Civility in the 21st century

I'm thinking there is no such concept. And it saddens me. Everyone seems so combative all the time...so ready to launch into an argument.

I must admit, there is an incident that has me thinking this way. And I'm just kind of depressed over it. Yesterday, I spent the day with some of my closest friends for a couple reasons. First, it was Michigan-Michigan State day, so that's always a good excuse to get together. The other reason is that one of my friends and his girlfriend bought a house last month and they were opening up their new house to host people. Very cool.

The first couple hours were very enjoyable. Until the conversation turned to politics. This particular group of friends of mine are all liberal. As most of you who know me are already aware, *I* am most decidedly NOT liberal. I'm libertarian but I definitely tend to agree with conservatives far more than liberals (I value fiscal and security issues far more than social issues).

Anyway...one of my friends (and he IS a true friend) starts ranting on about how "all" Republicans are stupid racist rednecks, blah blah blah. Then it became a description of anyone who won't vote for Obama.

And I tried to say, "Hey man...c'mon. You know EVERY McCain supporter is NOT that way...." To little avail. It got to the point that I simply gave up and sat in stony silence. Which is definitely NOT me. It wasn't until an hour later, when the political talk ended that I spoke to one of my other friends about my frustration.

I want desperately for the political season to end. Mainly because I'm tired of all the insults being lobbed back and forth. My friend can't truly believe what he said because I know that he doesn't believe those things about ME. Or a couple other of our friends. But something about this season brings out such oversimplified statements and misunderstanding.

I'm just frustrated with the friction.

Random thoughts on a Saturday evening

• So, my big activity over the past week has been attending the regional NCTM conference in Cleveland on Thursday and Friday. For those of you who don't know, NCTM is the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Basically, it's a big old geekfest. I attended said conference with three of my colleagues and we had a pretty good time. I enjoyed sitting in sessions where I got some new ideas I can use in the classroom as well as some confirmation that what I've already been doing is right. I've always been the type of math teacher that refuses to dumb-down the material. And I sat in multiple sessions where the speaker urged us to continue challenging and pushing our students for deeper understanding. That failing to do so will handicap those students in later math classes.
• Why does Rich Rodriguez still have a job? Seriously? His Wolverines were doing a fine job against Penn State. Were leading 17-14 going into halftime. Then, for reasons known only to him, he chooses to change quarterbacks. Never a good idea. Particularly when you're changing to the single worst QB in recent Michigan history, Nick Sheridan. Sheridan singlehandedly took a safety which led to PSU running off some serious points in the second half. As I type this, PSU is up 36-17. That's right...22 straight points by the Nittaly Lions (as Obama would call them).

The evil that is the spread offense

Mind you, I'm not a sports fanatic. However, having attended the University of Michigan and being a former member of the marching band of that august institution, I spend every Saturday afternoon in the fall watching the Wolverines.

Suffice it to say, I have never been more embarrassed in my life to be associated with the Michigan football program than I am today. Growing up in Toledo, I am well acquainted with the Rockets. And while they've experienced some reasonable success in the past, this year's version of UT's football team is one of the worst they've had in recent years. And they beat Michigan. Well, to be more accurate, they won the game.

Michigan beat themselves.

And, trust me, I don't say this lightly. I have always despised people like Venus Williams who claim that their opponent didn't beat them, that they beat themselves. But this time, it's entirely accurate. And there is one person and one scheme to blame: Rich Rodriguez and his beloved spread offense.

First, let's start with why I hate Rich Rodriguez and why I saw this coming months ago. Rodriguez is a classless slimeball. You could see that through the way that he came to Michigan. He left WVU high and dry with years remaining on his contract. Plus, the way that he behaves during his various contacts with the sports media has convinced me that he is the classic blameshifter. When the team loses, it's always the players' fault. His coaching is always flawless.

Which leads me to his coaching. Piss poor would describe it best. Rodriguez's coaching is the primary reason Michigan lost today. Several penalties that erased big gains on offense. Penalties are the result of a lack of mental focus. And mental focus is entirely the responsibility of the head coach. Turnovers. Again...mental focus. Playcalling. Again, the responsibility of the head coach. On one possession, our genius coach called for two screen passes and a QB draw. However, Toledo wasn't blitzing. They hadn't been blitzing all day. The only time that screen passes and draw plays work is in response to....BLITZING.

But the biggest idiocy of all? The spread offense. It doesn't work unless you have a specific type of player. And Michigan doesn't have them. Why? Because the spread offense is a trendy and lame version of football that no football fan worth his hemorrhoids would ever enjoy. It relies entirely on your fourth string WR being more talented than your opponent's fourth string CB. It spits in the face of true football. Football is supposed to be about imposing your will on your opponent. Lining up your eleven guys against those of your opponent. And even though they know what you're going to do, you go ahead and do it anyway, cramming the ball right down their throat. The spread offense relies entirely on trickery. And while the occasional trick play is fine, it should NEVER be the basis of your offensive gameplan.

