Writes Frank Bruni, in "What Do You Tell a College Student Graduating Into This America?" (NYT).
What's the point of wisdom if it doesn't apply in the bad times?
Anyway... for the annals of Things I Asked Grok: 1. When did people stop talking about a fear that they have in the "pit of their stomach" and begin to refer to the fear as a "pit in their stomach"? 2. Am I supposed to picture the "pit in the stomach" as something like an apricot pit? 3. Aren't apricot pits poisonous... and are they more or less poisonous than the seeds of the pong-pong fruit, last seen on "White Lotus"?
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78 comments:
I thought NYT had cashiered Bruni; Kristoff too, but they keep turning up like bad pennies with the same old columns.
About a decade ago a 20-something woman said to me "you don't understand, things are so stressful and uncertain these days." I told her that my parents were both born and raised during the Great Depression, and that my father turned 18 just in time to be drafted into WWII. They navigated all this and had wonderful lives. Now tell me again about all the stress and uncertainty today?
I like that word “encomium”. It must be from the Latin. In Spanish the word is ‘encomio’.
WFB wrote an enjoyable book about sailing across the Atlantic called Airborne: A Sentimental Journey. It often reads like a typical book about hardship at sea, but then he drops little details. At one point after things had been extremely difficult, he breaks out some crackers and a nice bottle of port to “restore a sense of civilization”. When the sea is calm, he often plays a bit of Bach on the piano.
This is the type of navel-gazing that shows an intellectual as intellectually weak and vacuous.
A rigorous institution of higher learning would see a public display of such weakness and use it as an example of how short-term thinking, panic, and loss of perspective is not the way to go through life even when you disagree with the direction things are going.
Professor of Shitty Food?
Bruni belongs on the Bravo channel
It’s a Metastasizing pit! Bruni’s stomach might be pocked with pits (beware the “pitpockets”).
Your plans of being a paid leftist activist??? - well... sorry. You're going to need to think of something else to do with your life.
USAID is now de-funded.
There - take that one and use it, Bruni.
I foresee a day when the universities will been subjected to a new species of affirmative action aimed at correcting decades of ideological apartheid with real diversity quotas.
"My fellow professors and I are supposed to have nuggets of optimism at the ready..."
Kids these days would do well to remember Mark Twain, "I have spent most of my life worrying about things that never happened."
Typical braindead Democrat Party member who can't sleep and lives in perpetual angst and anger because a Republican is the president. The only difference between this libtard and the screeching ninnies of the Althouse blog is that Bruni gets his stupid spew published in the New York Times.
Frank Bruni is a professor?
At first I thought “gauzy and gooey” might be oxymoronic — then I found consolation in the image of a pus-filled bandage (perhaps not what Bruni was going for).
Frank Bruni is a professor?
Damn, Jupiter. GMTA.
Whether one is worried or not, it is fashionable to be seen to be worried. It is a sign of insensitivity to take things in ones stride.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticed this weird usage ("pit in my stomach"). It pops up a lot when people are trying to write about the feeling of dread, as in, "And then I just got a pit in my stomach." Weird. Myself, I can't picture it and can't figure out exactly what it means.
Tell them to hook up with somebody the love and trust and work at building a future together. Dual income, no kids is a good start. Hold off on the kids until you're 30. Easier for two people to build a financial future together that to go at it alone.
"Does it do justice to what she’s witnessing — to the Trump administration’s abandonment of, and indifference to, a man consigned to a hellhole in El Salvador because of an administrative error? To Trump’s morally perverse rewrite of history, in which Ukraine is evil and Russia rightly aggrieved? To his pardoning of the savages who smashed their way into the Capitol and bloodied police officers on Jan. 6, 2021? To his veneration of autocrats and his administration’s fervent efforts to turn him into one? To its conception of power not as a blessing that compels you to be generous but as a bludgeon that allows you to be cruel? This is not merely a change in the rules. It’s the collapse of decency and dignity."
One attribute of the liberal/left is not only to lie, and to refuse to attack their own side (not matter what), but to pretend that they have a corner on decency and morality.
The J6 protesters were "savages" and (gasp) "bloodied policemen" but the BLM/Antifa riots that resulted in 50 deaths were "mostly peaceful". Russia is "evil" and Ukraine an Innocent victim. A senseless no win war must be continued to kill "Ruskiees". Illegal aliens must be allowed in by the millions, and criminals allowed to rape and murder with no punishment.
