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    Weltschmerz (VELT-shmairts)
    -mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state

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Category Archives: Commentary

Women Frolicking for Tampons

January 04, 2011   Rau

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Word Nicknames: Because How Else Can You Show You’re Hip?

December 07, 2010   Rau

Sometimes, the bald-faced joy people glean from the opportunity to proclaim one of these slashed, trendy nouns scares me. Just a little.

Sandwich – Sammich

Pregnant – Preggers, Pregg-o

BMW – Beemer

People – Peeps

Ridiculous – Redic

Legitimate – Legit

Baby’s dad – Baby Daddy

Male friendship – Bromance

These are repeated and popularized with such gusto that I often suspect an incarnation of Psych! will return.

Psych.

Your submissions for word nicknames that make the speaker beam with an air of self-imposed coolness are welcome.

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A Specialization in Postmodernist-Sub-Sub-Obscurity

October 26, 2010   Rau

Portrait of a Scholar by Rem­brandt van Rijn, via Wikimedia Commons

The Ph.D. candidate who special­izes in philosopher Jean Bau­drillard’s theory of hyperreality in graphic novels.

The English lit master’s student who studies post-structuralism in Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way.

The undergrad majoring in 19th century French poetry.

These hard working, passionate scholars often face the same dreaded question:

“…What are you going to do with that?”

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Oh, those 24-year-old kids…

September 14, 2010   Rau

(An updated version of this article appears on Neon Tommy.)

Girls and boys, gather ’round. It’s story time. Aren’t we excited?

Are you still reading? Are you desensitized to being patronized? Not within the blogosphere, I hope.

Academia is the culprit.

You may find it unsurprising that condescending behavior exists in academia. It seems fitting for a culture in which intellect and pedagogy are central. However, I firmly believe that patronizing communication is un-educational. I care deeply about higher ed, so this issue burns me like wasabi in a windpipe.

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Craigslist Bans Sex… But Not Demand

September 10, 2010   Rau

Craigslist homepage with a big censored stamp over it.

Craigslist used the c-word.

Silently, swiftly and oh-so-discreetly, it definitely used the c-word.

Censored.

Without any official warning, Craigslist kicked off Labor Day Weekend 2010 by removing its “adult services” category. The move came after attorneys general from 17 states threatened legal action for what they claim to be “rampant” advertisements for prostitution and child sex trafficking.

But the organizations, politicians and attorneys lambasting Craigslist have misdirected the public’s attention from the true problem:

The demand for child sex.

(Originally published September 7, 2010 on NeonTommy.com.)

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