Bumper stickers

This year, more than most, bumper stickers have become my bane. I will never understand the hubris that causes one to actually believe that all drivers care what one's stances are on various positions.
What I've noticed further is that the probability that the driver of a vehicle supports the Democrat party invariably increases along with the number of bumper stickers on the back of the vehicle.
Liberals like to pretend that conservatives (well, them and everyone else who isn't a liberal) are a group of lower intellect Neanderthals. However, it is the liberal who has the remarkable tendency to distill their positions down to some inane rhyme that fits on 36 square inches of sticker affixed to the bumper (or rear window) of a car.
And some of these message are indeed hateful. Of course, the most popular ones are insulting remarks about the intelligence of our current commander-in-chief. And while I'm no Bush fan myself, it's not as if the Dems actually put forth a candidate in either 2000 or 2004 that was appreciably more intelligence than GWB. Mr. Al Gore, the hypocrite who wastes gallons upon gallons of jet fuel flying around the country excoriating the rest of us for living lavish lives, clearly has his finger OFF the pulse of reality. And, of course, my favorite...Lurch (apologies to Rush Limbaugh...a more accurate nickname never has existed for anyone ever) Kerry is easily one of the dimmest politicians to ever run for office and has continued to hold his seat primarily due to the collective insanity of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The danger

So, I was chatting with some students of mine after school today and one of them noticed that I was reading a blog. She asked me if I was a blogger and I admitted that I was actually starting one today.
Which made me think. The Internet is a place of NO privacy whatsoever. If my students want to get access to my blog (assuming they're interested enough to actually search for it), there's nothing I can do about it.
So, in the end, I need to be careful what I write here. Not that I'm interested in hiding my opinion or any facts. But at the same time, I need to be continually aware that my words CAN be held against me.

The beginning...

So, I've always wondered what this whole "blogging" thing was about. I mean, who really wants to read me (or anyone else, for that matter) blather on about the various items I find interesting?

And then I read a few blogs other people have authored. Some were political. Some were satirical. Some were introspective. Some were just plain goofy. All in all, I found them mostly interesting.

Why?

Because they reveal something about the human condition. I have always taken pride in the fact that I enjoy learning. That I find joy in the acquisition of knowledge.

But that's just information. Facts. It's not the meat of human civilization.

The thoughts, feelings, perceptions, etc., of people? That's where civilization is found.

So...in the interest of furthering my own self-education as well as hopefully entertaining those around me from time to time, I embark on this escapade. I do intend to make this work out better than any of my previous efforts to journal my thoughts (which typically consist of anywhere between 2 and 5 entries covering a period of a couple months).

That said, I'm not promising daily, weekly or even monthly updates. However, I'm hoping that when I experience something that I believe is worth sharing that I will be motivated to do so.
Anyway...here's what's on my mind at the moment:

• My awesome hometown of Toledo is run by an absolute buffoon. Carleton S. Finkbeiner (amazing how a name can come off as both pretentious and inane at the same time...I mean, seriously...Carleton is snooty...but Finkbeiner? That's a name? Since when? Which will lead to another thought later) has to be the absolute worst mayor in the history of mankind. I don't think I've ever witnessed anyone who is as egotistical, vain, insecure, bullying, and stupid all at the same time. Those of you familiar with Toledo politics know precisely what I'm talking about, because the cancer that is Carty has been in the public eye in the Glass City for as long as I can remember (and I'm in my 30s). The worst part? He will continue to be elected for as long as he wishes because the average voter in the city of Toledo has a political IQ that falls somewhere between Cynthia McKinney and a not-too-smart rock.


• So... names. Those who know me well know that I am remarkably picky and judgemental when it comes to naming children. I don't think it will ever be possible to underestimate the intelligence of the average human being when it comes to choosing names for their progeny. One thing in particular that's been on my nerves lately? When parents try to make a traditional name "unique" by misspelling it. Something like naming their child Ashleigh. Sorry, numbskull, that name is spelled Ashley. That's it. It's the only legitimate way to spell it. Not Ashleigh. Not Ashlee. Not Ashli. None of them. If you're searching for a way to make your child unique, TEACH HIM TO BE A UNIQUE PERSON. Teach him that his personality will make him far more unique than any stupidly misspelled first name ever will.

Now, it occurs to me that this sort of ranting does not necessarily paint me as an "optimist." But, truthfully, I am. I believe fervently in the incredible potential of the human spirit. It's a large part of the reason that I chose my profession. We are beings of amazing ability. Through whatever mechanism we were created (and, of course, that's a topic about which I could write a lengthy ramble), we are truly awesome. And yet, so many of us...so very many of us waste all of that potential on trivialities. And I'm not innocent. I openly admit to vegging out in front of the TV, watching some mindless drama or whiling away hours playing my PS3. But it saddens me when I see the general lack of intellectual curiosity among our younger generations. And I blame us all for that. We have descreased the intrinsic value of knowledge and increased our attention to materialism. It won't change until society changes.

And that's my goal...to help people realize that one can only truly be happy when they have managed to fulfill the basic needs.

Anyway...enough rambling for now. I'll check in again soon.