And changing the rules? LOL - only the liberal/left does that. Getting rid of the filibuster, rigging election laws, refusing to audit the votes or stop Voter fraud.
The NYT's writers should start their own Gaslight Company.
"Sorry about the 80K in student debt. There are a shitload of administrators on campus that need support."
If you're an HONEST professor, tell them NOT to run up another 50K on graduate school!!!
Gauzy and gooey. Like an old Penthouse pictorial.
BTW, Liberal/leftists like Frank B remind me of Eleanor Roosevelt and liberals in the 30s/40s. They never shut up how indecent and immoral Nazism and Fascism were, and never said Boo about Stalinism and the murdered millions. That they called "Russian Democracy"
well yeah, thats a fun house view of reality, unlike the last regime in el salvador run by a former guerilla who was the one that empowered the ms-13,
”What Do You Tell a College Student Graduating Into This America?"
I’d tell him or her that I hoped they studied something they can use to make a living. Otherwise in ten or a dozen years they can maybe catch up to the kids in their high school graduating classes who became plumbers or HVAC techs or welders. (Twenty or more years if they took on a lot of debt.)
The brat-girl-boss future of the glorious Harris-Walz Administration.
The Frank Bruni Sammich:
https://x.com/Rothmus/status/1910109868997935372?s=19
…it sounds like Professor Worrywart and his fellow tenured lefties are no longer qualified to prepare students for the world. They should probably Jonestown themselves…
Frank Bruni can go back to the quippy steakhouse reviews- that’d be nice…
The rarefied air in the ivory tower has a ridiculous effect.
Bruni needs a chill pill.
What to tell graduates, my version: Get a paying job, not a freebie internship. Try to get economically independent of your parents credit card and checkbook as quickly as possible, for your own emotional well-being and sense of genuine self-worth. (See New York article about 30-something college grads still quite financially dependent upon their parents' handouts.)
At work, pay close attention to all requirements of your job, then do more, put the extra effort in. Always address with respect your fellow employees and your immediate supervisor, don't be full of yourself. Do conform to personal grooming expectations and dress code of your workplace, no place for provocations. Do keep your politics at home. Be cooperative, responsive and kind. Don't walk around with a chip on your shoulder about your perceived grievances - everyone's got them, and nobody really wants to deal with yours.
What is the most popular new show on HBOMax now that the White Lotus is over?
The Pitt
I saw Noah Wyle talking about it on some show or other. He has grave words about the times we are living in as well.
Terrible to be a professor or an actor/producer in these times. Indeed, it's the pits.
Professor Worrywart and his fellow tenured lefties are no longer qualified to prepare students
No longer viable? And they're probably Pro-Choice religious acolytes from progressive sects. Isn't that ironic. Karmic.
The NYT columnists have been living on borrowed time for years. With government programs under attack domestically and China taking hits abroad, the end of globalization is going to mean very bad things for those oligarchs and writers who depended on extracting wealth from the American people.
kind of like the ER of the '20s right
Got a pit, you say? Here comes the pendulum!
"Whether one is worried or not, it is fashionable to be seen to be worried."
Exactly! Or, they're actually worried about their 401k, which they still don't understand.
RCOCEAN II said...
“BTW, Liberal/leftists like Frank B remind me of Eleanor Roosevelt and liberals in the 30s/40s. They never shut up how indecent and immoral Nazism and Fascism were, and never said Boo about Stalinism and the murdered millions. That they called ‘Russian Democracy’.”
Hey! I think you’ve finally nailed down what Democrats mean when they say ‘Our Democracy’.
A professor's graduation speech should be "so long, and thanks for all the cash!"
Apricot kernels, which are a meaty nut-like substance inside of apricot pits, are commonly used in some cultures for food and as a vegetable oil source. Pakistan and Northern India uses them traditionally, for example.
What would I tell college graduates? "Life's a bear and then you die. Meanwhile, do the best you can".
But then I'm not an overpaid NYT columnist--just a realist who learned long ago that there is no such thing as a free lunch. But with a realistic attitude and a bucket load of effort you can do okay.
Never take the counsel of your fears. - Stonewall Jackson maybe
Ya boy ben wikler is stepping down as wi dem leader to spend time with his family...
"... that apocryphal arc, the one that bends toward justice.“
Bruni has finally realized that as the arc bends towards justice, it bends away from him and everything he and his colleagues at the Times have ever believed in.
