WE.ARE.DOOMED!

[Media Fan]

So, we've got culture war BS, anti-vax garbage, and threats to withdraw the university's appropriation if it doesn't spout Regan's preferred political beliefs.

Seems about right for someone of Regan's ilk, given his reputation.

I am of that Reagan ilk, and happy to be so.
Watching this destruction of our country is painful.

 

[GreggK]

I am of that Reagan ilk, and happy to be so.
Watching this destruction of our country is painful.

I always have to have a little chuckle with people like you. Tell me, when was the country better? 1850? 1950? 1990? 2010?

 

[BringBackStoneys]

I am of that Reagan ilk, and happy to be so.
Watching this destruction of our country is painful.

You must have been devastated when meter maids were renamed parking enforcement officers in the 1970s. It’s a wonder the republic survived.

 

[sss]

I am of that Reagan ilk, and happy to be so.
Watching this destruction of our country is painful.

No doubt it has been a painful 4 years.

 

[RGWhirly]

Loosely related, but I encountered “she/her” after someone’s name on LinkedIn for the first time today. I understood what it was intended to convey and confirmed it through the following article from 2019:

Why do you have (she-her) after your profile name?

This week is Inclusion Week in Jacobs, where the aim is to provide employees with easy, practical and intentional actions that they can use to make inclusion part of our everyday culture. It is also an opportunity for every employee to demonstrate their personal commitment to fostering an inclusive

www.linkedin.com

“Well put simply, adding your pronouns (she, her, he, him, they, them, etc.) to your email signature or profile name is an easy, practical and intentional action that you can take to make inclusion part of your everyday culture.”

For f*ck’s sake. Maybe Penn State will require this next.

I have (me, myself, and I) behind my name. Is that wrong? 😉

I kid. I don’t put any pronouns behind my name.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

I received this message in an email yesterday from Mike Regan, PA State Senator.

In the wake of the COVID pandemic, Penn State is getting swept up by the “woke” movement, coddling and bribing the young adults they are entrusted to teach and shape into future leaders. And leading the charge is the University Faculty Senate, at this long-cherished institution that receives $350 million a year of taxpayer dollars.

Last month, it was announced that the University Faculty Senate made the decision to do away with traditional terms identifying students as “freshmen,” “sophomores,” “juniors,” and “seniors.” Instead, students will be referred to as “1st years,” “2nd years” and so forth.

The basis for this change was the claim that “terms such as ‘freshman’ are decidedly male-specific, while terms such as ‘upperclassmen’ can be interpreted as both sexist and classist.” Of course, since “freshmen” is the only of the four traditional terms to have an actual male reference, they claimed that “terms such as ‘junior’ and ‘senior’ are parallel to western male father-son naming conventions”.

Imagine if a student had written a paper for a college course with such far-reaching reasons to support his or her hypothesis. Although, this is the same faculty that has a member who emailed his students last year to inform them that he would be “stepping away” from his academic responsibilities for two days as part of a “Scholar Strike” for racial injustice. These professors’ salaries are paid partially by taxpayer dollars and partially by the students who expect their professor to show up and teach them, just as they are expected to show up and learn.

As a father of a Penn State graduate, who could have chosen any other college or university but chose Penn State for its history, tradition, and excellence in academics and athletics, the direction the University is heading is concerning. From its humble beginnings as a land-grant institution in 1855, Penn State has been a pillar of Pennsylvania that many are proud of, regardless of whether they are a graduate. My pride continues, especially considering the incredible care I received at Penn State Hershey Medical Center following a recent motorcycle accident.

Unfortunately, decisions for the University seem to made by a faculty unit that is self-serving and advancing a one-sided agenda that are offending so many Pennsylvanians that don’t share the same beliefs – from students and parents to alumni and taxpayers.

The University Faculty Senate’s most recent resolution is now calling on the University to require proof of having received the COVID vaccine for all faculty, students, and staff. This negates their embrace of independent, free-thinking students. Or do they only advocate for independent thinking that is in line with their own beliefs?

Sadly, the University itself is now bribing students – and employees – with weekly prize drawings for those who show proof of being vaccinated. This includes $1000 in cash and $400 in gift cards – each week.

As a State Senator, it is difficult for me to be sympathetic to the University’s yearly budget requests for millions of your tax dollars, supposedly aimed at helping keep tuition down for students, when they are handing out cash incentives and doing exactly what they claim to be against – segregating and labeling using “classist” terms such as “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated.”

