A regular dispatch of essays, criticism, and (pop) cultural ephemera, compiled and mixed by Norman Brannon.

posts tagged “adventures in student teaching”:

∞

3.2.2010

• DOWNLOAD | THE FINN BROTHERS “Anything Can Happen” Everyone is Here, 2004 Think about the last time something bad happened to you. Without even thinking about it, I can tell you that your friends and family said at least one of the following three things: “It was meant to be.” “Everything happens for a reason.” “I guess it’s your karma.” Now think about the last time that something good happened to you. Without even thinking about it, I can tell you that your friends and family said at least one of the following three things: “It was meant to be!” “I told you everything happens for a reason!” “You deserve it; it’s your karma!” I really hope that I’m not the first person to tell you this, but somebody needs to spread the word: It was not meant to be, everything doesn’t happen for a reason, and there is no such thing as providence or intellect when it comes to cause-and-effect. These are only expressions that we use because, for some odd reason, we are obsessed with finding explanations for the way things happen in the world — even where there are none. We pass these stock phrases for insight, when in reality the truth is less sexy: There is no grand design waiting for you to fulfill your invented destiny. It’s probably better that you get used to this idea now. Last month, while working with some young people here in New York, a high school senior very casually mentioned that she’d probably be dropping out of school soon. “It’s my destiny,” she said. I looked at her cross-eyed. “How is that your destiny?” “Well,” she explained, as if she’d done so a million times before, “both my parents are dropouts, so it was kind of just meant to be.” That’s not true, I told her. There is no such thing as a predetermined end in life, and even when it seems that way, what you do still makes a difference. Your parents are influential, but they are not necessarily instrumental in the path that you choose to take. “What you are calling destiny,” I argued, “is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy.” In the end, she seemed to have a revelation. “I have power in this,” she said. And I agreed. But last week I discovered that this student dropped out of high school, and it’s been bothering me ever since. She relinquished her power to the dominant American fiction that we perpetuate every day, and honestly, right now I’m kind of angry at everyone who has ever lent their voice to inflate the power of this myth — the idea that we all submit to an irrevocable fate. There is simply no way that I can encourage young people to actively engage with their ambitions if the rest of the world is simultaneously sending the message that we have no control over our lives. It’s a terrible lie, and it needs to stop. Photo: Lyam


• DOWNLOAD | THE FINN BROTHERS “Anything Can Happen” Everyone is Here, 2004

Think about the last time something bad happened to you. Without even thinking about it, I can tell you that your friends and family said at least one of the following three things:

  • “It was meant to be.”
  • “Everything happens for a reason.”
  • “I guess it’s your karma.”

Now think about the last time that something good happened to you. Without even thinking about it, I can tell you that your friends and family said at least one of the following three things:

  • “It was meant to be!”
  • “I told you everything happens for a reason!”
  • “You deserve it; it’s your karma!”

I really hope that I’m not the first person to tell you this, but somebody needs to spread the word: It was not meant to be, everything doesn’t happen for a reason, and there is no such thing as providence or intellect when it comes to cause-and-effect. These are only expressions that we use because, for some odd reason, we are obsessed with finding explanations for the way things happen in the world — even where there are none. We pass these stock phrases for insight, when in reality the truth is less sexy: There is no grand design waiting for you to fulfill your invented destiny. It’s probably better that you get used to this idea now.

Last month, while working with some young people here in New York, a high school senior very casually mentioned that she’d probably be dropping out of school soon. “It’s my destiny,” she said.

I looked at her cross-eyed. “How is that your destiny?”

“Well,” she explained, as if she’d done so a million times before, “both my parents are dropouts, so it was kind of just meant to be.”

That’s not true, I told her. There is no such thing as a predetermined end in life, and even when it seems that way, what you do still makes a difference. Your parents are influential, but they are not necessarily instrumental in the path that you choose to take. “What you are calling destiny,” I argued, “is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

In the end, she seemed to have a revelation. “I have power in this,” she said. And I agreed.

But last week I discovered that this student dropped out of high school, and it’s been bothering me ever since. She relinquished her power to the dominant American fiction that we perpetuate every day, and honestly, right now I’m kind of angry at everyone who has ever lent their voice to inflate the power of this myth — the idea that we all submit to an irrevocable fate. There is simply no way that I can encourage young people to actively engage with their ambitions if the rest of the world is simultaneously sending the message that we have no control over our lives. It’s a terrible lie, and it needs to stop.

Photo: Lyam