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I always thought they took it to get an easy A. Thats what it seemed like anyways. Another college class where people just took it for the grade, with no regard or use for the material. And I'm guessing for about 80% of the population, what I just said probably has a hint of truth to it.
Then my dad walks in the house, demands a family meeting, starts crying at how my family treats him, again demands that we finish a checklist of arbitrary tasks that have no meaning to us [the rest of my family] whatsoever, and proceeds to leave the room.
Backtrack a bit, and let me describe my dad to you in as truthful a manner possible.
He only cares for his family and not for himself. Hasn't taken a vacation for himself for over 20 years, demands more work, more money, just so he can provide for himse family. Constantly asks me what I want, tells me to do this, do that, stop this, stop that...makes me feel like i'm a 4-year-old kid with down syndrome.
Only knows 1 type of communcation - formal. Has no sense of intimate conversation, private, family-type of conversation. Basically, me, my mom, and my brother are his employees and he is the boss. No matter how good his intentions, no one listens to him one bit because he does not trust us. He's blatently said that outloud, that he has to "double check everything because I don't trust you."
Suffers from that intellegent-arrogance complex you find a couple of people. In my dad, it's actually to the extreme. He's so smart there is literally nothing he can't do. Ph. D in electric engineering, DIY guy at home..basically anything involving numbers, he can do. And then he's so arrogant, even when he's wrong occasionally, he blows it off and still claims the moral high ground, saying "he didn't have all the information" or some bullshit. Lately, it's gotten to the point where we tell him what's wrong with him, and he blatently says "it's impossible for me to change because" of x, y, and z.
In a nutshell, he's Will Hunting + the professor if Robin williams never intervened.
And it's that last part that's been getting on everyone's nerves for the last 20 years.
He demands for us to let him know whats wrong with him, and tells us before hand, "I will explain to you why i'm right, you're wrong, and why I can't change." I'm sitting there doing a troll face, my brother is staring at the ground, and my mom is doing the eye-roll. And he doesn't care, as long as he says his piece. I've given up on arguing with him because he refuses to change.
And the worst part is, my dad is right. We all know he's right. My brother's too lazy to look for a job, my mom is an artist (artists and engineers never agree on anything), and I suffer from some reverse psychology "even-if-he-is-right,i'm-going-to-do-the-opposite-just-so-i-can-feel-good-about-something" syndrome. If i do what he says, it makes me feel like a bitch, some trophy kid that does everything his parents says to do. It makes me want to punch a wall when I have to do what he says.
And then I take a step back.
He is actually content to live a life of misery in America, one of the few countries in the world where you're actually entitled to have a few weekends off and take a vacation. Not only that, he wants me, my brother, and my mom to live like him, constantly under a workplace stress, with no idea of anything "fun".
He grew up in martial law Taiwan, where slander, intellegence, and misbehavior were crimes and deemed punishable by death or prison for an indefinite amount of time. I understand why his history and past have defined the way he lives now, but he isn't going to get killed here for being smart, relaxed, and being able to speak his mind.
He's living in a dog-eat-dog world where everyone is a cat. There aren't any other dogs to eat cause they've all been domesticated. My dad is a lone wolf that isn't willing to live like the others. If you think I was exagerrating up there (it's more of a simplfication imo), this part isn't exagerrated or simplified one bit.
And so I look at the classes I'm taking this coming fall, and I see Math, Chemistry, Physics, and all these engineering classes.
I've loved science, and I never understood why people chose a liberal arts major rather than a science major. I think I understand now.
The world today is polluted with people like my dad, who aren't nearly as smart or as arrogant, but live by the same ideals. Wake up, go to school, beat the curve, make money, raise a family, repeat the cycle. No sense of individualism, philosophy, a reason to live. It's a cruel cycle, albiet one that works.
There was a blog that was saying something about what you wish schools would teach you. It isn't about what schools should teach, it's about what we learn from it.
And I'm sorely wishing that people would learn something about individuals who take the same classes as you, that want the same thing as you.
And I'm hoping that one day, people will start learning from each other instead of making enemies of one another.
 
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And the worst part is, my dad is right. We all know he's right. My brother's too lazy to look for a job, my mom is an artist (artists and engineers never agree on anything), and I suffer from some reverse psychology "even-if-he-is-right,i'm-going-to-do-the-opposite-just-so-i-can-feel-good-about-something" syndrome. If i do what he says, it makes me feel like a bitch, some trophy kid that does everything his parents says to do. It makes me want to punch a wall when I have to do what he says.
omg I feel EXACTLY the same hahah.
