David Sedaris

In talking to a student today about his paper, I urged him to overwrite it and make it satirical. He agreed to take on the challenge, and I think that it could become a funny, interesting piece. In searching for an example to help him along, I began to look for pieces by David Sedaris whose work I haven't read in a long time. It was a pleasure to take 20 minutes and cruise through three or four of his pieces. It reminded me of how much I enjoy self-deprecating humor and the extent to which Sedaris' dry tone can hide some of that if you aren't looking. He is pretty unsparing in this as well which can make for some simultaneously funny and sad moments, such as when he talks about his mother's death due to cancer and his own journeys with smoking. I guess what I like the most is his honesty...or his apparent honesty. I don't think he holds much back, and that is part of his talent, perhaps an overlooked part. I think it is pretty hard to be honest in print because of its permanence, and he wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting without honesty.

College: Oversold?

I just read a post by respected economist Alex Tabbarok from his blog Marginal Revolution which argues that the loans which many students use to fund their college educations are being wasted because too many of those students major in subjects which "don't help them in the job market." (http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2011/11/college-has-been-oversold.html) He also states that students who carry these majors do not contribute to innovation economy to any great degree in contrast to those who graduate with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) majors.

While I see this point...the image of a homeless English major carrying a sign reading "Will read literature for food" is a bit too close to the truth for too many...I think he ignores both some anecdotal evidence to the contrary and some basic tenets of economic theory in his argument. First, there are the college drop-outs like Steve Jobs who have certainly contributed to the economy through their design sense,of not their technical expertise. In the wake of his death, Jobs has been praised not for his technical know-how, but his design sense and aesthetic. Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg is, by current standards, a lousy coder; however, his understanding of human psychology and his willingness to take risks has resulted in the the creation and growth of Facebook, a major economic engine.

Similarly, what were the majors of the Wall Streeters at Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, et al? I'm guessing they were STEM folks...particularly math...and their innovations drove this country's economy to its knees.

And, as a final point, suppose that Tabbarok's plea was answered by the masses and the number of STEM majors and humanities majors was reversed? Would we not, due to the law of supply and demand, be accosted by hungry STEM vagrants begging for loose change to use in an internet cafe?

This is to say that I see Tabbarok's argument as overly superficial. Certainly STEM majors are important parts of our economy and we could do a better job encouraging folks to grow into those fields. However, humanities majors also lend significant value to our lives...though perhaps in ways that economists struggle to measure...and we would be a poorer society without them, even if we were "economically" richer.

A thought about beginning

This is the first post on the W.E.D. blog. This blog is inspired in part by NaNoWriMa (National Novel Writing Month) (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) and by Seth Godin's blog entry from a few weeks ago (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/talkers-block.html) and I hope it will serve as a way to get me writing...and you too, perhaps. I am struck by both those inspirations commitment to commitment; writing is commitment in a way talking is not. It reminds me of Cedric Bryant saying "You don't know what you know until you write it down." I'm still pretty sure that is a somewhat limiting definition of knowing something...do I not know I love my children unless I write it down? What if something is ineffable...can it then not be known?...but it speaks to the power of definition and language.
I'm hoping that this blog will give me some commitment to writing about things I care about and am interested in. While the writing I do for work is often satisfying, I find it pretty limiting, and I want to "know what I know" a bit more about several things, especially some things I don't know much about right now: Mark Rothko, the Dresden Dolls, and math instruction being just a few.