tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76151678847123798152024-03-14T01:18:48.142-04:00Pennies in a JarWhat are we saving for?Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-65429830889687470402012-07-24T18:00:00.000-04:002012-07-24T18:00:00.392-04:00New Blog, New PlatformSo, there's <a href="http://drnels.wordpress.com/">a new blog I've got going</a>, and I'll just be letting this one fade away.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-62781074433358353262012-04-30T20:45:00.002-04:002012-04-30T20:46:06.972-04:00A Quick Trip into NYC: A CollageI wanted to see the <a href="http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2012/cindysherman/">Cindy Sherman exhibit</a> at <a href="http://www.moma.org/">MOMA</a>, and Priceline can lead to a great, cheap hotel room before tourist season. I also liked the chance to get away from working, even on my sabbatical. Though I check into <a href="https://foursquare.com/drnels">Foursquare</a> and <a href="http://getglue.com/drnels">GetGlue</a> when I travel, I don't necessarily check email, Facebook, or Twitter. I do other things. Here's evidence.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nels/6983842756/" title="Houston Street, NYC by nhighberg, on Flickr"><img alt="Houston Street, NYC" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6983842756_013c868095.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I love storefronts at night.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nels/7129950249/" title="Tulips by nhighberg, on Flickr"><img alt="Tulips" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7129950249_14cc572c81.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Flowers are blooming.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nels/6983889846/" title="MOMA Sculpture Garden by nhighberg, on Flickr"><img alt="MOMA Sculpture Garden" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6983889846_a6269bbc7b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I love a good sculpture garden, too.</div>
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I heard this song for the first time last night, downloaded it, and listened to it on repeat.</div>
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And Cindy Sherman? Absolutely stunning. Yes, you can see her photography online everywhere, but it's very different seeing it as she intended it, as large or small. Her career parallels the feminist movement from the 1970s to today in fascinating ways. As I said <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/drnels/status/197085755737251842">on Twitter</a>, I might be prepared to argue she is the most amazing living artist still working today.</div>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-53191684588863233422012-04-01T19:50:00.000-04:002012-04-01T19:52:24.317-04:00It's National Poetry Month! What Are You Writing?It's National Poetry Month! Many of us will be seeing a lot of poems, either famous or written in the previous ten minutes, posted on blogs and Facebook for the month. A lot of people will write a poem a day. I haven't written poetry since my first year of graduate school, and I haven't felt the urge to do so since. But I do have the incredible urge to write nonfiction. Being on sabbatical means I am supposed to be writing, so I have a plan for the month that may not celebrate poetry but will get me writing.<br />
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I have a lot of writing books, some focused on poetry, some on nonfiction, but many just on writing/journaling in general. They are filled with exercises of all types. So, each day of April, I will pull a book off the shelf, flip to a random page, and write in response to that exercise. This is in addition to the actual nonfiction writing I have already planned to do this month, which is revising some essays and getting them ready to go out to journals. And I will be doing these exercises with the larger context of the essays I'm writing (all about my undergraduate years) in mind, allowing them to push me in new directions and explore something I had not already explored.<br />
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Today, I had to write an ode to something ordinary. I set my timer for twenty minutes and ended up writing well over a page. No, I don't plan on posting what I'm writing. I have learned that my first drafts are pretty much all telling, and I have to transform that into showing--into a narrative--during revision. And a big point of doing this is to write without fear, without the editor in my mind getting any attention. That means, for now, writing alone. But I should end up with over thirty pages of random material by the end of the month. Hopefully.<br />
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And don't be surprised if I ask people for random numbers on Twitter or Facebook. I may ask for numbers between one and two hundred, turn to that page in a book, and do that exercise.<br />
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What are YOU writing this month?Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-29640839125842682782012-02-02T18:04:00.002-05:002012-02-02T18:04:33.192-05:00Christopher Hitchens and Joshua Bell<i>(I'm taking an <a href="https://www.creativenonfiction.org/cnfshop/product_info.php?products_id=311">online writing class on medical narrative</a> through </i><a href="https://www.creativenonfiction.org/index.htm">Creative Nonfiction</a><i>. I was just getting ready to post this on our discussion board, but I could tell it was going to be a long one by discussion board standards, so I'm making it a blog post.)</i><br />
