me to write the following comment just before my first class:
Good morning, Anna Van Z.
As I prepare for today's classes, I must assure you that my students are of a like mind: Summer was too short. Adding to the assault on their sensibilities, classes are too long, and the lectures are too grueling, especially when the weather outside is still nice, which it will be this week.
For me, that means ensuring that my lectures are sufficiently interesting to keep the students engaged.
Yes, I teach economics and finance.
The Dark Wraith has his work cut out this week.
As a follow-on, Anna asked me in a subsequent comment if my students wear flip-flops in the Winter, to which I replied in a rather long-winded, if somewhat off-point, manner:
[T]oday it has been a constant current of flip-flops everywhere on campus, along with tattered T-shirts worn by the boys and ridiculously short shorts on the girls.
I don't notice any of that nonsense, of course. I just stride across the quad like I own the place.
I'm teaching classes in one of the old buildings, which is known to be nice and warm all Winter but also not-so-nicely hot when the weather is still summer-like outside. Today, it was beastly. I almost removed my tie. I didn't, though. Students get to see enough professors dressed like slobs. Eventually, given that I am teaching business students, those kids will have to dress well and properly unless they want to be professors or truckers. Those kids — those prospective future leaders, movers, and shakers — may dress in one of three ways once they graduate: to their comfort, to their role, or to their potential. I tell them that.
Today, however, they get to dress in tattered T-shirts and ridiculously short shorts.
After all, they're still kids.
Soon enough, my students will be business people. I'll miss them.
Next year, I'll see new campus kids wearing tattered T-shirts and ridiculously short shorts; and I'll miss them, too, someday.
Adulthood has its downside: not only do you have to dress better, but you also have to say goodbye too often.
The Dark Wraith has homework to grade, now.
I must herewith stipulate that the repeated reference to "ridiculously short shorts" was intended to annoy — indeed, perhaps to incite — the older gentlemen, Father Tyme and Peter of Lone Tree, who are also contributing writers at Big Brass Blog. Sadly, neither of those two astute fellows took the bait, but my comment did lead to another follow-up comment by Anna:
DW, I can't recall even one of my professors ever showing up in a suit or a tie! I seem to remember that pretty much everyone on campus was schlepping around in the same kind of Salvation Army Drop-box clothing...
I am glad she wrote that; she has given me the rare opportunity to explain why I, of all people, would consistently wear a crisp shirt and tie in the classes I teach. Given that my hair is long, my economics lectures are at times hard-core conservative and at other times downright progressive, and my competencies in teaching range all the way from math and economics to English grammar and computer skills, one might think I would dress like some fossilized Hippie who had found storage space for my bones in the cloistered halls of academia.
My students have asked me why I wear a tie to class, and now the question has been posed by Anna, so I should put my answer in writing. That way, instead of growling to get people off my case, I can hand them a hyperlink, instead, and be done with the matter. That which follows is my answer.
Times have changed, and even I have, at least on the outside. In my first years of teaching, I dressed wildly: black, survivalist-type pants; large, puffy-sleeved shirts; chains on my Dingo boots; a calculator lashed to my belt; bushy, mangy, curly hair; and a thick beard across my whole face.
In that time, I fit right in at the academy, which was still stuck in the post-'60s thrall of victory over the fascists (even though Reagan had just been elected), victory over sexual hang-ups (even though AIDS was right over the horizon), and academic freedom as far as the eye could see (even though the conservative political and religious forces were already mustering a noticeable and sometimes intimidating presence on campuses like mine).
In that time, I was the hero for my alternative lifestyle of daring clothes, public romps with several hot girls at a time, and powerful, innovative delivery of lectures.
Times change. Once I was no longer the hero, anything I did was wrong. It mattered not one bit whether I was conservative or liberal, brilliant teacher or boring lecturer, genius of high-powered mathematics applied to finance and economics or dullard of arcane tripe.
