erika, baby, you know we'll be your shelter from the storm.

Those emails...the entitlement, it burns. And is totally mystifying. What the fuck were these kids' parents thinking? Ever?

Bonny, I wish I could, but...at the risk of sounding like my grandma, I think there really is a difference in manners and "entitlement attitudes" today. I don't have a large amount of direct experience with other countries to go on, but I do wonder if it is particular to American culture.

The difference in manners and courtesy evinced by my Hispanic and Vietnamese students, whether American or immigrant, and many of my white or African-American students was astronomical. However, with many African-American students, courtesy was deep, once it was earned.

Along with grammar and critical thinking, I found myself, in the high school classes, teaching manners and courtesy, and pounding into my student's heads that it is a SOCIAL LUBRICANT, and has nothing to do with saving face. Writing skills and politeness will take you further than just knowledge or skills, in most situations. Being courteous and using manners and honorifics costs you nothing, and gets you almost anything.

My phone interview today went pretty well. The interviewer started off by saying that I'm over-qualified and that this probably isn't going to be a very interesting position for a new Ph. D., but that he knows what the job market is like. He asked about my plans for the future, and I said that I was probably going to get an instructor position (like the one he was interviewing for) for a year or two, build up my CV, get a few more things published, and then have a better chance at getting a tenure-track job in a few years, and maybe by then the economy will be better and there will also be more jobs available. He said that sounded like a good plan.

The difference in manners and courtesy evinced by my Hispanic and Vietnamese students, whether American or immigrant, and many of my white or African-American students was astronomical. However, with many African-American students, courtesy was deep, once it was earned.

I don't know about other countries, or if my experience reflects any sort of wider trend, but some of my worst experiences with students with entitlement attitude issues were with students who had grown up in China. A bunch of other grad students noticed that, too, and our theory was that the only people in China who can afford to send their kids to an American university are probably the really rich and powerful people, and so that's how some of their kids are used to treating everybody.

Entitled assholes are everywhere. Two examples.

1) At lunch I went to a taco diner in one of the buildings here downtown. I went to the "To Go" line because I was getting my food to go. The girl behind the counter said that that line was just for pick up if you called in. I thought that was a bit unclear, but whatever, my mistake. (Turns out it wasn't, girl was just new). So not worth fighting over, even on Free Taco Tuesday, when lines are a bit longer than normal.

Contrast to

2) One of hubby's coworkers was at the bar when a drunk girl and her friend spilled their glasses of wine all down one of the wells. Sweet faced K pours them another glass, and they proceed to insist that they shouldn't have to pay for either the original glasses or the replacements, that he obviously doesn't know customer service, and they'd like their keys so they can leave as it's obviously NOT the place for them even though they should be catered to because they have been coming there for 15 years (It's been open 14 next month) and they have never been treated that way! (K has been there 13 years, same as hubs). @@@@

Service Industry people: "Our entitled assholes, let us show you them."

My phone interview today went pretty well.

Hooray! Cause, as you see, we've been trying to get you all psyched up for a career in academia!

My mother would slap the pores off my face if I ever spoke to ANYONE like that. Maybe "our" government would make more sense if you just pictured the babbling maniac in front of most public libraries in actual leadership positions. Those are who's in charge right now...Library Conspiracy Theorist and the lady on the bus who's always wicked mad at her daughter-in-law. That's it. It makes me sick. I should make T-shirts..."I went to a state college and all I got was folksy fascism and this crappy t-shirt."

That sounds potentially promising, Hil. Jobma your way!

Must go to Target now. I am superexcited, because, now that I am insured again, I can get rid of the giant, horrible, fall-off-after-wearing-two-days-when-I-need-to-wear-them-for-a-week, dermatitis-causing, leave 3" circles of red, itchy patchiness on my butt for weeks, generic HRT patches, and go back to the wee clear ones I wear for 2.5 days that stay on and leave no marks.

I HATED THE GENERICS SO MUCH.

Whew. Off now!

wtf Oklahoma?

Holy fuck, Sox. I just Googled to see what the latest wtf'ery was, and...appalling is just a tiny, measly word that doesn't even come close to expressing it.