Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Monday, December 21, 2009

Don't Call It Negativity

Everybody who declares me "negative" just because I'm observant and nobody's fool is just a scam artist disappointed to lose a mark.

8 comments:

jimf said...

> Everybody who declares me "negative" just because I'm observant
> and nobody's fool. . .

If you're George Orwell or H. L. Mencken or Bertrand Russell,
you can be "nobody's fool" and be publicly lauded for it (even
if, sometimes, only posthumously).

Other folks are expected to abide by the canons of "responsible"
journalism and "responsible" public intellectual commentary,
by being "nobody's fool" only in private.

:-/

(My captcha for this comment is
"literpoo")

Geoff said...

::disregarding politics::

Omg new layout! I...I like it!

Seriously though, I hope you're doing well in the midst of all the state's financial woes. Happy holidays Dale!!

Dale Carrico said...

Thanks -- Im still tinkering with the overall look of the blog, but it seemed a time for refurbishment. Due at least in part to the state's financial woes it looks like I wont be teach at UCB any more past this summer. End of an era. I'm turning my 10/20 lectures into a book though after I finish the Arendt/p2p project in process. Scary times for teachers, thank heavens for my theory gig at SFAI.

yvonne said...

Do teach more classes at SFAI, e.g. thesis colloquium (ARTH-390), a class on countering anthropocentrism (Carol Adams, Donna Haraway, ...). Your classes at SFAI are pretty full -- why not have more.

Me said...

"Due at least in part to the state's financial woes it looks like I wont be teach at UCB any more past this summer."

Um...I thought that's why students' fees were raised...to take care of these university budget issues. If instructors like you are STILL being let go, then where is the extra $$$ from fee increases going then?

wtf??

Dale Carrico said...

There's more to it, of course. I've been teaching as a lecturer at UCB five years since I received my PhD there. I've reached a point at which to continue teaching there my status would have to chance, with concomitant changes in my benefits and title and so on. I'll admit I was hoping I might be able to secure a somewhat less precarious perch in the Department via all the hard work I've been doing and all the good results I've been getting as a lecturer, but apparently this was a longer shot than I rather foolishly believed. I don't think anybody has acted in bad faith or anything, and I can't help but feel good about having occasion to teach so freely so many great students for an extra half decade this way, but I'm feeling a bit blue about it, I must admit.

Geoff said...

Sadly, the fee hikes aren't even keeping up with the lost funding from the state. Even worse, I definitely don't remember the adjunct salaries being that great in the first place.

Like you said, Dale: end of an era.

I really am saddened to hear about the loss, I really do now look back upon my time there as the golden years.

Anne Corwin said...

Oh, just wait until the Big Bright Beautiful Futurismical Tomorrow fails to happen -- at that point you won't just be called "negative", but you might even be blamed for the lack of flying cars and whatnot. Those things run on enthusiasm, you know, and if you aren't doing your part in the Care Bear Stare, you're as good as damning us all to a future of fail. :P