PTA: Parent, Teacher, Asshole

Finally, EHT's priveledge meme, and some more CDs...

First, let's tackle the CDs...First, I would like to agree with Mrs. Chili about letting children listen to "regular" music...adult music. My children often listen to whatever I feel like listening to be it the Beach Boys, or Elvis Presley, or Three Doors Down, or whatever. The children's CDs I own are mine...which means I bought them for myself. All the CDs listed in my earlier post I bought because I like the groups. My Muppet CDs I owned before I had children. Same with the Animaniacs CD and my slew of Halloween CDs...each one having Monster Mash and Purple People Eater on it...

But be that as it may, having learned that They Might Be Giants put out Here Come the 123's last year, I ordered it from Amazon. Sure enough, it's a fun CD, though I learned it's connected to the new Mickey Mouse Club and there are 3 songs from it that disrupt the CD, if you ask me...Not that you did, I understand, but...well, let's move on. It also has a DVD of videos of the songs, although I haven't had the time yet to watch them. When I do, I'll let you know.

Also while ordering that CD I ordered something for myself. Mrs. Chili, over at A Teacher's Education, introduced to me the poet Taylor Mali and I bought one of his CDs, Conviction, which I greatly enjoyed. Mali has another CD that's been out for about 8 months called Icarus Airlines which I purchased. As with Conviction, all of the poems are wonderful, although there's a greater concentration of what I will puriley call downers. He includes several poems about his wife's suicide and while beautiful, they aren't the kind of things that I will want to listen to regularly. "The Miracle Workers" I promptly shared with my coworkers and all teachers should hear, or at least read, it. "Holding Your Position" is a great trip into youth, and "The Mascot of Monterey" lets you know where the title of the CD comes from. "Pizza" is wonderful, but not what you think it's about.

Ok, let's see...EHT's Privledge Meme...

To participate, copy and paste…then unbold my responses to make your own. Bold the items that apply to you:

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college - University of South Carolina
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college - Ditto
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor - Dad's a professor, have a sister who's a doctor
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers. Same
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children’s books by a parent.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 - Karate
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively. - I suppose...depends...not consistently for sure
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels - Not always, but enough
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them - technically, it wasn't called being purchased for me, it was treated like a hand-me-down, but in reality Dad drove the hand-me-down and I got the new car...So it counts as being purchsed for me, if you ask me...
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home - Dunno, I mean, he may have still been paying a mortgage...Probably counts as a yes anyway.
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course (I don’t think they existed in the olden days)
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school - Bad idea, that was.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 - Well, not anywhere...you mean somewhere...
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. - I'm not sure that not paying attention or being informed by parents should count...being oblivious doesn't mean privledged...

I certainly get what the meme is saying, though I hate the term privledged...Every family has its struggles. Not saying we had it as bad as others...just saying we're better off realizing all families have their troubles and money...privledge...doesn't take that away...

Oh, speaking of "The Miracle Workers"...here's Taylor Mali performing it...It's slightly different on the CD...he doesn't say "shit"...he loans a pencil instead of a pen...the audience is...better...but enjoy...

posted by Bodog @ 9:41 PM