Posted by
Sue on Sunday, November 18, 2007 6:54:13 PM
11/18/2007 3:05pm PST
Have you or do you know, read or hear someone that you honestly believe must live on Mars because their viewpoints are so faaaaar away from yours? I know a few that I know and can avoid discussing anything other than pleasantries when we're in the same room. I generally don't "listen" to anyone that is outside my life view. But, you can't help read them if you're on the Internet or read magazines, even occasionally read a newspaper. Honesty demands that you "link" over even though your blogger is telling you that you won't believe this or that. Or, you're considered in my book, hard headed!! I try not to be too hard headed. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is very hard work.
I pay for a Friday-Sunday newspaper delivery. I know, I know..it is a waste of time according to most, including me. But, I am still old fashioned enough that the Sunday paper has some decent stuff. There are sales brochures for all those nifty stores (I did say I was old fashioned) and then there are the coupons, which I use when shopping and that actually pay for the subscription which is truly a pittance. So on Sunday armed with scissors, reading glasses and coffee I sit down to "read" the Sunday Paper!
This week is was unfortunately the week that my local rag the Orange County Register lets Professor Paul C. Campos, Colorado, do his editorial bit. Every time that man writes, I read to see if, per chance, this particular Sunday the man might manage to come somewhere near my universe. Today I didn't even look at his headline, just his picture and put the Commentary Section (as the editors call it) off until I got back from, yes, shopping!! I started this post because of Professor Campos, he of the other Universe and when I needed to actually see the correct spelling of his name, I also read the headline and lo and behold, my blood pressure started to go up. This changed the slant of this post. Here is his headline:
"Average American can't be accused of overthinking things"
The esteemed Professor has a word there that the software of the blog underlined in red...in other words, something is wrong with the word. So I ask "Answers.com" and this is just a bit of what I get about the word: overthinking
"Analysis paralysis is an informal phrase applied to when the opportunity cost
of decision analysis exceeds the benefits..."
Then there is this:
"Casual Analysis Paralysis can occur at any time, regarding any issue in typical conversation. Usually however, analysis
paralysis occurs during more elevated, intellectual conversation. Analysis paralysis involves the over-analysis of a specific
issue to the point where the issue can no longer be recognized, and the subject of the conversation is lost."
Gosh, the Professor actually has written a piece that is paralyzed by his very own analysis, and in the process calls the Average American like you and me,
dumb, dumber and stupid. The Prof thinks it is because of a "anti-intellectual populism". This is found "as part of the right-wing backlash" or Fox News viewers when there are "smarty-pants professors!" His exclamation point. Wow!! He can actually see you and me when we are watching Fox News. How's that for new technology....or according to Orwell, maybe not. We are not very smart. We don't read books he says or understand statistics. We are ignorant of other countries or our own history. Wow!! Professor Campos, have you put me in my place. Thank you very much your Intellectual Genius, Sir. I am too dumb to see that 95% of the educational establishment in this country hates it. Too dumb to see that the politicians want money and power and from their places in office they get it....think Murtha, Byrd, Steven, Hillary, Reid, Pelosi, Feinstein.
Why yes,, professor big brains, you are so smart. You know so much. Somehow your job (tenured? is it?), making above 100K per annum PLUS all those perks your union has gotten you at the expense of my taxes and my kids gives you the insight to call me stupid! Wow, talk about analysis paralysis!!!
It is truly too bad that professor campos (he does not deserve any capitals) is so analytically paralyzed. He might actually discover that we are human beings unlike his holiness campos who is a member of the Hominidae.
For now folks, I will go get a cup of tea and hope this campos nut gets out of my brain.