I'm about to graduate. As such, I decided my last few quarters at college should be filled with courses for my amusement. Sure enough this quarter has shown me three choice classes: Jewish Culture, Homosexuality in Film, and Journalism.
This last course has turned out to be the most amusing. Not because the teacher is humorous (or because her name is Gary) and not because my classmates have anything intelligent to say, but because this course is the morning boring and infuriating class I've had at UCD. It's fun because I've taken to amusing myself in ways to seem to infuriate everyone else.
Obviously, I don't have too many hobbies, but irritating closet republicans or "libertarians" as they call themselves is definitely one of them.
Today for instance, we were supposed to read an article called "Not Just a Personality Clash, a Conflict of Visions" by a choice conservative NY Times writer David Brooks. The article basically talks about Kerry and Bush and their ideologies for colonizing (<-- That's my word) the world with American values. Of course the way he puts it is that Bush falls into the libertarian school of spreading "freedom" and letting people do as they choose and that Kerry falls into the "crowded world" school where countries are forced to learn to work together.
After we discuss a few points of the article my professor asks "This reporter is traditionally seen as a very conservative writer, does this article seem to take a conservative stance?" The obvious answer she wants is "no, it's right in the middle" or "it's fair because both sides are discussed equally without much opinion." Of course I feel the need to raise my hand first. The professor looks at me and sighs a bit.
"This newspaper article seems pretty biased to me. Brooks is saying that Bush falls into the libertarian notion of freedom. But that's the administration's poster agenda. That's not their real agenda. I don't see how colonialism is really spreading freedom. Western democracy is not a universal value, Brooks isn't honestly appraising Bush's ideology."
At this point, the professor rolled her eyes. A few other kids disagreed with me. So I raised my hand again.
"I just think that a reporter who is trying to be moderate or central should be honest about what each administration or party has planned. Who here really thinks that Bush went to Iraq for freedom?"
At this point the professor sighs and changes topics. Score one for me. Although I'm not certain I'll be getting an A on my next report; "Sadomasochism - Sex Can Be Fun for Everyone"