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After reading the essays for this week, I cannot help but compare Christopher Hitchens and Joshua Bell. First, I have to be honest: I have never really been a fan of Hitchens. I would not say I actively dislike his work, but I have rarely finished one of his pieces. I start reading, and something annoys me, so I move on. I think, after reading <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/01/hitchens-201201">"Trial of the Will,"</a> my problem is that a masculine bravado seems to permeate his work. "Arrogance" has never felt like the right word. But when Hitchens mentions Nietzsche's bravado, that word clicked with me. Hitchens and I have just lived very different lives, which is relevant because the life of the reader is as much a part of an essay as the life of the writer. Hitchens is smart and well-read. There is nothing <i>wrong</i> with his writing. He just has a view of the world that clashes greatly with mine. The value of reading sometimes rests in the text's ability to make us see things anew. Other times, it's just annoying.<br />
<br />Hitchens writes about philosopher Sidney Hook and how he wanted to die after suffering a stroke from an angiogram given after congestive heart failure. He is in great pain, his family is in pain, but doctors deny his plea to stop all life-supporting procedures. Hitchens is suffering from esophageal cancer (and its treatment) when he writes his essay. Hitchens writes, "I haven’t sailed as close to the bitter end as he [Hook] had to do. Nor have I yet had to think of having such an arduous conversation with a physician." That just stuns me. He has never thought about having a conversation with doctors about what life-saving measures he does or does not want performed on him? That is either because of ignorance or bravado (okay, as I write, I'm starting to wonder if "arrogance" should be the word I use), and Hitchens is not ignorant. But how could he have never "had to think" about taling with his doctors about end-of-life decision making, especially after his own father died of esophageal cancer in 1987. Is it just because I watched so many die of AIDS when I was younger and that I ended up marrying someone who because his family's patriarch at 37 that I have thought about my death and that he and I have talked about what we do and do not want? Is it just because I have been lucky enough to work with medical students at UConn and had discussions with them about end-of-life issues? That right there is one big example of how we just look at the world so differently and why I am perhaps not drawn to his writing and its grounding in literature and philosophy, whereas my essays are grounded in experience first.<br /><br />Ian McEwan's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/opinion/christopher-hitchens-consummate-writer-brilliant-friend.html?_r=2&sq=ian%20mcewan&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all">"Christopher Hitchens, Consummate Writer, Brilliant Friend"</a> is very well-written. I can appreciate how he sets the scene of Hitchens in the hospital, especially a hospital I have been in myself. I am really interested in how the narrator of the essay is not the main character in the essay; as someone who writes memoir, that's not what I usually do. But my appreciation for it is mainly intellectual. Hitchens was not someone putting on an act, and I respect that.<br />
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Now, Joshua Bell who is a primary subject in <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721_pf.html">"Pearls Before Breakfast"</a> fascinates me, and it is because he does not seem to have the bravado I see in Hitchens. A world-class violinist plays on a subway platform during rush hour to see what happens. Now that's performance art! I actually enjoyed this essay so much I do not want to say a lot and ruin it for those who have not read it. But I really enjoyed his portrayal in this essay and his awareness of how his greatness may not always translate. I just really grew to like this guy as I read about his responses to the video of the performance.<br />
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If the goal of this week is to think about structuring a narrative, and if E. M. Forster says that a story is successful if the reader keeps reading to find out what happens next, then "Pearls Before Breakfast" is the greatest success of these three for me. I convert the readings to PDFs so I can read them off-line, highlight, and annotate. That essay was twenty-five pages long, but I kept feeling the pull to read more. The other two came out to around six pages each, and I'm not sure I would have finished either one.<br />
