Fundie's double take on college

[spinsterwv]

“Yeah, to save time and money, and then next year I’ll probably end up going to Ohio State or somewhere,†I continued. Trying to explain my counter-cultural approach to the point in life where you either go to college or people think you’re a loser.

Ok, so this guy is going to college....No wait, he's CollegeMinus then, college.

It was those words that immediately reminded me just how different from the world I am, and better off too. I mean, what's so great about the college experience? Boring lectures, homework, tests...this is fun? Or do people mean going to parties and getting drunk when they refer to the "college experience?" Or perhaps there are enjoyable experiences to be had at college that don't involve immorality, but are these experiences really worth tens of thousands of dollars? What else could I do with that money?

I thought SOTDRT was all about how fun learning is and besides, college a about a lot more than "boring lectures" or frat parties. He goes on to acknowledge how there are a lot of resources in college.

Then he goes on a diatribe against humanism:

[Maggie Mae]

You don't have to do the 'wild and crazy' college experience if you live on campus. It's not mandatory. No one comes into your dorm and forces you to participate in an orgy.

However, dorm life IS expensive, and not always worth it. I enjoyed my time, but had I known any better at the time, I might have looked into off campus housing. But then I would have never participated in plenty of alcohol free things, or been forced to interact with people who aren't just like me or interested in the same things.

It really pisses me off that people are so down on higher degrees, and especially arts, science, and humanities degrees. Art History is important, even if it might not lead to the highest paying jobs.

[browngrl]

I went to read newer posts on his blog in order to find out if he actually ended up studying anything. However I became so irritated by his personal take on the usual fundie tripe that I came back here to whine and whinge. The fundie hard line on higher education kind of gives me cramps. Because some people go to college to party till they puke and do nothing but rack up debt does not mean everyone does that. My sisters and I went to university and learned things that not only got us jobs but were interesting to boot. We all partied but we also studied. We all went into debt to graduate (despite scholarships, savings and jobs) but we paid off our debt. You know, the same stuff that many many other people do in university.

Maybe this whole fundie/higher education stance is just another example of evolution in action. I can't imagine that dedicated ignorance will be much of a survival trait.

[JMarie]

How does he know that real colleges offer boring lectures if he's doing CollegeMinus? Has he attended an actual lecture?

[formergothardite]

I am the most boring, unwild person ever and I had a great time at college. Learning is fun. Hard, but fun. What is great about the college experience? You can learn a great deal, be exposed to a lot of different views, find out what you really believe, and the list could go on. College is not for everyone, but it isn't all boring books or wild parties.

[Arete]

It's weird to see people aspire to make themselves and their descendents the country's permanent underclass.

I did go to a party or three, but I also got a bang up education in college that I continue to build on. Can't imagine stopping learning (which is different than not going to college) at some set point because I needed to raise my parents' children or had decided it is "not worth the money".

[Abby_B]

"Boring lectures"?? Boring!?!? Where is he getting his information? My professors in college were amazing lecturers and made learning so much fun. In fact, some of my friends and I would always take a class each semester from one of the history profs because his lectures were so engaging. This guy is just plain dumb.

[spinsterwv]

I am the most boring, unwild person ever and I had a great time at college. Learning is fun. Hard, but fun. What is great about the college experience? You can learn a great deal, be exposed to a lot of different views, find out what you really believe, and the list could go on. College is not for everyone, but it isn't all boring books or wild parties.

I went to a university in New Orleans. Even if you are a serious student, it's hard to avoid Mardi Gras and a drinking culture that allowed legal drinking at 18. I admit, I had a few moments with alcohol. I also met other students from every state, lived in an ESL dorm, joined groups based counseling other students, teaching ESL and the literary magazine. My college library had research documents only available for viewing. At one point, I saw a pamphlet in Spansh teaching people to make explosives (it was printed by our government). I took classes from archaeologists who had done field work in the area we were studying. I had a job in the French Quarter and learned a lot about the city and its culture. The only "lectures" that I had problems with were: the Romanian philosophy professor (only because it was a once a week class and his accent drove me a bit crazy. Sometimes I could hear it in my sleep) and the one computer science class that was just way over my head. Sometimes I wasn't as dedicated a student as I should have been, but I always learned from my classes.

He's a writer and I assume he wants to be published. Writing is about is good stories and getting into other people's headspace. He doesn't seem to equate college education with learning other people's stories and what makes them tick. That's sad to me. How can you not look at college as an exciting adventure at his age?

[DonnaSmith]

Maybe if he went to college he would know the proper definitions of 'Humanism' and 'Not For Profit.'

[GenerationCedarchip]

I have to admit that i couldn't get all the way through this article because it was making my head hurt so much. Thanks for wading through that and doing a summary!

Seriously, why can't these fundies see that the anti-college stance is pretty much guaranteeing them marginal status and long-term unemployability? There isn't going to be but so much demand for SAHD blogs and whatever it is that fundie guys are doing(making movies a la Botkin, maybe?). When I was a fundie, it was still 10,000 forms of crazy but at least there was the expectation of getting an education. It might involve your parents or your pastor reading all your email, some seriously trippy Bible studies and mandatory church,but there was still actual college involved.

