So Adam has the opinion (via Dennis) that liberal professors and universities go a long way towards creating and perpetuating a lot of the really silly misconceptions that have so damaged modern society (for a list of these, either ask Adam or listen to the Dennis Prager show. Some people would hold that the two activities amount to the same thing sometimes).
Right now I work as a writing fellow for a Sociology of Gender class; I teach the sociology students how to write effectively. Having read several of their papers and talked extensively with the professor that teaches the class, I've come to two conclusions. First, there are a whole lot of silly misconceptions among sociology students, and perhaps there is a big one in the sociology field (more on that later). Second, the professor isn't teaching a lot of these misconceptions. A lot of the things the students say in their papers are ridiculous, though unfortunately I can't post them for confidentiality's sake. But the professor doesn't share those same misconceptions. Her views seem a lot more plausible and nuanced. While that may be just because she's better at expressing them, the other possibility is that it is often the students, not the field at large or the professors, that hold and perpetuate silly misconceptions.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
National Anthems: Israel
I'll admit some partiality to Israel's national anthem. Ok, it's my favorite. The music is fantastic and the words express the unity of a people that has transcended the political existence of their country for thousands of years.
What makes me a fellow countryman of, say, a child of illegal immigrants in California? For argument's sake, let's also suppose that this child of illegal immigrants is a far-left liberal who believes that America's net influence on the world has been decidedly bad. I can think of two ways in which we might be considered countrymen.
First, we might be considered countrymen based on politico-geographical borders and the law that rules within them. We were both born within the borders of the United States, and so are both U.S. citizens under law. Because we both subscribe to that law and accept the rights, privileges, and responsibilities it offers, we are countrymen. There seem to be a couple of problems with this view. First, the fact the other person's parents are illegal immigrants makes the common legal ideology seem like a strange commonality. Of course, that has no bearing on what the other person thinks of or reacts to the law, so that point is moot. Second, given the other's political ideology, we disagree significantly about the law. We disagree both about what the current content and purpose of the law is and about what the content and purpose of the law should be. The disagreement is strongest on the law's most fundamental and important points. So that commonality with respect to the law seems problematic.
Second, we might be considered countrymen because we share a national heritage. Given, my ancestors were Mayflower pilgrims (arriving in Plymouth in 1620) and Swiss Huguenots (arriving in Pennsylvania in the 18th century), and the other's are Latin Americans who had little to do with this country until the other's parents illegally entered it. They likely did not enter the country with an aim to be good citizens of it, but to capitalize on the economic situation here to build a more comfortable life for themselves. Of course, my ancestors also came with the intent to build a better life for themselves, but I feel like the two are different somehow. Regardless, the idea is that the other, as a U.S. citizen, inherits the common heritage of U.S. citizens. It's a diverse heritage, but from their diversity our forbears united behind common ideals and forged a national identity--E Pluribus Unum. But I have neither common ideals nor a common national identity with the other here; the other's ideals are radically different from mine, and the other rejects or is ashamed of the national identity that came with U.S. citizenship.
So what makes us countrymen?
The Israelis do not have this problem. They are bound together by a common heritage and belief that has withstood the worst this world has been able to give it. They are passionate about it and, since Moses, have been willing to fight for it.
Observe.
Finally, here are the words:
As long as in the heart, within,
A Jewish soul is yearning,
And to the edges of the East, forward,
An eye gazes towards Zion,
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
My True Talent
With a little help from my friends, I've discovered it:
Michelle: well mr. sunshine...
Michelle: well mr. sunshine...
you've managed to make what was already a dreary day all the drearier.
thank you
me: it's my strong suit
So, there you have it, folks. That's why I'm here.
me: it's my strong suit
take what was happiness, and by pure force of association turn it into oppressive boredom and melancholy
So, there you have it, folks. That's why I'm here.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Principles of Agency
President Kearl gives an interesting talk on principles of agency. Some of his principles run counter to traditional LDS culture or are counterintuitive. He gave the talk again in stake conference today, and again I enjoyed it and learned from it. I thought I might share his principles here.
1- We can have absolute confidence in choices related to salvation; these are matters of obedience, not prayer.
Examples: Thou shalt not kill, pay your tithing, etc.
2- Relatively few of the decisions we face each day are "thou shalt" or "thou shalt not" decisions. Many choices are eternally significant, but not related to salvation. In making those choices, we should remember that they are ours to make. The Lord will not make them for us--He will not choose for us among a variety of good options.
Examples: Where should I live? What career should I pursue? Whom should I marry?
