From: David Buchanan (DBuchanan@ClassicalRadio.org)
Date: Sun Jul 13 2003 - 19:46:33 BST
Howdy GJ and all MOQers:
There's a very smokey little bar in Denver called Charlie Browne's. Some of
the Beat Poets used to hang out there and so a certain kind of nostalgic,
intellectual type is attracted to the place. Its often filled with
quasi-bohemians who want to bask in the glory of famous poets. Lots of
people just want a song and a cocktail, but you get the idea. Almost no
matter who sits down at the piano, the old, blind player will look up and
ask, "How'd you get to be so famous? How'd you do it?". Everybody is charmed
by this. The player depends on tips to pay his rent. He's got a nice place.
GJ said:
I work in a school.. The children in my class are ten years old. The
celebrity-contest gets more serious forms. The difference between being
populair and being unpopulair is getting bigger by the day. And it is
strengthning the social wall that will be unable to climb or break for some
of the children very soon. Telling them pirsigs levels and not to be seduced
to play this popularity game hasn't anny affect if it is done by an adult..
In a few years some of them might be very unhappy because of this.
But there are children that don't enter this celebrity-arena and are winners
because of that.. I tell them this. But I don't know if they feel the same.
Can someone stand above the celebrity-game?
dmb says:
It seems to me that ten year old kids, and even kids of high school age,
NEED to play that game. They have to get a handle on it before they can move
on. It never goes away entirely, even when it becomes less important than
some things. Even full-grown intellectually oriented adults like to get blue
ribbons, promotions and smiles at cocktail parties. My wife and some of my
best friends are teachers, so I dare to venture a suggestion. I'd guess a
teacher's role here would be to assist the kids in the process of mastering
these social skills and social rules, how to cope with those who violate
these rules and all that sort of thing. Its not that you'll get any say
about who is popular or who is ranked where in their little hierarchy of
"coolness", but you can teach them to be fair and civilized about all that
non-sense.
Thanks.
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