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Will Hunting? If thats what you meant you should rewatch the movie. Its the opposite of your dad lol
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On September 04 2012 03:49 ecstatica wrote:
Will Hunting? If thats what you meant you should rewatch the movie. Its the opposite of your dad lol
Didn't finish that sentence ahah. Edited.
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United States2829 Posts
Three things:
- If you want to learn something, then go learn it. You can study anything on your own time.
- Your dad might have faults, but he won't realize them by someone bringing them to his attention, if he's already pre-decided to not listen to whatever it is they have to say.
- At least you have a dad.
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On September 04 2012 04:01 CecilSunkure wrote:Three things: - If you want to learn something, then go learn it. You can study anything on your own time.
- Your dad might have faults, but he won't realize them by someone bringing them to his attention, if he's already pre-decided to not listen to whatever it is they have to say.
- At least you have a dad that didn't leave/abuse you.
User was warned for this post
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At least you have a dad.
Define dad. The OP's dad doesn't seem dad-like in anyway, well at least that's what he's stating. Family is who loves you and cares about you, family isn't necessarily biological.
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On September 04 2012 04:01 CecilSunkure wrote:Three things: - If you want to learn something, then go learn it. You can study anything on your own time.
- Your dad might have faults, but he won't realize them by someone bringing them to his attention, if he's already pre-decided to not listen to whatever it is they have to say.
- At least you have a dad.
Your first point isn't directed towards what I was trying to talk about.
Your second point is moot and paraphrases one of the points I made.
Your third point: What I'm saying about my dad is truthful. Even if you think I'm lying, assume I'm telling the truth.
Would you want a person like that to be your dad? Would you want your boss at work to be your dad? I'm sorry for the people who have lost their parents, but I don't feel like I have a father figure in my life right now at all either. At least they probably had one, enough to call them a real father.
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I'm afraid I can't tell what the overall argument of your blog is.
From where I'm sitting, far more people go into science majors for those social-economic reasons than liberal arts, and most that do do not consider the philosophical, to use the word loosely, implications of their craft. There are very many technicians and very few scientists.
Or did you mean that you understand why people would want a more contemplative, less cutthroat environment and thus choose liberal arts?
Moving all of the natural science and engineering students away from the general population is an interesting idea. Like I said, most are glorified technicians, but it would be their loss. I can say that the classes I took in college made me smarter, makes my mind operate on a higher level and didn't just fill it with information. I don't think I can say the same about many of my engineering and natural science friends.
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it's a rant blog. there is no argument just me bitching.
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Maybe, but you said that you just now thought you understood why people chose liberal arts and I'm curious as to why, and maybe what that had to do with the rest of it.
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United States2829 Posts
On September 04 2012 04:23 imBLIND wrote:Show nested quote +On September 04 2012 04:01 CecilSunkure wrote:Three things: - If you want to learn something, then go learn it. You can study anything on your own time.
- Your dad might have faults, but he won't realize them by someone bringing them to his attention, if he's already pre-decided to not listen to whatever it is they have to say.
- At least you have a dad.
Your first point isn't directed towards what I was trying to talk about.
So what, it's directed at your attitude:
On September 04 2012 04:27 imBLIND wrote:
it's a rant blog. there is no argument just me bitching.
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It seems like you're saying that all people agree liberal arts classes are pointless and only exist to farm grades and/ or escape responsibility. That's not very open minded.
As for your dad, why is it that you can't tell him that you're a big boy who can make his own decisions and that his controlling nature annoys you?
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That's a shame  my dad *sort of* used to be like your dad, but a while ago he began to be nicer and less domineering. Turns out he was a pretty free guy when he was young and adopted this sort of attitude in order to hope that I'm able to succeed (asian style and whatnot). Overall he's very open and accessible though, so it's always sort of sad to read about strained relationships with others' fathers or family in general :/ I hope one day you're reconciled.
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This is the reason I want to major in Philosophy and also in the cognitive sciences. I can do math and science but there is no soul there. There are so many people like your dad, they don't get why they believe what they do, they don't question it. They just say that they can't change. There are so many people (not related to your dad) who spout shit about supposed truths, about how the world is, about how things are, when they have no background in philosophy or in history. For me making money, repeating the cycle is important, but like Socrates, a life without thought is wasted.