Related notes: Choices have consequences, but these are not always punishments. We should recognize and embrace consequences, not trying to shield ourselves or others from them. Also, we should not try to make decisions for others or let others make decisions for us; the one who makes the decision should be the one who will most directly bear the consequences.
3- A choice delayed is a choice made.
4- Choices often have to be made with incomplete information.
We should not second-guess ourselves when the information becomes more complete later. This is not to say that we shouldn't be careful to gather all the information we can before choosing. We should not be willfully ignorant. However, we can only act on what we know and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
5- With the exception of repentance, we cannot change the past.
So don't spend life wishing you had a different past--that is an unconscionable mistake.
6- Not all dumb choices are wrong.
Example: Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is not morally wrong. It is also not smart. We should spend a lot more time worrying about making smart choices and a little less time worrying about making right/wrong choices.
7- Given identical circumstances, different people will make different and equally good choices.
We ought to be less judgmental and more supportive of others' life choices.
8- We don't need to see, and don't get to see, the future.
Remember the hymn "Lead, Kindly Light." We need to be open to being pleasantly surprised by opportunities; we should be prepared to embrace opportunities as they come.
9- We need to frame our prayers so that God can answer them. He will not answer prayers that abridge our agency.
10- Often, decisions become right.
They become right based on the choices we make in relation to them afterwards.
Sad example: Couples who divorce after twenty years of marriage did not make a mistake choosing to marry each other twenty years ago. It's foolish to think that. They made a mistake yesterday, or the day before, but not twenty years ago.
Many of these principles are not widely practiced. I think that is due in part to their being misconstrued. It would be easy to think that these principles mean you should pray less or about fewer decisions. Perhaps that is true, to some extent. But largely they only mean you should pray differently. You should be willing to take responsibility for choices that are yours to make. Be willing to choose your own life. The Lord does help us avoid mistakes, but He will not take away our agency by telling us which is the right choice.
1- We can have absolute confidence in choices related to salvation; these are matters of obedience, not prayer.
Examples: Thou shalt not kill, pay your tithing, etc.
2- Relatively few of the decisions we face each day are "thou shalt" or "thou shalt not" decisions. Many choices are eternally significant, but not related to salvation. In making those choices, we should remember that they are ours to make. The Lord will not make them for us--He will not choose for us among a variety of good options.
Examples: Where should I live? What career should I pursue? Whom should I marry?
Related notes: Choices have consequences, but these are not always punishments. We should recognize and embrace consequences, not trying to shield ourselves or others from them. Also, we should not try to make decisions for others or let others make decisions for us; the one who makes the decision should be the one who will most directly bear the consequences.
3- A choice delayed is a choice made.
4- Choices often have to be made with incomplete information.
We should not second-guess ourselves when the information becomes more complete later. This is not to say that we shouldn't be careful to gather all the information we can before choosing. We should not be willfully ignorant. However, we can only act on what we know and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
5- With the exception of repentance, we cannot change the past.
So don't spend life wishing you had a different past--that is an unconscionable mistake.
6- Not all dumb choices are wrong.
Example: Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is not morally wrong. It is also not smart. We should spend a lot more time worrying about making smart choices and a little less time worrying about making right/wrong choices.
7- Given identical circumstances, different people will make different and equally good choices.
We ought to be less judgmental and more supportive of others' life choices.
8- We don't need to see, and don't get to see, the future.
Remember the hymn "Lead, Kindly Light." We need to be open to being pleasantly surprised by opportunities; we should be prepared to embrace opportunities as they come.
9- We need to frame our prayers so that God can answer them. He will not answer prayers that abridge our agency.
10- Often, decisions become right.
They become right based on the choices we make in relation to them afterwards.
Sad example: Couples who divorce after twenty years of marriage did not make a mistake choosing to marry each other twenty years ago. It's foolish to think that. They made a mistake yesterday, or the day before, but not twenty years ago.
Many of these principles are not widely practiced. I think that is due in part to their being misconstrued. It would be easy to think that these principles mean you should pray less or about fewer decisions. Perhaps that is true, to some extent. But largely they only mean you should pray differently. You should be willing to take responsibility for choices that are yours to make. Be willing to choose your own life. The Lord does help us avoid mistakes, but He will not take away our agency by telling us which is the right choice.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
USSR/Russia
This is installment 1 in a weekly feature on national anthems.