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That's not to say I was thrilled with Weingarten's writing. His audience clearly does not include me. He had a few snide things to say about some of the people waiting in line at a busy kiosk buying lottery tickets. He writes, "the people waiting in the lottery line looking for a long shot would get a lucky break -- a free, close-up ticket to a concert by one of the world's most famous musicians -- but only if they were of a mind to take note." Reading the rest of the essay and its ruminations on Kant and beauty, I can't help but wonder if "of a mind" means "smart enough" or "culturally-aware enough." Well, I never heard of Bell before this and would have never guessed that he was the street musician on the subway platform. If Weingarten looks down on us who are not in the class that recognizes and celebrates Bell, so be it. Along with that, I have to note the extensive parenthetical comment Hitchens makes in his essay, which is longer than many of his paragraphs. He describes being interviewed on the radio in "deepest Dixie." As I read that section over and over, I do not know why it is in the essay except as a dig about those of us from deepest Dixie (though many of us born and raised there do not refer to our homes as being in Dixie, what with those pesky racist connotations to which Hitchens seems to be directing his wry smile). The phrase "passive-aggressive parenthetical" comes to mind; maybe "arrogance" is the word to use.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-45889227714803864262012-01-01T16:01:00.001-05:002012-01-01T16:04:36.168-05:00Songs from 1988-93<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nels/6614769829/" title="Songs from 1988-1993 by nhighberg, on Flickr"><img alt="Songs from 1988-1993" height="157" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6614769829_8a296ce9b7_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
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I'm working on a series of essays that focus on my life from 1988-93, which are my undergraduate years (though the essays are not really about college). I've been thinking for a while of creating a playlist of songs from the time because music was always in the background, whether from my car radio, my CD player when I was riding the bus, or the background in bars and clubs. Thanks to Wikipedia, I am able to find out when the songs were released and put them in order. But that's not just my Virgo mentality at work. I can look at the list and see a kind of progression, my transition from boyhood to manhood. I just set my timer for twenty minutes today and got the list started. It'll be fun to listen to on the treadmill, though I better have a notebook handy for the memories that arise.<br />
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If anyone can think of any songs from that time period, feel free to let me know in the comments. My only rules for including them on the playlist are 1) only one song from an artist or I'll end up putting all of Depeche Mode's <i>Violator</i> and R.E.M.'s <i>Out of Time</i> on the list and 2) they have to be something that played a role, however minor, in my own life. Perhaps your memories might trigger some of my own. You can click on the image to enlarge it.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-3993679343828206512011-12-31T16:52:00.000-05:002011-12-31T17:09:24.790-05:00What I Learned in 2011<ul>
<li>Just because everyone else is excited about it doesn't mean I have to be.</li>
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<li>You really cannot over-prepare for the financial side of a sabbatical.</li>
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<li>The opposite of holding a grudge is not re-inviting someone back into my life. Sometimes it is just better to say, "That's in the past, and I'm now in a good place in my life. I wish you the same." And then let go.</li>
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<li>Just get the work done.</li>
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<li>I cannot think or write in soundbites, and that is fine.</li>
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<li>New York City is best nine floors up.</li>
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<li>I prefer Facebook over Google+ because I do not like picking and choosing who gets what from me; I'd rather throw it all out there and let other people pick and choose what they want (if anything).</li>
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<li>The less I carry with me, the happier I am; I mean that literally, but it works figuratively, too.</li>
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<li>When my mother died, my life changed forever. There was a time to grieve what I lost. Now is the time to celebrate the life I have, which she gave me.</li>
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<li>Schadenfreude may have its place in life, but it's a small one.</li>
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<li>I have no reason ever to step on a scale again because it is better to pay attention to the numbers on my blood pressure machine than the numbers on a scale. Even during my annual physical, I can tell the doctor I don't want to know what the scale says even if he does.</li>
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<li>Diet and exercise are words I don't want or need to use in my life.</li>
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<li>There is value and pleasure in reading fiction.</li>
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<li>How many times do I have to be hit across the head before I ask, "Excuse me. What was that again?" Actually, asking that happens often; it's listening to the answer that needs to happen now.</li>
