Actually, Lisa, that's what I thought of too, and I'm not even from a small New Hampshire town. :)
Of course, the actual protagonist of The Lord of the Rings is Sam.
Yah, and if Sean Astin doesn't get a best supporting actor Oscar for his role, I'm going to be *bitterly* disappointed. I love the movies, I love all the characterization, but man, I *believe* Sam.
I am, of course, anticipating bitter disappointment. Hollywood awards systems aren't set up to handle an ensemble cast like the LotR has. I expect a huge influx of awards for the third movie which will be retroactively fitted to the previous two, instead of the trilogy sweeping the Oscars for three years running like it should've. Hmph.
*strangled noise* Isn't a US military base anywhere in the world by definition US territory? Isn't that the idea?
*more strangled noises* I think I have go to write to my Congress creatures, cursed be their names, and ask that question. And maybe a letter to the editor. God, how do you *deal* with crap like that?
This is a point often brought up in some of my discussions of the dismal public school system. Not what Patrick's quoted here specifically, nor the article itself, but the fact that there's a distinct degree of disadvantage to a higher education when your prospects -- or your ambitions -- only go so far as a McJob. The backbone of our economy is factory jobs, farm labor, fast food -- intellectuals, generally speaking, don't keep the guts of the country running.
To take from the experiences of friends of mine: one woman with years of experience in the computer industry, but no degree, has been out of work for two years now because she's too over-qualified for McDonalds (K-Mart, Safeway, name your equivilant poison) to hire. Even if she got that job, she and her boss would both know as soon as something better comes along, she'd be jumping ship. Without even a formal college education, she's been effectively priced out of that market, and yet she's stuck in a position where it'd be easier, financially, if she could get that sort of position.
Compare that to a friend of mine who began working at McDonalds while still in high school, and didn't pursue anything beyond her high school diploma, as far as education is concerned. She isn't bringing a BA or a PhD to the table, but her boss knows if he hasn't got a lifer there, he's at least got the high likelihood of a long-term employee. Higher education wouldn't do her a lot of good at that position, and if she needed that job, an education might even prevent her from getting it.
I have a difficult time envisioning a world in which everyone was so well-educated that they'd all be too bored to work fast food (although, y'know, that'd probably be good for the collective waistline of the country), or, perhaps more to the point, a world in which everyone was so well-educated that there would be no one left to take the fast food positions /because/ those positions would be too boring.
I happen to think that education is the answer to pretty much all evils, and that practicality (on the McJob level, anyway) aside, it ought to be pursued. It seems likely, although maybe not absolutely inevitable, that if we manage to develop a so-well-educated society that no one can be bothered to do backbone work, that we may find another way to /do/ the backbone work.
Of course, that combined with aging research, could make for science fiction utopian hells in which we all wither away spiritually while living on and on and clearly I need to stop now because, if nothing else, dinner is ready. :)
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2003 | 8 |
| 2002 | 1 |
Total: 11 comments. View all these comments on a single page.
The most recent 20 comments posted to Electrolite by Catie Murphy:
Show all comments by Catie Murphy.