[Carla Bruni]

The problem with this guy is that he isn't going to get anything out of college even if he goes, so why bother? Honestly. There's clearly very little intellectual curiosity in this community, and any surreptitious attempts at such are curtailed (Jana, etc). Why go? Leave that spot open for someone who legitimately wants to go, who might be a waitlist admit or something. This is, of course, presuming this dipshit would get in anywhere, although I'm sure the University of Phoenix would love to have him. Or Bob Jones! Whatever happened to Bob Jones? Is it still open? Has anyone heard of anyone attending this fine institution?

[GenerationCedarchip]

The problem with this guy is that he isn't going to get anything out of college even if he goes, so why bother? Honestly. There's clearly very little intellectual curiosity in this community, and any surreptitious attempts at such are curtailed (Jana, etc). Why go? Leave that spot open for someone who legitimately wants to go, who might be a waitlist admit or something. This is, of course, presuming this dipshit would get in anywhere, although I'm sure the University of Phoenix would love to have him. Or Bob Jones! Whatever happened to Bob Jones? Is it still open? Has anyone heard of anyone attending this fine institution?

Bob Jones is still around. It's not as popular among the reformed crowd but my in-laws have some IFB neighbors who made all their kids go there. Unless things have changed, the school is not accredited because of some of their racial stances so folks who went to BJU and then wanted to go on to grad school have had a hard time getting in at some places.

Oh, and I checked their manual online because I was curious. Apparently if you're dating, you need to be chaperoned. Oh, but if you're engaged and within 12months of your wedding date, you are allowed to ride in a vehicle alone with your fiance if you're going to marriage counseling or other related business in town. :lol:

[ThatSnark]

My lectures weren't boring at all. My World History teacher was such a good storyteller that his freshman class had a hall with 1200 seats packed at 8:00am M-F. A boring lecturer would maybe fill the front row of partying freshman. Not buying it, Mr. Sour Grapes.

College is life-expanding and mind-expanding. It's supposed to knock you for a loop, make you question your rock-solid beliefs, and start thinking. No wonder fundies can't figure out what the rest of us are doing there!

[Gil]

How sad -- another example of how SOTDRT sucks out any desire to learn. I love my lectures! I go to extra non-credit lectures when I get the opportunity. As for morality, it's rather easy to uphold your moral values if you never have them challenged. I live in one of the most party-oriented dorms on campus this year and I belong to a lovely, large group of friends who choose to be sober not because we have to but because it's what we have personally chosen for ourselves for various reasons.

So sad. College is not for everyone but that does not mean that it is inherently bad. Fundies don't seem to be able to differentiate.

[mockingbird]

And besides interesting lectures, there are seminars! Of course... you have to be able to think critically to participate meaningfully in seminars. So maybe that's not his thing.

These were some of my favorite classes in college: History of Epidemics, History of the Holocaust, Middle East and Palestine/Israel History (2 different classes but same professor), Editing, Masculinity in Non-Western Literature, African Literature, Literary Theory, Victorian Literature (yes look, a course just for you, fundies!), and Autoethnography. He might be interested in the masculinity class, though it's probably not what he thinks, lol. Middle East and Holocaust history might be helpful for fundies, same with literary theory because you can learn about the ebil feminism.

ETA: I forgot, I was also going to say that I like my family, even though I don't live with them anymore. Amazingly, I didn't forget about them the minute I moved out.

[YPestis]

I wouldn't be too harsh on the kid. He's what, 18? I remember when I was 18. I thought I had everything figured out too! Give him a few years and see where his attitude takes him. He thinks he's found the secret to economic success. Maybe he really is a business genius and he'll be laughing all the way to the bank. More likely, he'll be struggling with bills and trying to figure out how to support his wife and babies on a limited income. College isn't for everyone, but this kid don't seem to understand what *is* for.

[jaynie]

I've definitely had boring lecturers, not gonna lie. I've even had the odd completely mental one (my "Favourite" tried to tell a class full of third year bio students that evolution was a lie because why would there still be monkeys?). But for the most part the classes I've taken have been awesome. Every year I have this internal dilemma in which I want to take every elective possible (Historical Costume Design? The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence? Special Topics in Polish Literature? Elvish 101? HOW DO I CHOOSE?! And I can't even take most of them because my degree structure is very rigid.) This not mentioning the possibility of student exchanges, work-abroad experience, etc.

So yeah, fun.

Also, I love that definition of humanism. If you just negate all of the sentences, it's almost right. Humanism on opposite day!

[August]

In Humanism, material things such as money, status, and power are the most important things. Not people. Money, status, and power become the sole reason for living.

He's got us sussed out! If we were about humanity we'd call ourselves money-ists.

[Chibi Author]

And then there is this gem in the comments:

Yes, we heathens can't comprehend your awesome radical views. :roll:

http://www.reaganramm.com/2012/09/colle ... ghbor.html

Excuse me? What on earth is he talking about? I was under the impression that graduating from college ushered in a new era of life - establishing a career, moving, maybe getting married. Those ... really don't seem like bad things.

Me, personally, when I graduate, I want to take a tour of the States, visit family, and bask in the attention of knowing that *I* am a college graduate. You know, like the Hunger Games victory tour, except without people dying.

Because I am a very, very mature adult.

It really pisses me off that people are so down on higher degrees, and especially arts, science, and humanities degrees. Art History is important, even if it might not lead to the highest paying jobs.

Thank you! This is the fight I keep having with my mother and sister. One of my sister's best friends is finishing up her Art degree, and they keep making comments about how she's not going to be able to get a job, etc. :angry-banghead: