I just filed a complaint against a telemarketer through the FCC.

Today is not the day to be irritating on the phone and then hang up on me.

Oooh, details, please?

Of my telemarketer smackdown?

Since I'm home all day, I'm here when they call. Often I just ignore them (thank you, caller ID), but recently I've been picking up to get my number taken off the list.

When I answered the phone this time, the recorded message was totally unintelligible. So I pressed 1. I got a woman who asked for the make and model of my car.

I said, "Please put me on your do not call list."

She said, "Why wouldn't you want to protect your car? This is VERY IMPORTANT."

I said, somewhat less politely, "The recorded message doesn't work. Please put me on your do not call list."

Then she hung up on me.

Then I discovered that according to the FCC, "pre-recorded commercial messages" are generally unlawful.

Irritated me + caller ID + the internet = FCC complaint. And I kind of want them to try calling me again.

I can see how these factors could produce the desire for a good grade, but not the sense that one was entitled to it, which is clearly present.

I suspect it's from parenting trends over the last fifteen to twenty years, which have trended towards "Everything you do is awesome and praiseworthy. I validate your specialness. You are special and deserve all good things. You tied your shoes - let's have ice cream!"

Like that. Hence, showing up equals a B. The grade B means good, and trying is good. So if you try you deserve a B.

I think that's the behavioral brain math behind the entitlement creep.

Damn I hate entitlement like that. HATE.

Just what I always wanted - Tornado warning in the middle of dinner!

Seems to have passed to our south, but I was genuinely scared for the first time in a while. We camped out in the windowless hallway and finished our dinner.

Now Casper is overjoyed because mr. flea brought home Harry Potter #1 for her. I think she is a little young, but we'll see.

At least once a semester, someone in my department will have to deal with a "but I'm a good student!" student. The student who complains about a grade based on "I'm a good student, therefore I should get a good grade." This student does not actually make any arguments about test or quiz or homework scores, just "I'm a good student." Seriously, at least one per semester.

I had a student I was trying to help this morning via IM attempt to search for articles using the "search the website" box at the top of the library web page - after I had already directed hir to click the link to actually get into the database.

I suspect it's from parenting trends over the last fifteen to twenty years, which have trended towards "Everything you do is awesome and praiseworthy. I validate your specialness. You are special and deserve all good things. You tied your shoes - let's have ice cream!"

I'm sure it is. And I don't think it's just parents.

I don't mind the "but I'm a good student" student so much because that argument is fairly easy to shut down since often a good student knows they've done crappy work even if they don't want to admit it.

The "I worked really hard" student is much harder to convince.

Ahahahahaha, DUDE: [link]

ETA: Not work-safe.