I was finally on my own. It took me a long time — many years, in fact — to figure that out. I know when I did: it was a winter night when I broke into the apartment of an old friend who was out of town. I so desperately needed food and a warm place to sleep for a while. I'd had too many nights of getting knocked around by nasty cops, shoved for money by drug-addled Black guys, or chased by filthy White boys calling me "faggot." Save your Right-wing or Leftist holier-than-thou breath for someone else; I got in, got some dinner, a pack of cigarettes, and a hard night of sleep by a heater grate.
I became radicalized in the strangest ways, but the predicates to what I now am go way back, clear to the days of my late childhood in the time after my father died, when my mother and I were homeless and broken by the bills for his "treatment." Again, save your Right-wing or Leftist holier-than-thou breath for someone else; your cult of healthcare, as it is or with "reform" and some "public option" thrown in, can go straight to Hell.
I have finally chosen, in this act of my waning dinner theatre circuit, to mock the dominant, old-guard culture that gave purpose to the failed person I am of my choices, my past, and my blood.
The dinner that comes with the show is simply delicious in all its nuances of conservatism, progressivism, traditionalism, anarchism, false piety, frightful bravado, and unrelenting failure masquerading as unrealized potential.
The purpose is so worthy, though; and the effect, if there be one, is so richly iconoclastic.
In higher education, we still have quite a few professors who think that part of their "academic freedom" is the exercised right to look like the janitors (even though the janitors often dress better).
I am not impressed, even when the indignant response is that slovenly appearance is an expression of humility or some other noble but wholly disingenuous motive. To the very last one of my ostensible colleagues — to paraphrase the late, former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir — they are not nearly valuable enough to the world to be humble.
Neither am I. I am nothing but a teacher. My very low pay as an untenurable professor reflects my value to the academy, and my value reflects my worth to the economy. Save the vapid bleatings to the contrary for someone else — remember: I am an economist, and a damned good one, at that. I haven't been right all along about what was going to happen to this economy by being maudlin, stupid, or prone to bias. (And, by the way, neither will I be wrong about where the current Administration's economic policies are going to take us.)
Here's how I teach. If I could carry a lake to class, I would, just so I could walk across it.
When I went to the bottom, I would resurface on the other shore and, with as much bearing as my soggy state could muster, I would say to the disturbed onlookers, "Let's see Jesus do that."
No, I am not quite that arrogant (almost, but not quite); but the point is that the world has many, many more followers than leaders. The leaders will find their own way, and morally rightful inspiration (no, not "ethical" this or that) helps them lead justly, smartly, and bravely.
The followers, for their part and role, will turn to the fiercest leaders, which is why the Left is completely baffled by the power of Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly, Coulter, Malkin, Robertson, Falwell, and hundreds of others of hateful hearts and ignorant rhetoric.
If the Left would stop dancing and chanting to a cacophony of self-written tunes and whiny, dumb wannabes, its legion would find that far greater power exists in the heart of good than in the gut of evil; but that power will never be enduring so long as leadership is the master craftman's tool of the Right.
I will let other professors dress as clowns, run PowerPoints instead of lecturing, and gladly sink into the good night, collecting their tenure, accepting their silly honors, and giving their students the latest pitch in the descent of higher education into nothing more than technical training on the latest fads of technology, pedagogy, and whorish corporate sponsorships.
I have work to do before I die.
It's important work, so I'll wear a tie while I do it.
The Dark Wraith has spoken.
Comments
Wrote Weaseldog:
Wrote Weaseldog:
If the Dark Wraith had chosen instead to be a war correspondent, he'd probably be this guy....
http://tinyurl.com/2ym4r
Wrote Dark Wraith:
Thank you for that link, 'dog.
I'll be putting that in the "Dark Wraith Recommends" tonight.
Wrote Dark Wraith:
By the way, 'dog, have you ever seen the movie, The Hunting Party, starring Richard Gere?
Most people haven't, but it's quite a treat.
Wrote Weaseldog:
No I haven't seen that. I'll have to put it on Netflix....
And here's a lesson in bragging...
http://tinyurl.com/m2kqnq
And the gal in question.
http://tinyurl.com/me669e
It says she has completed coursework in ethics. I assume she attended night classes.