Exactly how is "this America" (translation: America with Trump as president and Republicans barely controlling Congress) so awful and terrible for new college graduates? Give us numbers and specifics.
"These aren't normal times" I've heard progressive friends say. The reason Trump was elected is because "normal" sucked.
"What Do You Tell a College Student Graduating Into This America?
You could start by apologizing for giving them an indoctrination instead of an education.
But you won't.
"Apricot kernels... are commonly used in some cultures for food and as a vegetable oil source. Pakistan and Northern India uses them traditionally, for example."
Apricot kernels contain amygdalin, a precursor to several cyanic toxins. Traditional Pakistanis aren't noteworthy for sound reasoning. Apricot oil may be a factor.
"Apricot kernels contain amygdalin, a precursor to several cyanic toxins."
Well, sure. But they're natural, organic toxins.
Oldsters may recall laetril, the substance in apricot pits that was once touted as a cancer cure. It looks like it wasn't.
High school graduations may have the "infinite possibilities" speeches (a lie that's recognized as a lie by now, but that may be comforting), but I can't remember any college commencement speeches like that.
I can empathize a little bit with today's young disruptives. I recognized way back when that Cuomo or Dukakis or whoever was giving the speech probably didn't have anything to say worth hearing.
What Do You Tell a College Student Graduating Into This America?
Learn to weld.
Frank, grow up. Join the rest of the adults in the country as we stop the insane "Cultural Revolution" of the progressive Left and Democrats.
I was a professor (full time librarian, adjunct in history), but didn't get the memo about nuggets of optimism. We probably hadn't the budget, anyway.
Pits of most stone fruits (apricot, almond, peach, plum) do have bitter-tasting seeds inside the pits, which is a sign of cyanide-containing compounds. However, some varieties of apricots and almonds have "sweet" kernals, which lack the bitter compounds, and are quite edible. I speak as a retired stone fruit breeder.
The profs don't want to say: "You mortgaged your future to pay $500K administration and DEI officer salaries. We gave you a useless self-indulgent degree that'll get you a position in Starbucks, and a chance to be retrained by an employer for real-world skills. Our alumni association will hound you for the next 50 years, as we need money for our admin officers and to cover the salaries of the tenured professors who've done nothing for decades. Pay your fees, get your Bs. Pay your fees, get your Bs."
I have followed Althouse Blog for over 20 years, before she married Meadhouse. I did so because I was a lawyer, and she was a constitutional law professor at The University of Wisconsin Law School, a school I applied to but was not smart enough to be accepted to, which I accepted. So I ended up enrolling into and graduating from my home state law school, The University of Iowa Law School in Iowa City, Iowa, which is still a good public state law school according to recent ratings. I wish I could have had her as my constitutional law professor. I would have been wiser for it. But I don't understand her recent emphasis on AI and Grok. I don't want to read what Grok says. I want to hear what Professor Althouse says about current events and legal decisions. She is much smarter that Grok.
> Hold off on the kids until you're 30.
Gusty, that's the worst bit of advice by far, of everything said here in this post and all the comments.
Bruni's excuse is that he is a demanded, corrupt leftist - - what's yours?
"Demanded" == "Demented"
(My kingdom for an editor in blogger, which I know is not going to happen - - they already had a preview at least, and killed that off. Oh well, Google has been trying to kill off blogger via neglect, starting right about the time they acquired it.)
Frank Bruni is an amateur who learned everything he knew from real journalist Elinor Burkett, then didn't defend her when she was persecuted for not toing the Party line and being abused and mocked by Hollywood. A typical outcome, in my experience with powerful gays.
I recommend all her books.
Two-eyed Jack said...
“What is the most popular new show on HBOMax now that the White Lotus is over?
The Pitt”
They should call the new TV show “Pitt the Younger” and retroactively rename the old TV show ER “Pitt the Elder”.
“What Do You Tell a College Student Graduating Into This America?"
Like bagddbob’s father, mine grew up in the depression and went from school to war. They were probably told: fight or die, son. But that was back when bad times were actually bad.
lonejustice said...
I have followed Althouse Blog for over 20 years,....
I, also,am a long-time reader. I'm counting on it being Ann just playing with this new thing, Grok. She once had a steady stream of TikTok. That's passed. Hopefully, the Grok phase will soon pass as well.
That metastasizing pit of fear in the guts of wanko-American Progs isn't specifically what I voted for, but it's icing on the cake. Thanks for posting!
