What's wrong with kids these days?

     So, I have previously mentioned my intense involvement in school (president of 3 clubs, on a bunch of committees, etc.). What I've recently noticed on campus is everyone else's intense uninvolvement. I have to practically club students over the head and drag them to meetings. The Writer's Club, for example, has maybe 8 members and for the past two or three weeks only one or two of them even show up. The committees at school are severely ignored, something that should be of at least some importance to college students. Some of these committees have a rather large say in what the money they pay for tuition helps to support. Plus, being involved in campus activities goes a long way as far as applying to other colleges when it comes time to transfer. I think that this fact and the money issue should be enough motivation for at least some of the more motivated students to get involved, but the majority of our campus seems to be asleep. Granted UW-Fox is only a two year institution, but the lack of motivation that I have observed here is so disheartening.
     I was having a conversation about this outside with the president of the sustainability club and we were at a loss on how to solve this problem. Where does it even stem from? Is this just a symptom of our college? Is it all two-year colleges? Is it the whole Fox Valley area? The county? The state? The country?

     Not that I don't think the population as a whole doesn't have some kind of involvement problem. Our voting statistics have decilned in the last few years (73% in 2004 and 69% in 2008, which is still appalling if you ask me. Why would ANYONE not vote? It's free for Christ's sake). Most people I know around my age don't even connsider voting in local elections, which is just plain sad considering how many people bitch and whine about the government. It doesn't do much good to have other people vote for things that affect your life, then complain about how horrible some new policy is. If I hear someone make the claim "Well, my one vote isn't really going to count in the long run..." one more time I'm going to vomit...all over the person who says it. It's only fair that people so blatently ignorant should experience my disgust towards their stupidity as physically as I do. Every time I hear someone say something like that, I think of the hundreds of thousands of other people saying the exact same thing at the exact same time and it's enough to make me want to leave the country. Anyway, I didn't mean to go off on that rant because what I really wanted focus on was the college problem I'd previously stated.

     Let's get back on the path we strayed away from here...where was I? Oh, low involvement on campus and high dropout rates, that's right. As I pondered this problem the other day, I settled on what I think is one of the main problems, high school. Think about it...what did high school really do for you? It sure as Hell isn't a place that to fosters the minds of our youth. If anything they're all about hammering students into submission rather than allowing them to question the world around them. I think these kids come to college expecting it to be more like high school and fail miserably because it's nothing like the structured world they came from. I remember one of my first days in college, my english professor (the infamous Bill Gillard) stood up in front of the class and the first thing he said to us was, "What am I supposed to teach you?" (which isn't the exact quote, but it's close). The class was at a loss. They couldn't even wrap their minds around it. It had been ingrained in them to follow, not lead. They expected him to tell us what we would learn, not what we wanted to learn, but he had made a good point. We were paying for the class, we should have some kind of say in what goes on in the classroom.
     College is not a place where teachers will hold your hand or call your parents if you miss a class. For kids who aren't used to making responsible decisions this is like an open invitation for failure. This isn't true for everyone, but many kids (especially the ones who have parents willing to foot the bill for tuition) get drunk on their newfound freedom. Damn, our school isn't even a big party school and there are students who flunk out because they spent too much time getting drunk. That shouldn't even be an excuse! A good percentage of these kids don't even have jobs or only work part time! School is their only responsibility and it isn't that hard. I go out drinking plenty, am involved on campus, work part time and still get damn good grades, even though I'm often scrambling to finish essays the day before they're due. Our education system is failing for many kids, especially those with learning disabilities. Take ADD for example, it's something that could potentially be considered an advantage, but not in our system. Instead of having any classes tailored to their needs (keep in mind they comprise a larger and larger percentage of students each year) we see them as a "problem" within the system because the way they learn doesn't fit nicely into the way our curriculum or teaching styles are set up. Instead we stick them in special classrooms and label them as LD. This has a HUGE negative effect on their motivation and self-esteem. It's just not fair and things need to change. We've been avoiding changes in the school system for too long.
     Maybe I should give more consideration to entering the field of politics....