A NOTE ON THE FEATURE
Recently, I have been considering doing a weekly feature on national anthems. I wanted to include a little bit of history, the lyrics to the song, and an evaluation of the ideals it expresses, among other things. As with many of my ideas, this one is sadly not new: Wikipedia beat me to it.
That being said, while the information I give on the anthems may not be original or groundbreaking, I can still bring attention to them. And the evaluation of the ideals each nation expresses in its anthem might still be enlightening. So, with that somewhat depressing prelude, I proceed to the first anthem!
USSR/RUSSIA
This week BYUSA is holding its annual elections. As in years past, campus has become a virtual minefield: nearly every path through campus is littered with campaign booths and representatives. If you're not careful, they'll tag you with yet another circular, ribbon, or other humiliating bit of paraphernalia.
How did I approach this minefield on Monday? Easy--I walked straight into it with my eyes open. Predictably, I was approached by a candidate who had lived on my hall freshman year. We were not great friends that year and barely spoke in the five intervening years between then and now, but still he approached me fully expecting that I would support his campaign because we knew each other.
The most interesting thing about the experience was the campaign paraphernalia he bestowed upon me: a bit of red cloth he tied to my backpack. I have since seen several of his supporters wearing such ribbons as armbands. It's amazing that now, roughly eighteen years after the Berlin wall crumbled, red armbands no longer produce stigma. Yes, my friends, now again it is safe to be a Red.
Parenthetically, here's another interesting story: last year I visited my uncle in Georgia. In his ward on Sunday, a young man gave a farewell address; he was leaving on a mission to Russia. A member of the stake presidency in attendance took a moment to speak to the congregation. He asked everyone who remembered praying that the Gospel would go forth to those behind the Iron Curtain to stand up. Nearly all the adults rose to their feet. Most of them prayed for that the same way we might pray that the Gospel might go forth to the Middle East. Miracles do happen, the Lord's work does go forward, and prayers are answered in ways small and great.
Anyway, let's get to the anthem already.
Musically, it's one of the best national anthems the world has ever known. In fact, it's so good that post-Communist Russia re-adopted the tune in 2000. You can hear an instrumental version here and a version with USSR lyrics here.
The words have changed several times. The song was first written in 1939 as the Anthem of the Bolshevik Party. Originally, the lyrics mentioned Stalin, but after his death in 1953 references to him were removed in accordance with the process of Destalinization. From 1953 to 1977 the anthem was played without lyrics. In the latter year, Robert Doucet, a Canadian, composed lyrics for the song so that it could be sung at the inaugural Canada Cup tournament (hockey, of course). The Soviet Union noticed and adopted the new lyrics; the song remained in that form until the nation's collapse. Below you'll find all four versions of the lyrics. Since this has already gotten so long and most of you have certainly lost interest, I'll talk about the lyrics in a later post.
Anthem of the Bolshevik Party
1944 Version
1977 Version
A NOTE ON THE FEATURE
Recently, I have been considering doing a weekly feature on national anthems. I wanted to include a little bit of history, the lyrics to the song, and an evaluation of the ideals it expresses, among other things. As with many of my ideas, this one is sadly not new: Wikipedia beat me to it.
That being said, while the information I give on the anthems may not be original or groundbreaking, I can still bring attention to them. And the evaluation of the ideals each nation expresses in its anthem might still be enlightening. So, with that somewhat depressing prelude, I proceed to the first anthem!
USSR/RUSSIA
This week BYUSA is holding its annual elections. As in years past, campus has become a virtual minefield: nearly every path through campus is littered with campaign booths and representatives. If you're not careful, they'll tag you with yet another circular, ribbon, or other humiliating bit of paraphernalia.
How did I approach this minefield on Monday? Easy--I walked straight into it with my eyes open. Predictably, I was approached by a candidate who had lived on my hall freshman year. We were not great friends that year and barely spoke in the five intervening years between then and now, but still he approached me fully expecting that I would support his campaign because we knew each other.
The most interesting thing about the experience was the campaign paraphernalia he bestowed upon me: a bit of red cloth he tied to my backpack. I have since seen several of his supporters wearing such ribbons as armbands. It's amazing that now, roughly eighteen years after the Berlin wall crumbled, red armbands no longer produce stigma. Yes, my friends, now again it is safe to be a Red.
Parenthetically, here's another interesting story: last year I visited my uncle in Georgia. In his ward on Sunday, a young man gave a farewell address; he was leaving on a mission to Russia. A member of the stake presidency in attendance took a moment to speak to the congregation. He asked everyone who remembered praying that the Gospel would go forth to those behind the Iron Curtain to stand up. Nearly all the adults rose to their feet. Most of them prayed for that the same way we might pray that the Gospel might go forth to the Middle East. Miracles do happen, the Lord's work does go forward, and prayers are answered in ways small and great.