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On September 04 2012 04:35 CecilSunkure wrote:Show nested quote +On September 04 2012 04:23 imBLIND wrote:On September 04 2012 04:01 CecilSunkure wrote:Three things: - If you want to learn something, then go learn it. You can study anything on your own time.
- Your dad might have faults, but he won't realize them by someone bringing them to his attention, if he's already pre-decided to not listen to whatever it is they have to say.
- At least you have a dad.
Your first point isn't directed towards what I was trying to talk about. So what, it's directed at your attitude: Show nested quote +On September 04 2012 04:27 imBLIND wrote:
it's a rant blog. there is no argument just me bitching.
Cecil I don't tend to disagree with you on most things because you are almost always on point, but I can't agree here. You can't just go learn everything. I would never suggest ANYONE go and read Leviathan by Hobbes without a teacher. The same way, you make points about his dad not changing since everyone can change. Finally, the last point is just.. wow, thats like whenever anyone complains, you just say, "Oh well *insert impoverished country child dying of X reason here* has it worse," it doesn't help anything, and it only makes you look like a hypocrite when you probably complain about your own issues also. Its not healthy to ignore issues just because someone has it worse.
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Lol. Your dad sounds like me, albeit I'm dumber and more reflective.
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On September 04 2012 03:32 imBLIND wrote:There was a blog that was saying something about what you wish schools would teach you. It isn't about what schools should teach, it's about what we learn from it.
And I'm sorely wishing that people would learn something about individuals who take the same classes as you, that want the same thing as you.
And I'm hoping that one day, people will start learning from each other instead of making enemies of one another.
5/5
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He is actually content to live a life of misery in America, one of the few countries in the world where you're actually entitled to have a few weekends off and take a vacation.
I'm sure I've seen statistics showing that Americans work more hours and have less paid vacation days on average than most industrialised countries. I don't understand the American system. It seems like people work more hours for less gain.
Also is that negative attitude towards the "Liberal Arts' prevalent in America? Is it generally seen to be a waste of time? It'd be interesting to see the cultural differences in relation to attitudes towards the "Liberal Arts"
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@babylon
yea true. don't rly know much of anything
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Not really related to the OP, sorry.
Some really odd ideas some of the posters here have about science and engineering courses. Saying there is no soul or you're just being filled with information is bizarre to me. I'm in my third year of my computer engineering degree and I tell you I can make anything. The world is literally my oister. There is no end to my canvas. It makes the entirety of art seem narrow in scope. Not just in what my final product is, but in the way it is implemented. In the multitudes of mediums it can be expressed to make whatever result I would have. Just because most people would'nt understand it, see the nuances or ever care because it's just another program / solution to an excercise / gadget doesn't mean it's not there. To me what you're saying sounds as stupid to me, as saying that anyone going the liberal arts route is not contributing to society at all.
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On September 04 2012 08:13 HeavOnEarth wrote:
Grow a fucking pair. if u want ur dad to change earn his respect first. your perception of him is probably so inherently wrong. i mean i can already point out inconsistencies
"starts crying at how my family treats him"
"is perfectly content with his life of misery"
poor guy probably works all the time cuz its all he has left aside from a shitty family that doesn't appreciate him for anything.
"Has no sense of intimate conversation, private, family-type of conversation."
so tell him that. hell ask the guy how he feels. absolutely no one is gonna be "intimate" with a bunch of clowns that think he's some sort of low-life for providing ... every god damned thing u guys have.
from what i can tell he still
- makes an effort to talk to the family
- "Constantly asks me what I want, tells me to do this, do that, stop this, stop that"
which is called attempting to raise your spoiled brat kid
makes me sick cuz this is more or less how i probably thought of my dad when i was younger =-/
You know nothing about his dad except what he said. He could be making everything up, he could be portraying him entirely accurately. You say that his perception is "probably so inherently wrong," and point to "inconsistencies." Well, open your eyes, look around you, and tell me that people aren't inconsistent. You have 1% of the story, and you're trying to berate the OP for not understanding enough? How ironic. You'll get much farther in your "analysis" by simply talking about the generation gap between Taiwanese parents and Taiwanese-American kids and how that affects communication (or rather, the lack thereof).
On September 04 2012 08:14 Clearout wrote:
Not really related to the OP, sorry.