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<li>I'm missing out on less than I think I am.</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-2839982387226537152011-12-28T21:52:00.001-05:002011-12-29T13:08:14.983-05:00My Most Memorable Reality-TV Moments of 2011<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Andy at <i><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/">Reality Blurred</a></i> read a comment I made on Facebook and asked for people's thoughts on <a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/reality_blurred/2011_Dec_28_2011-year-end">the best and worst of reality TV in 2011</a>. I wrote what is below but lost my links when I tried to post it as a comment, so I'm posting it here and putting a link over there.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">know I watch some different shows than many RB commentors, and I know some are going to cringe at what I think were some reality-TV highlights this year. For me, a high point was</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">America's Next Top Model All-Stars </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(and the cringing has started). For those of us who are fans, it was a great season mainly because just about everyone on the show was good, and the show focused mostly on their work as models and not as much on in-house drama. The finale was a shock to many because something looked off, and</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/top_model_17/2011_Dec_08_angelea-disqualified" style="font-family: inherit;">that's because it was</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Whatever happened, Lisa D'Amato won, which is what I find fascinating because she appeared previously on</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/celebrity_rehab/2009_May_28_season_three_cast" style="font-family: inherit;">the third season of </a><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/celebrity_rehab/2009_May_28_season_three_cast">Celebrity Rehab</a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">and was</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/related_news/2008_Jun_17_villains" style="font-family: inherit;">number ten on the Top Ten Villains on Reality TV</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(back in 2008). She brought drama, not talent. But I was proven wrong. She was</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_JVf-v-Ruo" style="font-family: inherit;">never drunk and never talked to any shrubbery</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Instead, she won challenges and photo shoots. She looked serious and driven. I had never seen this Lisa before, and I admit she impressed me. </span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">s another highlight, I loved the fact that</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/top_shot/2011_Oct_25_interviews" style="font-family: inherit;">Dustin won <i>Top Shot 3</i></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, mainly because he had no military or law enforcement background. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Top Shot 2</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (which also aired in 2011) featured George,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/top_shot/2011_Apr_27_finale" style="font-family: inherit;">who may be a nice guy deep inside</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">but acted like a child on the show, demeaning anyone who was not a marine. And if you wanted some drama, there was always MTV and</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Challenge: Rivals</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHvkMPsbRTc" style="font-family: inherit;">the fight between Paula and Laurel</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which brought</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/the_real_world_key_west/2006_May_02_paula_problems" style="font-family: inherit;">Paula's history with eating disorders</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">center stage again.</span>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-83107010112725247862011-12-21T17:52:00.000-05:002011-12-21T17:52:15.392-05:00Two Theories on the Representation of Rape (Inspired by Dragon Tattoo and Precious)As I mentioned in my last post, I saw the first showing of <i>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</i> that I could. In general, I liked it. I didn't think it was amazing, but it certainly wasn't bad. It was a good thriller, and I think Fincher made some general good choices about what to cut and what to keep. I have a lot of little, minor questions, but one big one is bugging me. Obviously from this post's title, it's about the representation of rape and sexual assault, so I understand many will not want to read it. But I would love comments because this does bug me. Also, I will be giving major spoilers of the book and the two film versions of it. If you want to know nothing, stop reading now.<br />