Wrote trog69:
If the Left would stop dancing and chanting to a cacophony of self-written tunes and whiny, dumb wannabes, its legion would find that far greater power exists in the heart of good than in the gut of evil; but that power will never be enduring so long as leadership is the master craftman's tool of the Right.
Perhaps because my uncle has died, and thus leaving me as the last of the family, my patience is a bit worn right now, but to call what the right has been doing for decades "leadership" is just about the fucking stupidest thing I've ever heard.
I'd rather follow a half-dead hooker into a crackhouse.
Wrote Dark Wraith:
Yes, trog, you would rather die than follow the powerhouses of the Right, but that is not the same as representing that those Right-wing celebrities are not leaders.
They most certainly are.
More importantly, though, if mastery of the art of leadership is to be ascribed to anyone, it would be to those hateful men and women. Even in the defeat of their political leaders within the Republican Party, and even in the aftermath of the scattering of those people, the real leaders, from the radio and television media to the pulpits and streets, are defining the debates, altering the agenda, and creating a stunningly effective facade of legitimacy that no one — no one — on the Left can match.
Furthermore, it does not help the cause of rightful thinking when the President, himself, cannot help but pose to the Center-Right and surround himself with tired, institutional hacks who were part and parcel of the problems of appeasement, soft convictions, and taint from behind-the-scenes forces of corporate America and foreign interests.
I long ago lectured one of the "important" bloggers of the Left after he had behaved in a most disgraceful fashion, and what I publicly wrote to him then applies every bit as much now to President Barack Hussein Obama:
Lead, sir, and do so by example.
And finally, trog, notwithstanding my admiration for men of peace and non-violence, when Mr. Obama has enough respect for himself and the Office of the President to demand that hate-filled, childish idiots not swagger with firearms near him, I will stand four-square with him; but if he cares not enough about himself and those who so deeply hoped that he was the leader for an era of change for the better, then I will stand aside and wait for him either to become a leader this nation needs or to be set aside by the tidal forces of history now carving a future decidedly bad for the freedom and security of the peoples of this nation and, more broadly, this entire world
Lead, Mr. Obama, and do so now. Neither the history of the future nor the passions of your enemies will wait.
The Dark Wraith has said his peace in this matter.
Wrote trog69:
Good morning, DW, and my apologies for my brusque retort. As with the many other instances of my lashing out at you, your willingness to overlook these makes me even more ashamed of my behavior. Fortunately, I'll get over it, though I should probably copy this paragraph for the inevitable next time(s).
While I do understand your point, I can't agree with it. I see nothing resembling leadership; Rather, I see rampant greed and arrogant dismissal of anything resembling alteration of the status quo. I admit that, should I be forced to define "leadership", I'd need a much more stable thought process than what I now possess.
On the right, I see potential "leaders" doing nothing more than exploiting the pinball-like minds of their constituents, changing tack as the situation demands. Yet there are no actual authority figures presenting any development of plans, outcomes, etc. save for opposition and destruction of others/enemies. Bellicosity and grandstanding are not what I'd call leading. Rather, they are following the voters they presume they'll need for re-election, the end-all, be-all of their existence. Actual leadership, involving nuanced and coherent ideas needed for positive future plans, are like garlic cloves and crucifixes to vampires.
As to the Left, we have been in agreement on their weaknesses, months before the election, though I do give them a bit more sympathy than you, perhaps. This might have to do with my not wanting to jettison every molecule of naivete just yet; 100% cynicism is surely no place upon which to expect anything good to come about in our near future, and I gots me a daughter and grandkids that requires me to hold on to a tiny kernel of hope.
I'm also completely agree that the pictures/video of armed civilians in relatively close proximity of the president/Congresscritters, showing them in full smug-fucking poses, unchallenged by the very same thugs who corralled unarmed, peaceful demonstrators into cages just a few years ago, is a perfect example of the cowardly and craven lack of spine exhibited by the Democrats. They fear the backlash of bullying Republicans, bellowing their outrage that any government would have the temerity to tell them that, while they certainly have the right to keep and bear arms, just as you can yell "fire" at a rifle range, there are instances where that is not permissible. And so, the left's milquetoast tsk-ing is not only laughable, but encourages escalation of threats by simpletons, and their leaderless representatives sit on their hands, glad that they don't have to explain their opposition to the complaints of the left, as there are none to speak of.