@hawkeyedjb, my father was one of eight children born to a small-time farmer in central Illinois and my mother was one of ten children born to a quarry laborer (what we used to call a "pick and shovel man." After a stint in the CCCs my father worked his way through the University of Illinois as an engineering student. He was scheduled to graduate in June of 1942 but something happened in December of 1941. ROTC was mandatory in those days and the University President called a convocation to persuade the students not to drop out and enlist. He warned them that it would be a long war and the US would need officers. Dad graduated (commencement was moved up to March or April), was commissioned a "butter bar" lieutenant, married my mother, and was off to war in just three days' time. He was in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, and eventually as a member of Patton's army, into Germany.
He retired as a corporate officer in a very large corporation, but he inculcated us, his children, into the habits of thrift and hard work from when we were infants.
Lem Vibe Banditory said...
I like that word “encomium”. It must be from the Latin. In Spanish the word is ‘encomio’.
--
Needlessly obscure word to puff up the prestige of the author.
One word: plastics!
My son is graduating college in a few weeks. He just proposed to his girlfriend. In June he is driving halfway across the country to start a dream job in Wisconsin. I’m glad Bruni wasn’t one of his professors.
As far as I can tell Althouse never really tells us what Grok said. It's more that she saying "on this I had a chat with AI) Or perhaps I'm projecting.
Anyhow I sometimes turn aside from a post and its comments to talk with ChatGPT - it's far quicker than looking for articles on a subject such as tariffs where I feel pretty ignorant. ChatGPT said that no one could try to improve the overall trade deficit due to tariffs BECAUSE we had a deficit with so many countries. But Chat was picturing a single tariff standard or tariffs in certain industries. When I asked "what about negotiating with each country on a reciprocal basis," Chat considered that a bold strategic proposal which would sidestep many of the known problems with tariffs but which might lead to other, unknown problems. So, once again, I concuded that AI can estimate probabilities but when it hears something new it can't estimate the probabilities very well. For example, Chat told me it would have considered Copernicus wrong, found Galileo guilty and refused to fund Columbus when he applied at the Italian and English courts but would have funded him when he applied at the Spanish court. A few years back, it said there would not be major problems with electric cars in the winter in northern states.
So - limits in estimating new policies. But it's great to be able to arrange a little side seminar instantaneously and learn the basic probabilities and then if I ask long enough we get to advanced probablities.
Could ChatGPT predict Althouse's blog topics for two days from now? I've never been able to, let alone her take on the subject.
It's my suspicion that Grok AI is her dream commenter. You are all on notice.
One of the surprises i got reading Sam Pepys diary was his occasional use of slang, exactly as it might be used today, over 400 years later. The one that sticks in my mind is Sam calling a colleague "lame" for some stupid act in the office. The voice was exactly that of a contemporary 30 year old.
Bruni and his essay is lame.
Oso Negro said..."It's my suspicion that Grok AI is her dream commenter. You are all on notice."
I laughed out loud at that one. I may need to ask Grok AI why.
"I want to hear what Professor Althouse says about current events and legal decisions. "
She seldom comments on the legal decisions.
Fire in the belly cures pit in the gut.
Poisonous pong-pong fruit seeds? How very exotic! Poisonous plants include many much more common household varieties, from the oxalates in philodendrons and sorrel to glycosides in oleander, and even such common garden items as iris rhizomes and tulip bulbs. Deadly gardening goes further, with selection of particularly poisonous plants like nightshade, daffodils, foxgloves, lilies, and wisteria. We won't suggest but will only mention the idea of purposefully sowing poison ivy, preferably in someone else's yard.
This blog is here so Althouse and Meade can be entertained by what YOU have yo say. This blog isn't about Althouse, but your reaction to her.
Kurt Vonnegut's son wrote a memoir and it opens with him sitting in his college graduation mentally writing his own version of the commencement speech. In it he says that a college education is a pile of shit and it's main value is it prevents you from complaining about how different your life would be if only you had gone to college. I read that my freshman year at UW-Madison and consider it one of the best pieces of advice I've gotten.
Richie: What are you gonna be
When you get shoved outta here?
Honey, ain't nobody gonna be standing there
With no scholarship to life.
And I was scared... - Richie from A Chrous Line
Frank Bruni loved America under the gaze of Biden and Obama? Now that the struggle session of the fundamental transformation or more accurately "The Obama Doctrine" has run it's course, Frank has a messaging problem causing him an affliction no one has ever heard of. And just his luck, RFK, Jr is the Secretary of Health.
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