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My question has to do with how the rape of women and the rape of men are treated and why those differences exist. I'll start with the book since it all starts there. It is about the sadistic torture of women. We see that in multiple ways. The entire mystery ends up being about a father and son who tortured women their entire lives, and that is a separate storyline from Lisbeth Salander's own rapes. In the book, we get graphic descriptions of these rapes. Personally, as I've noted before, I think the book does a pretty good job of balancing how much to say. On one hand, Larsson does not shy away from the subject, which is good. I think too many books, films, and TV shows say too little and allow audiences to continue denying the severity of rape (though this is changing and not true with all examples, of course). At the same time, he does not say everything he could. When Salander suffers her tortuous rape at the hands of Nils Burjman, we know it goes on for ninety minutes, but we don't get a full description of it, which would be too much, but we do recognize how horrible it is.<br />
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In the book, a few men rape a lot of women. Each of the three men is punished, though not within a legal context. The Swedish film and the American film include each of these men and what they do. The final man who commits the most assaults over several decades is the one that Blomkvist and Salander end up searching for. Blomkvist shows up at this man's house and ends up trapped in that man's torture chamber. In the book, this man makes it obvious that he is about to rape Blomkvist as well: he cuts his clothes off with a knife and then grabs Blomkvist and gives him an aggressive kiss.<br />
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Neither film shows this kiss. The American film does show Blomkvist strung up and partially stripped, and the man comments that he has never had a man in this torture chamber or been with a man since he himself was raped by his father. The kiss is gone. And I wonder why? The films have no problem depicting the rape of women, and they have no problem showing Salander's rape of the man who raped her. But they pull back when it comes to representing the rape of a man who is not a sadistic pig. Why?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Theory One</b>: It is always okay to depict the rape of any adult woman by any adult man, but it is rarely okay to show the rape of a man unless he clearly "deserves it."</blockquote>
<span style="text-align: left;">This got me thinking of another film that centers on rape, </span><i style="text-align: left;">Precious</i><span style="text-align: left;">. In that film, Precious is raped her entire life by her father. But she is also raped continually by her mother. In the film, that is only alluded to in one scene when her mother calls Precious into her bedroom. I can't remember the exact words she said, but it was something general about coming in to help Momma, and her mother is in bed. I know many intelligent people who did not read this scene as the rape of a daughter by her mother because they expressed shock when I mentioned it or when they read it in the book. I've taught the book the film is based upon, </span><i style="text-align: left;">Push</i><span style="text-align: left;">, several times. Students who have seen the movie before the book are often shocked when we get to the two scenes that mention the mother's sexual abuse of her daughter.</span><br />
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<b>Theory Two</b>: It is always okay to depict the rape of a child of any gender if that rapist is a man, but it is rarely okay to show it if the rapist is a woman.</blockquote>
Why does this matter? We live in a culture that often does whatever it can to ignore the severity of rape and sexual assault. We think we are a culture that faces it, but I do not see a lot of truth in that. It is very, very true that a strong, strong majority of rapes are committed by men on women. I want to repeat that to be clear: a strong, strong majority of rapes are committed by men on women. But not all rapes happen that way. When I talk in general about rape, I always try not to use gendered language because rape is not just something men do to women.<br />
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Many, many people who study the rape of men point out that a major reason men who are raped do not come forward is because they worry that they will not be believed, that they will be laughed at, or that they will be thought of as less than a man. The continued invisibility of the rape of men and boys plays a major role in these feelings. We are also hearing more and more stories of women playing roles in the rape of children either in engaging in rape themselves or in creating situations that allow men to abuse children. Again, those who study these cases say that the survivors often do not report it because they think they will not be believed. Yes, there are a few cases of women who rape men, but that is incredibly rare. That does not mean it never happens or it should never be represented or discussed. But I am most curious right now about the rape of men by men and the rape of children by women because 1) it seems like I am continually hearing more and more stories of such cases in "real life" and 2) I am rarely seeing the depiction of such cases in mass media.<br />
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My two theories allow society in general to remain in denial about certain forms of rape and sexual abuse. This is the worst thing to do to survivors of any age or gender. This is why I speak up the way I do. Rape is always wrong. Murder can sometimes be okay such as in cases of self-defense and perhaps in certain wars. Rape is never permissible, however, but I am not sure we have moved much further than where we were as a society once women started speaking out clearly and strongly about their own rapes by men. That is still difficult, and we still live in a world with much blaming the victim and slut-shaming. It's changing slowly as long as many of us refuse to shut up about rape and sexual abuse in all of its forms. In general, though, these two theories seem to be coming truer and truer over time.<br />
