Author Topic: Even the bums here are "well read" (Read 481 times)

Curval · « **on:** February 21, 2003, 02:59:27 PM »

Just had a bit of a shock. There is a bum who hangs out near our office and he was rooting through the garbage out at the back of the building. As I passed his stash of personal items I noticed that he was half-way through a novel and had put it on the ground while trying to find something to "munchie wunch" in the trash.

I looked closer at the book...it was D. H. Lawrence's "The Love of a Woman".

I gave him a smoke and told him that he was better "read" than half of the office I work in.

davidpt40 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 21, 2003, 03:17:57 PM »

I guess you can be somewhat educated and insane at the same time.

miko2d · « **Reply #2 on:** February 21, 2003, 03:26:10 PM »

One can be brilliant, extremely well educated and insane at the same time.
John Forbes Nash, Ted Koszynsky?

miko

Kanth · « **Reply #3 on:** February 21, 2003, 03:31:01 PM »

This may sound insane but, perhaps he wasn't born a bum.

Swoop · « **Reply #4 on:** February 21, 2003, 03:41:19 PM »

ya know.....if I was reduced to being a bum, I'd wanna be a bum in Bermuda as well.

Curval · « **Reply #5 on:** February 21, 2003, 04:08:07 PM »

lol Swoop..I guess you're right. Bums in colder climes have other worries right now...like not freezing to death.

Kanth...I realise that. I was impressed with his literary acumen, that's all.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #6 on:** February 21, 2003, 04:38:04 PM »

he probably just needed better help selecting his major.

what else you gonna do with a liberal arts degree, or maybe he was an art history major.

both of these leave you uniquely qualified to move back in with mom and dad.

Leslie · « **Reply #7 on:** February 21, 2003, 08:05:24 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by capt. apathy
he probably just needed better help selecting his major.

what else you gonna do with a liberal arts degree, or maybe he was an art history major.

both of these leave you uniquely qualified to move back in with mom and dad.

Here's a list of Liberal Arts majors at Auburn University.

1. Anthropology
2. Art
3. Economics
4. English
5. Foreign Languages
6. Geography
7. History
8. Journalism
9. Philosophy
10. Religion
11. Social Work
12. Sociology
13. Speech Communications
14. Theatre

Its probably true about there not being a lot of money to be made in these fields initially. But the whole idea of liberal arts is to teach you to think, make critical decisions, assimilate and apply knowledge, and solve problems. It's proven that the sciences have benefited greatly from the arts, and this is why the humanities are included in the general curriculum.

Let's take art as an example of an extremely competitive and tough field to succeed in. This is a cutthroat business when it comes to making money. But the reason for doing it is not to make money, so much as it is to live a meaningful life. Artists are messengers. They observe the world more closely than most folks do. Artists are fully capable of being great scientists, but it doesn't work the other way around.

I've heard that major corporations are lamenting the fact that their employees do not have more education in the humanities. I attended a workshop one time, where an artist was talking about a commission he did for such a corporation. He proposed a series of sculptures depicting life-size (limestone) businessmen in suits to be placed around the grounds of a large building. The sculptures were very insulting, showing various businessmen with their heads stuck in the walls. Some were stuck in the columns in agony, trying to escape. Others showed long, outstretched necks peering around corners, with mindless grins on the faces. There were about 20 of these figures scattered about.

Why would this company spend a great deal of money on sculptures showing their own kind as a group of struggling, trapped, mindless slackers? All I can see from it is, the need must be significant to spend over $200,000.00 for self-inflicted insult. Why would they do this, if not to get a message across...they want their employees to have liberal arts educations, in addition to the business training.

............................. ............................. ............................. ..................

Out of every 1000 Art majors, 3 will become working artists and achieve financial success after about 20 years on average. Ain't for sissies. Those who stick it out, do so with great resolve.

I focused on art here because I agree with Capt Apathy on this one point. However, I also see the need for Liberal Arts in a civilized society. College graduates with a degree in the liberal arts should have no problems finding a job.

Les

capt. apathy · « **Reply #8 on:** February 21, 2003, 08:14:17 PM »

Out of every 1000 Art majors, 3 will become working artists and achieve financial success after about 20 years on average
_____________________________ ______
thanks for providing the statistics to prove my point.

I see the great need for classes in the arts to round out your knowledge.

however if this is where your major is, you better have rich parents or at least a stomach that doesn't mind eating from a dumpster

john9001 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 21, 2003, 09:01:46 PM »

hey , don't forget about govt grants , a "artist" can make a nice liveing off govt grants for the "arts"

Curval · « **Reply #10 on:** February 22, 2003, 06:23:31 AM »

Leslie..you forgot my degree...in Political Science.

Sure it taught me how to think and it also taught me how to write (although some here may disagree).

Six months after I received my degree I went back to school at night to get an accounting degree. I did so, not because I had a lifelong dream to be an accountant, but because I needed to earn money. Living from paycheck to measley paycheck was stress incarnate.

The bank, which had given me a mortgage, was unconcerned at how well I could think or write. The utility companies, the phone company and the credit card companies that had issued credit to me were equally unconcerned. All they cared about was getting their money.

Airhead · « **Reply #11 on:** February 22, 2003, 10:35:33 AM »

capt. apathy, people who have this drive to express themselves in literature, music or art don't do this for fame and money (at least not initally)- they do it for the love of expression.

Thank God we have people who are willing to sacrifice their financial well being to bring us such wonderful gifts of creativity. Without them our culture would be less beautiful.

Leslie · « **Reply #12 on:** February 27, 2003, 05:19:12 AM »

If you do it for a living Airhead, it amounts to hard work, especially when you have to remind some folks you're supposed to get paid... LOL. Who says, no man is an island. It's hard to move on and not dwell on it.

But a real artist has more important things to do.

Les

Leslie · « **Reply #13 on:** February 27, 2003, 05:35:39 AM »

Curval, I apologize. I was refering to the '88 - '89 bulletin. Before that, the School of Liberal Arts was known as Arts and Sciences at AU, where I first attended 1974 - 1978, and graduated in 1990 with a degree in Foreign Lang., after a 12 year hiatus.

Political Science is in the school of Arts and Sciences, and therefore, a liberal art. Though I may have left it out sub-consciously, due to a really bad PS instructor. Federal was cool, but State was a bear.

~~Les~~