Senator Mike Regan represents Pennsylvania’s 31st Senatorial District covering parts of Cumberland and York Counties.

What a crock of unwoke shit.....
Go back to sleep ....

 

[Agoodnap]

What a crock of unwoke shit.....
Go back to sleep ....

It's a little early to be this drunk.

 

[Jerry]

I always have to have a little chuckle with people like you. Tell me, when was the country better? 1850? 1950? 1990? 2010?

It all depends on the definition of "better," Gregg.

We've got an abundance of creature comforts plus no end of distractions to keep us all entertained and mind-numbed....but unhappiness is rampant, drugs (legal and illegal) are an epidemic, mental health treatment is a growth industry, suicide rates are climbing, violence is increasing, and a sense of national division is profound.

Oh...and then there was the minor matter of a pandemic with daily doses of media-promoted hysteria.

Is that better? If so, better than what?

 

[Erial_Lion]

Is that better? If so, better than what?

Better than a time when my daughter wouldn’t have had the same opportunities as a man, my black friends wouldn’t have been able to vote or sit at the same lunch counter or go to the same schools, my gay friends would have had to stay in the closet for fear of being shunned by society or losing their jobs, etc, etc.

Hell, it wasn’t that long ago that there were questions over whether a black quarterback could handle the position. When I was in college, guys on my dorm floor felt comfortable enough questioning why Joe would ever trust Wally at QB due to his skin color...I’d like to hope that’s not happening in Holmes Hall in 2021. I feel like we’re doing better.

 

[BobPSU92]

More terminology changes at Dear Old State:

Recategorization of current staff positions bringing positive change | Penn State University

 

[Jerry]

Better than a time when my daughter wouldn’t have had the same opportunities as a man, my black friends wouldn’t have been able to vote or sit at the same lunch counter or go to the same schools, my gay friends would have had to stay in the closet for fear of being shunned by society or losing their jobs, etc, etc.

Hell, it wasn’t that long ago that there were questions over whether a black quarterback could handle the position. When I was in college, guys on my dorm floor felt comfortable enough questioning why Joe would ever trust Wally at QB due to his skin color...I’d like to hope that’s not happening in Holmes Hall in 2021. I feel like we’re doing better.

My point was that creature comforts and technological advancement do not necessarily add up to "better" as indicated by the various categories of misery identified in my comment.

I do agree on the "better" you outlined above but wonder why people in positions of power are again fueling hate and dividing people on the basis of skin color in a bizarre reverse dynamic to the past racism you describe. I don't think that's better.

It also seems like blowing up the institution of the family in the name of progress has unleashed an avalanche of dysfunction and violence that has arguably done as much harm to minority communities as the kind of discrimination you point to. That's not better either.

When you throw out the baby with the bathwater, you end up with an empty tub...and I don't see how that's better.

 

[Midnighter2]

My point was that creature comforts and technological advancement do not necessarily add up to "better" as indicated by the various categories of misery identified in my comment.

I do agree on the "better" you outlined above but wonder why people in positions of power are again fueling hate and dividing people on the basis of skin color in a bizarre reverse dynamic to the past racism you describe. I don't think that's better.

It also seems like blowing up the institution of the family in the name of progress has unleashed an avalanche of dysfunction and violence that has arguably done as much harm to minority communities as the kind of discrimination you point to. That's not better either.

When you throw out the baby with the bathwater, you end up with an empty tub...and I don't see how that's better.

I don't think the people who 'benefit' from the kinds of progress/change you claim fuels hatred and division would agree with your assessment. Yours is simply one point of view, and more and more, one that doesn't matter much (like mine).

 

[91Joe95]

I find the collapse of the American education system quite stunning to behold.

 

[Midnighter2]

I find the collapse of the American education system quite stunning to behold.

Is it though? Seems to be same as always - haves and have nots. Kids today are as bright as ever but probably more concerned with things like climate and social justice than other generations. Doesn’t mean anything is collapsing - it’s just that priorities are different.

Do you have kids? What have you seen in your schools?

 

[91Joe95]

Is it though? Seems to be same as always - haves and have nots. Kids today are as bright as ever but probably more concerned with things like climate and social justice than other generations. Doesn’t mean anything is collapsing - it’s just that priorities are different.

Do you have kids? What have you seen in your schools?

What does a high-school diploma get you these days? Pretty much nothing. The college degree has replaced that, except a bunch of those are worthless. And the cost of those degrees? Essentially the cost of a first house. There are entire school districts who graduate kids without even the most basic of math and English skills. It just keeps going on, over and over. No one cares. Apparently the kids are not the highest priority. Violence is allowed to fester in schools. One of my sisters works in a school district where they cap the number of suspensions they can hand out at a school. Once a certain number of infractions have been met, unless an infraction is incredibly egregious, then everyone essentially just has to live with it. You'd be surprised how many districts are like that, and unfortunately in some of the most vulnerable communities. That creates a terrible learning environment. You see school districts looking to eliminate honors classes and merit. Don't even get me started on how we took school away from kids for over a year. I could go on and on. Kids today are the same as they have always been. Yet the expectations, the requirements, have gone to shit. It is stunning what is being done to the kids of America, especially in the most vulnerable of communities.

 

[Agoodnap]

Is it though? Seems to be same as always - have good parents that take an active role in education or have crappy parents that aren't involved and mostly believe education is someone else's responsibility. . Kids today are as bright as ever but probably more concerned with things like climate and social justice than other generations. Doesn’t mean anything is collapsing - it’s just that priorities are different.

Do you have kids? What have you seen in your schools?

FIFY

 

[Midnighter2]

FIFY

Fair point.

 

[Jerry]

I don't think the people who 'benefit' from the kinds of progress/change you claim fuels hatred and division would agree with your assessment. Yours is simply one point of view, and more and more, one that doesn't matter much (like mine).

Well I actually didn't formulate the equation quite that way...as change itself fueling hatred. Rather, I suggested that though some of the change may be for the good, people in power seem to be manipulating and distorting it for their own ends...and one of those ends appears to be hatred and division. I mean, look around you.

Yes indeed, mine is only one point of view. I reckon everyone here has only one point of view...and you could say none of them matter except as fodder for a message board. On the other hand, one's point of view can have quite an impact (for good or ill) on family members and others in his or her circle...and that can reverberate (for good or ill) all the way to eternity.

In any case, Truth always matters. In fact, it's the only thing that matters.

 

[BobPSU92]

What does a high-school diploma get you these days? Pretty much nothing. The college degree has replaced that, except a bunch of those are worthless. And the cost of those degrees? Essentially the cost of a first house. There are entire school districts who graduate kids without even the most basic of math and English skills. It just keeps going on, over and over. No one cares. Apparently the kids are not the highest priority. Violence is allowed to fester in schools. One of my sisters works in a school district where they cap the number of suspensions they can hand out at a school. Once a certain number of infractions have been met, unless an infraction is incredibly egregious, then everyone essentially just has to live with it. You'd be surprised how many districts are like that, and unfortunately in some of the most vulnerable communities. That creates a terrible learning environment. You see school districts looking to eliminate honors classes and merit. Don't even get me started on how we took school away from kids for over a year. I could go on and on. Kids today are the same as they have always been. Yet the expectations, the requirements, have gone to shit. It is stunning what is being done to the kids of America, especially in the most vulnerable of communities.

High school. What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing.
I said high school. Huh. Good God y’all.

 

[BlueLion]

It all depends on the definition of "better," Gregg.

We've got an abundance of creature comforts plus no end of distractions to keep us all entertained and mind-numbed....but unhappiness is rampant, drugs (legal and illegal) are an epidemic, mental health treatment is a growth industry, suicide rates are climbing, violence is increasing, and a sense of national division is profound.

Oh...and then there was the minor matter of a pandemic with daily doses of media-promoted hysteria.

Is that better? If so, better than what?

It's horrible how the media promoted hysteria killed 600,000 Americans.

 

[91Joe95]

It's horrible how the media promoted hysteria killed 600,000 Americans.

It is horrible how the media promoted false information and failed to report on horrible decisions and their consequences. I wonder how many people died because of it. Certainly the economic devastation was unnecessary.

 

[BlueLion]

It is horrible how the media promoted false information and failed to report on horrible decisions and their consequences. I wonder how many people died because of it. Certainly the economic devastation was unnecessary.

The former failed president and his lies killed more people than anyone.

 

[91Joe95]

The former failed president and his lies killed more people than anyone.

Cuomo, Wolf, et al and their nursing home murdering sprees say hi.