<br />
Do my two theories ring true to you? Do I just need to accept that this will change over time and not focus on things like a kiss between a rapist and a journalist in <i>Dragon Tattoo</i> and focus instead on the bigger story? Anyone prompted to have any other thoughts by what I've written? Obviously, I care about these issues but know my perspective may be limited as all perspectives are. While I may never "get it right," I certainly want to try to be, and I'll take whatever help any reader can offer.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-11465597058355086822011-12-18T12:01:00.000-05:002011-12-18T12:01:34.069-05:00More Obsessed with Dragon Tattoo Than Lisbeth Salander is with Nils Burjman's WhereaboutsA few years ago, the husband made a rather astute observation about me: I treat pretty much everything in my life in an all or nothing way. I get obsessed easily. This was a time when I was ignoring him because I was focused on something else, and he was starting to get upset until it hit him that this is just who I am, and that it was not personal to him. He could point out times when I acted with the same laser focus toward a range of people, places, and things. I had never thought about it before, but he is completely right.<br />
<br />
I only mention it now because anyone who has seen anything I have been doing online knows I'm obsessed with <i>The Girl with the Dragon Tatto </i>right now. And what is so bizarre is that I had not read any book or seen any movie until two weeks ago this past Friday. When I was flying to Houston, I was at home looking at my books and thinking that I really did not want to read anything that I intended to take seriously or was going to use in my research. Add that to the fact that a few people had asked me what I thought of the novel, if it crossed the line into rape porn or if it handled the depiction of violence well. So I decided to buy a copy at the airport and read it on the trip. As I noted on Twitter, I finished it on my flight out of Houston to Atlanta, so I bought the second one in Atlanta and finished it in NYC before I returned home a week ago yesterday. One week ago tonight, I watched the Swedish version of the first film. And I've been reading all news articles related to the upcoming film that I can find.<br />
<br />
I'm planning to see the film at 7:00 on Tuesday when it premieres (I'll be at the AMC in Plainville if anyone local is also planning to see it then). This morning, the husband asked me if I was going to spend the rest of the week complaining about all the changes Fincher made in his film version (Fincher has already said <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/movies/david-fincher-directs-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all">he changed the ending</a>, which has raised my ire). I told him I would respond the same way he did when he first saw the first of the <i>Star Wars</i> prequels and could not shut up about Jar Jar Binks and the future Darth Vadar yelling "Yippee!" in the pod race.<br />
<br />
I also told him that I'm now reading <i>The Hunger Games</i>, so my obsession should be switching soon.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I do not think the book crosses the line into rape porn. A writer, artist, or filmmaker has to tred a very fine line between revealing too much or too little. I actually get just as annoyed at too little because I think it helps people ignore the seriousness of sexual assault. To me, the book was a perfect balance. The movie? We'll see, and I won't be able to stop thinking about it for days, I'm sure.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-66492589348713768082011-11-20T18:00:00.000-05:002011-11-20T18:00:43.413-05:00Chris Brown, Police Violence, Macbeth, and More<ul>
<li>With the power outage, I have not been able to read a couple of things I had marked a few weeks ago, like <a href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/28691">this interview with Lee Gutkind</a> about narrative medicine. CNF may be offering an online course in it next year. That could be interesting. I do wonder, though, if we are starting to create a false category with "narrative medicine" since so much can go under it. But you can get <a href="http://www.narrativemedicine.org/">an MA in it</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/elonjames/status/137241989417668608">This tweet</a> from Elon James White is fantastic. After years of unarmed black men sometimes being not just shot but killed by police, it seems especially poignant. Now white people are experiencing something that has become normal for so many.</li>
<li>Chris Brown <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/11/read-chris-browns-latest-rihanna-twitter-tantrum.html">will never get it</a>. He thinks that his beating of Rhianna should never be mentioned again. As I wrote over at <i><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/">Vulture</a></i>, "If Jane Fonda can still get called Hanoi Jane by some people for
things she did thirty years ago that were not crimes, Chris Brown needs