Sorry for the scattershot, crayon-level comment; I haven't slept more than 3 hours in a row for almost a month now. I'm very lucky to have someone to drive me to the wake, as I'd almost surely kill myself should I attempt the drive to Phoenix.
Wrote Weaseldog:
Trog69, I understand what you're saying.
It's not the kind of leadership you like or respect. It's not what you would even want to characterize as leadership.
Yet Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly draw crowds that pay money to see hear them speak in concert halls and stadiums.
If they called forth their minions for battle, they would line up and die for them.
This is leadership in it's most brutal and base form. And it's what many people have been bred over the centuries in feudal societies to accept.
We who likely possess the 7R Allele on the DRD4 gene, such submission is unconscionable.
Wrote trog69:
Mornin' Weezie!
Yes, that's true. But where? In what direction are Hannity, BillO, Coulter, Malkin, Pence, Enzi, Inhofe, planning to take the right? Back into power? If the wages are still stagnant/falling, even the very rightwinger blue collars will finally get the hint that thieving Republican leadership is just as intolerable as whatever they picture socialism to mean. In this pipedream I'm lolling in, even the functional but knee-jerk jerks will recognize the dog whistles as callling some other mutts, 'cause it sure ain't their song any more. And as we on the left are chowing down on our own, the righties will be tucking into the blatant robber baron enablers, and we'll see...what? Who the fuck knows anymore. There will be no leaders left to follow for anyone.
I've just finished reading some of the figures from the Census tables, and we can now boast that median incomes were lower in 2008 than they were in 1998, inflation adj. dollars, and almost 1 in 5 children are now living at or below the poverty level. I don't know what the breakdown is for poverty levels for lefties vs the right, but the entire decade of declining wages merely continues the 7 year dive from 1978 to 1985, predominantly Reagan-caused, though Carter's austerity had some affects as well, but the facts remain that workers are screwed a lot harder when the Republicans get the keys to the armored car.
Aww, hell. I'm too tired to make this argument work semantically so I concede. Of course they're leaders by definition, even if a great deal of us have no intention of following them, though as usual, we aren't consulted in any serious manner. They flap their gums in the right shapes, we click the petitions to remind them that we give a shit, then they prove that while they might have given a crap, lobbyists certainly don't, so oh well.
I'm starting to look forward to the Dems desperation moves, starting around may, 2010 or so, and, should they lose more seats than conventional wisdom dictates, due to split between the moderates and true left, the recriminations and gnashing of teeth for what might have been, if it hadn't been for...
I just bought a new big-assed stock pot; it should be able to make industrial quantities of popcorn, and I'm already on Medicare, so just 'cause I'm a dick, extry butter and salt for evabuddy!
Edit-Forgot to post the link that had the Census Wage tables:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/poverty-rate-rises/
Wrote Dark Wraith:
Never mind the popcorn; I'm bringing doughnuts for everyone.
Stale doughnuts, of course. They're cheaper.
The Dark Wraith is, after all, a capitalist.
Wrote trog69:
Hey, my son is pretty handy, engineer-wise. I'll get him to fasten a device into the stock-pot, so that while the corn is popping, we can steam a buttload o' doughnuts!
Sure, they'll taste like crap, but mmmm, they'll be freshened up, by god! 'Course, now it occurs to me that I'll need a "frosting drip pan" or such, and this is already taking far too long for such a stale joke.
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Your host of this Weblog is an award-winning college teacher and writer who specializes in economics, finance, mathematics, business administration, computer hardware and software skills, and English grammar and composition. His extensive writings on the history of the English language appeared on About.com in the avatar of the Selig Wraith in the 
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The Healthcare reform bill is looking more and more like a sneaky way to introduce a poor tax.
After reading all of that, I'm not sure I understand why you wear a tie. But I understand why you feel strongly about it. :)