Anyway, let's get to the anthem already.
Musically, it's one of the best national anthems the world has ever known. In fact, it's so good that post-Communist Russia re-adopted the tune in 2000. You can hear an instrumental version here and a version with USSR lyrics here.
The words have changed several times. The song was first written in 1939 as the Anthem of the Bolshevik Party. Originally, the lyrics mentioned Stalin, but after his death in 1953 references to him were removed in accordance with the process of Destalinization. From 1953 to 1977 the anthem was played without lyrics. In the latter year, Robert Doucet, a Canadian, composed lyrics for the song so that it could be sung at the inaugural Canada Cup tournament (hockey, of course). The Soviet Union noticed and adopted the new lyrics; the song remained in that form until the nation's collapse. Below you'll find all four versions of the lyrics. Since this has already gotten so long and most of you have certainly lost interest, I'll talk about the lyrics in a later post.
Anthem of the Bolshevik Party
- Free children of a state unprecedented [until now],
- Today we sing our proud song
- About the most powerful party in the world,
- About our greatest man ever.
-
- CHORUS
-
- Surrounded with glory, soldered by [our] will,
- Grow stronger and live for eternity
- The party of Lenin, the party of Stalin
- Wise party of Bolsheviks!
- You have created a country on our land [starting] from the Kremlin,
- The able Motherland of free people.
- Our Soviet state stands as rock
- Born by your power and truth.
-
- CHORUS
- Rotten breeds of lowly treachers
- You wipe from your way with a formidable hand
- You are the pride of the people, the wisdom of people,
- the heart of the people and their conscience.
-
- CHORUS
- The sparking genius of Marx and Engels
- Envisioned the future rise of the commune.
- Lenin has outlined us the road to the freedom
- And great Stalin is leading us through it.
-
- CHORUS
1944 Version
- United forever in friendship and labour,
- Our mighty republics will ever endure.
- The great Soviet Union will live through the ages.
- The dream of a people their fortress secure.
-
- CHORUS:
- Long live our Soviet Motherland, built by the people's mighty hand.
- Long live our People, united and free.
- Strong in our friendship tried by fire. Long may our crimson flag inspire,
- Shining in glory for all men to see.
- Through days dark and stormy where Great Lenin led us
- Our eyes saw the bright sun of freedom above
- and Stalin our Leader with faith in the People,
- Inspired us to build up the land that we love.
-
- CHORUS:
- Long live our Soviet Motherland, built by the people's mighty hand.
- Long live our People, united and free.
- Strong in our friendship tried by fire. Long may our crimson flag inspire,
- Shining in glory for all men to see.
- We fought for the future, destroyed the invader,
- and brought to our homeland the Laurels of Fame.
- Our glory will live in the memory of nations
- and all generations will honour her name.
-
- CHORUS:
- Long live our Soviet Motherland, built by the people's mighty hand.
- Long live our People, united and free.
- Strong in our friendship tried by fire. Long may our crimson flag inspire,
- Shining in glory for all men to see.
1977 Version
1.
- Unbreakable Union of freeborn Republics,
- Great Russia has welded forever to stand.
- Created in struggle by will of the people,
- United and mighty, our Soviet land!
- CHORUS:
- Sing to the Motherland, home of the free,
- Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong.
- O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,
- To Communism's triumph lead us on!
2.
- Through tempests the sunrays of freedom have cheered us,
- Along the new path where great Lenin did lead.
- To a righteous cause he raised up the peoples,
- Inspired them to labour and valourous deed.
- CHORUS
3.
- In the victory of Communism's deathless ideal,
- We see the future of our dear land.
- And to her fluttering scarlet banner,
- Selflessly true we always shall stand!
- CHORUS
Russia - our sacred stronghold,
Russia - our beloved country.
A mighty will, a great glory
Are your inheritance for all time!
Chorus:
Be glorious, our free Motherland,
Ancient union of brotherly peoples,
Ancestor given wisdom of the people!
Be glorious, country! We take pride in you!
From the southern seas to the polar region
Spread our forests and our fields.
You are one in the world! You are one of a kind,
Native land protected by God!
Chorus
A broad expanse for dreams and for lives
Is opened to us by the coming years.
Our faith in our Motherland gives us strength.
So it was, so it is, and so it will always be!
Chorus
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