to accept that this will follow him for the rest of his life, especially
since it's a felony, and those are supposed to follow you the rest of
your life. It's why you have to report all felony convictions whenever
you apply for anything like a job or passport. Don't plead guilty to a
crime if you can't do that time. And for felonies, that time is, in
some form, forever." These outbursts of his (like the one a few months ago after <i>Good Morning America</i>) signal that he may just lose it sometime and assault a reporter or someone else, and then it'll be real jail time. But he can get help; he just has to get it now.</li>
<li>Several people pointed me <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/arts/television/female-comedians-are-confidently-breaking-taste-taboos.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&ref=arts">to this article</a> about how female comedians can supposedly get away with things male comedians cannot, like joking about rape. I didn't leave a comment over there, but I almost asked why women who have never been raped have a greater chance of getting away with joking about rape than a man who has been raped.</li>
<li>I (barely) got tickets to see <a href="http://sleepnomore.com/"><i>Sleep No More</i></a> my last night in NYC. I really can't wait. I always feel like I miss the big stuff, but I won't be missing this one. Since there's no dialogue, I think I need to reread <i>Macbeth</i> for the first time in over twenty years so I can catch how the movement, costumes, and set design are telling the story. Supposedly, every line of the play is embedded somewhere (and the play <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Macbeth-mobi-ebook/dp/B004L9L2YE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1321829649&sr=8-3">is free on Amazon</a>).</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-14649852820452860982011-11-12T16:34:00.001-05:002011-11-13T12:49:55.797-05:00Tweeting, Barebacking, and More<ul>
<li>Thanks to <a href="http://ethicalexhibitionist.blogspot.com/">William Bradley</a> for the link to <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2011/11/12/142244924/something-disintegrates-at-a-burger-king">an article about a man</a> who tweeted the argument he was forced to overhear at a Burger King in Boston. The article's author argues that the argument should not have been made public on Twitter, and many of those who left comments agree. I disagree, though there are too many reasons to get into why. I just don't get why people are shocked when things done in public are made public. Since the Rodney King beating, we know that cameras and recoding devices are everywhere, and that was before we were even talking about social media. It's funny that so many are upset that this was made public on Twitter, but if this fight had led to the murder or assault of one member of the couple by the other, he'd be a hero for documenting what led to the crime. We can't have it both ways.</li>
<li>I love how <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-faces-gunshots-and-viruses.html">the last paragraph of this article</a> about some of the problems that have occurred at various occupy sites puts sexual assaults at the same level as peeing in a bottle. We were in the middle of the power outage when <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/nyregion/at-occupy-wall-street-protest-rising-concern-about-crime.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=occupy%20women%27s%20only%20tent&st=cse">a women's only tent was created at Occupy Wall Street</a> because some women felt the park wasn't safe, so I don't know if anyone has been talking about that or if it has been kept quiet so representation of the movement stays entirely positive.</li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/johnhodgins">John Hodgins</a> tweeted a link to <a href="http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/08/30/12-things-happy-people-do-differently/?t=1320856212">this great article on happiness</a>. It's a lot of common sense, but it's also concise, clear, and something I think I should read daily.</li>
<li>I was really happy to see such <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-11-09/news/hiv-aids-porn-barebacking-sex-parties-gay-culture-taylor-friedman/">an extensive article about sex parties and barebacking</a> in <i>SF Weekly</i>, but I did feel compelled to leave this comment at the site: "As someone who has been around and having sex since the 80s, who lost my
first husband to AIDS as well as numerous friends, I really can't
believe we're still having this discussion. People were having sex
without condoms way before any porn company had videos showing it, way
before barebacking was a word, and way before we had even a tenth of the
drugs we have now to combat HIV. If you condemn the practice, it will
not disappear. It will just go further underground. Shaming people
about their sexual practices (when it's consenting adults with
consenting adults) will lead to nothing but more pain, death, and
conflict. Lots and lots of people have sex with condoms. Lots of lots
of people do not. I'd rather have conversations than point fingers and
say the government should step in and do something to 'those people.'" I've left other comments, too, in response to what some people have said to me, but it's all the same kind of conversation we all usually have on this subject, and that's sad, really.