On Wisconsin and Why Your State's a Pussy

     Okay, so maybe you're not all pussies, but too many of you bitch about us (us being Wisconsin). I'd like to start off by saying I love my state, fucking love it. I have more love for my state than I do my entire country. Sure, it kinda sucks that it gets cold up here, but at least it offers some yearly variety. With that said, let's address the reasons why I've heard some recent girlish whining from other states...
     Many of you (especially you New York) seem to think we have some kind of drinking "problem" in the great state of Wisconsin. Problem? I don't think so, and here are the reasons why...
                     1. We will always beat you at drinking games. Always. Have you ever played beer pong with a Wisconsinite? If you did, you probably don't remember because you can't hold your liquer. In fact, if you go to some vacation spots down south and want to participate in their spring break drinking games, they won't let you if you present to them a Wisconsin ID. A subpoint to be made here is that Wisconsinites can turn any activity into a drinking game and are therefore typically the most interesting people to be found at a party. Here is a very small list of the things in life we make more interesting: AC/DC's Thunder (drink every time you hear "thunder"), 3 Man (a simple dice game that has no end), countless card games, word games (Myrtle Turtle is just one example), or any board game you have.

                      2. If we didn't spend so much time drinking it, how would we be able to brew such great beer? Have you tasted the beer brewed in Texas? I wish I hadn't. It tasted like watered down Coors (which, if you know anything about beer, is watered down enough). Thankfully, you have Wisconsin to save you from such bad taste with Miller and Pabst (which is shamefully owned by S&P now, but it all started in Milwaukee). Not that Miller and Pabst are all we have to offer, I feel that our micro-breweries are really where it's at, but you poor suckers in other states aren't likely to find them where you're from. If you ever do get the chance to visit this veritable beer Olympus here are a few of our best: Spotted Cow or Coffee Stout from New Glarus Brewery, Happy Ending from Ale Asylum, Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale from Stevens Point Brewery, and pretty much anything from Stone Cellar Brewery.
                     *I do give credit to New Belgium though, Fat Tire is simply amazing

                           3. We have a high alcohol tolerance. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but think about it for a minute. The benefit to Wisconsin males is that they are still functional enough to pick out attractive females after midnight (but hey, everyone has to get stuck with a coyote sometimes), still able to defend themselves decently in case of a disagreement with someone from a neighboring state, and don't do anything excessively stupid until most other people are already passed out. The women of Wisconsin gain many advantages from this as well; it's harder for men to take advantage of them because they don't get drunk as easily, they're less likely to be the kind of girl who spends the night in the bathroom crying and puking, and they can hold their own if you have to be their partner for a drinking game.

                 *These benefits mostly apply when the Wisconsinite is found among groups of people in neighboring states, but when in their own state these situations help maintain a healthy competitive society. I will also sorrowfully admit that some Wisconsinites have not been raised to be good drinkers and tend to get caught up in the prevailing culture before removing their training wheels properly. These are not REAL Wisconsinites, they are simply failed attempts at breeding.

                           4. Define "problem". I did a survey for AODE once just to see what would happen. I informed them that I drink alcohol anywhere from 4 to 7 times a week, I drink over 4 beverages in one sitting probably 4-8 times per month, and on average when I drink I have 2-5 drinks (Jameson on the rocks is my poison of choice, but it's more often beer). I was classifiied as a low-level alcoholic. I don't see a problem with my drinking habits whatsoever. I get drunk maybe once a week, sometimes twice, sometimes not at all and when I drink during the week it's typically just having a beer after dinner. It's not like drinking is having any adverse effect on my life or my responsibilites. For example, I am president of the Writer's Club, Editor in Chief of the college's literary magazine, Overlord of the D&D Club (I know I'm a nerd, see previous post), Chair of the Food Services Committe, a member of the Lecture and Fine Arts Committee, a member of Student Association, a member of the Commencement Comittee, a member of the Textbook Committee, I attend Collegium every month, I tutor writing and 3 other courses, and I'm taking 13 credits this semester (and am currently getting As and B+s). Oh, and did I mention that I'm also working on creating a website to help students find cheaper textbooks and am working on starting a non-profit organization for student scholarships? Okay, now I'm bragging, but you get the point. Of course there are some people who definately have a problem, but those people exist everywhere else too, so don't be pointing your fingers at Wisconsin (per capita consumption based on sales is higher in the south than in the midwest...that mean s you Alabama). Aside from a typical spattering of people with REAL problems, drinking doesn't have such disastrous effects that counselors would lead you to believe in many cases.

     So, all of you non-Wisconsinites can just sweep the sand out of your vaginas and quit bitching about how our culture is somehow bad because we enjoy our beer. Better yet, I invite you to come visit and see for yourself what a good time we have. Walk into a bar and witness the close relationships we share with one another by spending so much time hanging out together in a relaxing atmosphere. When I worked in a bar, the patrons became my friends and were some of the nicest, most interesting people I could associate with.