Several months ago, I corralled my two younger children, my two
nephews (who had the day off from school), my father (because he
lives in San Francisco and is my friendly native guide), my new
niece (because I can never get enough of a new baby), and two of my
sisters, (one of whom is my niece’s mother), and we all had a
picnic and went to MOMA. We had a lovely time.
Several months ago, I corralled my two younger children, my two nephews (who had the day off from school), my father (because he lives in San Francisco and is my friendly native guide), my new niece (because I can never get enough of a new baby), and two of my sisters, (one of whom is my niece’s mother), and we all had a picnic and went to MOMA. We had a lovely time.
MOMA is the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. The best part of being there for me was holding my niece, because I really do not care for modern art for art’s sake. I like anything up to the Impressionists, and current art, only so long as it is representational.
But modern art? At best, some of it has splashes of color that look interesting on a corporate wall. At worst, well, one of the pieces was a ladder, with a tape deck at the top, slowly unreeling a cascade of brown magnetic tape into a pile on the floor.
I expressed my dissatisfaction to my dad, who told me something that art people probably already know, but it was news to me. He said, “A lot of modern art is a conversation between artists. Unless you pay attention to the conversation‚ in the art world, it can seem pretty meaningless.”
I immediately replied, “Like the opinion page of The Dispatch.”
So, I apologize in advance to any readers mystified by the back and forth bickering that oftimes passes for debate on this page.
Mr. Bill C. Jones, if we remove all insults and invective from your letter of May 6th, only two questions remain: 1) Did the incident at GHS really happen, or is it simply an urban legend first promulgated by Rush Limbaugh five years ago? and 2) Is the Gavilan American history text, the one written by a Communist, one of many used in that class, and included that students can compare political perceptions and bias?
The answers are, the incident happened as I related, and no, the text is not one of seven; it is the main required text, although the socialist teacher augments it with a slim volume of California history, the theme of which seems to be, “The Spanish padres were mean to the Native Americans.”
It does not surprise me that the incident at GHS resembles one reported by Mr. Limbaugh five years ago. I do not listen to Mr. Limbaugh, but such incidents are, I believe, ubiquitous.
Here is a more recent incident: the English 440 exam just given at Gavilan required students to write an essay on the thesis, “It is good to protest,” supporting said thesis with paragraphs based on the topics: “Community college students should protest tuition hikes,” “Americans should protest the war in Iraq,” and “Americans should protest because the Bush Administration is destroying the environment.”
Mind, I am not saying that the English teacher who chose the thesis and supporting topics meant to be biased. I think she just has a one-sided view of politics.
If you write in again, Mr. Jones, you might begin by explaining the semantic difference between name-calling and the mere use of invective that you employ. I think the only difference is that you think you can get away with the latter.
Next, Mr. Dennis Taylor: I do use English: clear, concise, and precise. I mean what I say, and I say what I really mean. It is a pity that you and Mr. Jones cannot just read and understand. Instead, alas, you must berate me for what you imagine I implied. You construct straw man arguments, and argue against them.
However, you argue badly. Most of your columns are choppy, and have no structure. Case in point from last week: you say, gangsters are stabbing people. It’s Bush’s fault, because of the war in Iraq. We need to spend more on education. Sorry, Mr. Taylor, your conclusion does not follow, and you need to support your points.
Lastly, an etiquette note: it is polite to call people by the names they give as theirs. My name is Cynthia Walker, and my preferred honorific is Mrs., if you want to be civil, which I doubt.