Some really odd ideas some of the posters here have about science and engineering courses. Saying there is no soul or you're just being filled with information is bizarre to me. I'm in my third year of my computer engineering degree and I tell you I can make anything. The world is literally my oister. There is no end to my canvas. It makes the entirety of art seem narrow in scope. Not just in what my final product is, but in the way it is implemented. In the multitudes of mediums it can be expressed to make whatever result I would have. Just because most people would'nt understand it, see the nuances or ever care because it's just another program / solution to an excercise / gadget doesn't mean it's not there. To me what you're saying sounds as stupid to me, as saying that anyone going the liberal arts route is not contributing to society at all.
CS, engineering, and other hard sciences have soul. It's just that you probably have as many students going down that route simply because they want money as you have students who are there because they actually like what they're doing. Not so different from people getting the impression that many majors in lib arts do it for "easy As, party all week!" when there are just as many who study English, history, philosophy (beneficial across all majors imo, actually v. similar to math), anthropology, etc. for the love of it and work exceedingly hard.
That said, accountants have no soul~~~~
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Why does your dad work as much as he does? Is it really necessary? There are so many people who "work their ass off for their family". So many people who feel like they are a modern day Jesus because they work 45 hours a week and have a family. Well, maybe if you just got a smaller house and a cheaper car, you could actually spend more time with your family. If you work for your family you make sure you take holidays and spend time with them.
PS I am not talking about poor people with shitty jobs who actually have to bust their asses to make ends meet. I'm talking about the middle class.
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Liberal arts majors are fine and all while you're in college. You learn a lot about yourself, others, and the world around you. You gain a lot of interesting perspective and come out a better person.
Unfortunately, you also leave college useless to the world with no potential to make any money.
Trust me, I know. I majored in Philosophy.
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United States2829 Posts
On September 04 2012 05:22 docvoc wrote:Show nested quote +On September 04 2012 04:35 CecilSunkure wrote:On September 04 2012 04:23 imBLIND wrote:On September 04 2012 04:01 CecilSunkure wrote:Three things: - If you want to learn something, then go learn it. You can study anything on your own time.
- Your dad might have faults, but he won't realize them by someone bringing them to his attention, if he's already pre-decided to not listen to whatever it is they have to say.
- At least you have a dad.
Your first point isn't directed towards what I was trying to talk about. So what, it's directed at your attitude: On September 04 2012 04:27 imBLIND wrote:
it's a rant blog. there is no argument just me bitching. Cecil I don't tend to disagree with you on most things because you are almost always on point, but I can't agree here. You can't just go learn everything. I would never suggest ANYONE go and read Leviathan by Hobbes without a teacher. The same way, you make points about his dad not changing since everyone can change. Finally, the last point is just.. wow, thats like whenever anyone complains, you just say, "Oh well *insert impoverished country child dying of X reason here* has it worse," it doesn't help anything, and it only makes you look like a hypocrite when you probably complain about your own issues also. Its not healthy to ignore issues just because someone has it worse.
Hmm I understand, but my point was to target the OP's attitude. I don't advocate him ignoring his issues because others have it worse, and I don't advocate learning "everything". I really just wanted to throw some criticism towards him, as he seemed to be lacking a well-rounded perspective, as well as the initiative to take on simple tasks. That's all.
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Yea well sorry I'm in a bitchy mood okay? I didn't realize I was writing a college essay with a thesis, quotes, and throwing my own unbiased input as the person going through this. I wrote this blog because I wanted to vent to people, not to have other people criticize my venting.
I'm sorry I don't proofread anything I write, especially when I'm not in that great of a mood. I never meant this as an insult to liberal arts majors or to the actual major itself, it just helps me vent when I'm doing a shitty attempt at poetry.
What I wrote is biased, emotional, probably shouldn't belong on a public forum to begin with, and pretty fucking hard to understand as well, but acting like assholes or a TA grading my shitty writing = not helping.
To everyone else, thanks for putting up with me. Knowing that a stranger out there, who doesn't know me at all, actually taking time out of their lives to post a decent comment helps more than you know.
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United States2829 Posts
Don't take it so personally. I'm just trying to help. So are other people criticizing.
One more piece of wisdom: If you don't want any criticism and want people to actually know you're just ranting, then add a small disclaimer at the top of your blog. I see people do this all the time. Then you can just safely ignore anyone you want, because you intelligently let people know that you're just ranting.
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EPT