</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-66074582869182643842011-10-05T12:53:00.000-04:002011-10-05T12:53:20.880-04:00Random Thoughts on #OccupywallstreetBeing in NYC right now is pretty fascinating timing, from the events surrounding the commemoration of the decade since 9/11 to the helicopter crash yesterday to the string of sexual assaults in Brooklyn to #occupywallstreet. I've been down to #occupywallstreet a few times as an observer. I say that for reasons that will hopefully become clear after reading my observations below.<br />
<br />
Also, while I shouldn't have to say it, the opinions on my blog are my own and not that of my employer, those providing the fellowship that allows me to live in NYC, or anyone else on the planet. Got it? Good. <br />
<br />
Is confusion an emotion? When I think of the primary thing I feel about everything happening, confusion is what I feel most (with some sadness and anger thrown in).<br />
<ul>
<li>Saturday, September 24, was the day that <a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/video-appears-to-show-protesters-being-pepper-sprayed/?scp=1&sq=occupy%20wall%20street%20mace%20saturday&st=cse">protestors were maced as they walked north</a>. Here's the thing that starts my confusion. I was leaving my place to get lunch somewhere when I got to Broadway and saw the march. But I didn't know what the march was for. Some of the signs were clearly about Wall Street, but this was the weekend after <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/us/final-pleas-and-vigils-in-troy-davis-execution.html?scp=1&sq=georgia%20execution&st=cse">Troy Davis was executed in Georgia</a>, and a good half of the signs carried by the marchers were about justice for Troy Davis, so I thought the march was about that. Also, I was apparently about two or three blocks before they were maced, but the police I saw looked so bored that I thought the group had a parade permit and that officers were following along, cordoning off traffic, and moving everyone to Washington Square Park (I heard later that they were trying to get to Union Square). Then, later, I heard about the mace or pepper spray and that it was the #occupywallstreet group. Hence, the start of my confusion.</li>
<li>The park this is serving as headquarters is a private park catty-corner from the World Trade Center. It's an expanse of cement with a few trees here and there. I am curious as to why they chose a private park and not, say, the public park at City Hall. It's just as close to Wall Street and can hold more people. The group has looked the same the last few days, with a couple of hundred people looking like they are in the group sleeping there. And hundreds of other join in at various moments, especially the marches (see below, though). The guy who owns the park was on the news saying that he's cool with everything, but I'm betting this is going to end when he decides to shut down the park. I'm also wondering if he's going to end up putting a fence around it (like most of the public parks in the city). And if there is any violence in the park, will he be liable since he owns the land?</li>
<li>People regularly drive by and yell some version of "Get a job!" to the crowd. At first, people would yell back. Today, no one responded. The police kind of chuckled, but their eyes were looking at the crowd, wondering, I am just assuming, if things would escalate, but it's become a bit ordinary, I think, to hear people drive by and yell that they should all get jobs.</li>
<li>And this gets at another point of confusion that leads to sadness. The signs that are printed say "99% work for the 1%." Anyone see the potential problem in framing it that way? On the local news, the protesters who are on camera are ones who talk about having a job but living paycheck to paycheck or just not being able to pay their bills after working forty hours a week. A minor skirmish I happened to see on Monday was between a homeless person telling a group of these people that they should be happy they have a job. A few people started raising their voices to the homeless guy, but most people looked a little freaked out, including me. I get why the homeless man was upset. He's hearing people complain about working, and he wants to work. But the workers protesting are right to protest. Still, I have started to wonder about the whole 99% nomenclature and if people think of that group as containing only people who work and earn money for the 1% or everyone who is not the 1%. I'm betting there's a lack of consistency. Actually, I'm betting most people haven't thought about it that deeply. But a fight between protesters and the homeless would be a really bad idea. That dust-up got shut down fast, and I wonder if there have been more.</li>
<li>And now the anger. Recently, there have been <a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/brooklyn-residents-vow-to-stop-sex-attacks/?scp=1&sq=rapes%20brooklyn&st=cse">at least ten sexual assaults in Brooklyn</a>. It looks like two men are involved. Obviously, a lot of people are upset by this, and I should probably write a separate post on it, especially the way that <a href="http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/protesting-the-shame-surrounding-sexual-assault/?scp=1&sq=slutwalk&st=cse">SlutWalk has been brought into this</a>. Today, at 6:00, there is going to be a march in Brooklyn about these assaults. I got the email about it last week. Then, #occupywallstreet decided to have another march today at 5:30. I think they have been wanting to do something during the week when Wall Street employees are actually around. Now, it happens that groups plan events that overlap, especially since each is about something happening right now. I plan to go to Brooklyn for that march, and anyone who knows me should not be surprised one bit that I would choose that one. When I was there this morning, and someone passing out flyers about today's march tried to hand one to me, I said, "No, thanks. I know about it, but I'll actually be at the Brooklyn Rally against Sexual Assault." His response? "This is more important." I say, "I think both are important." He said, "We need people more." I knew to keep my cool and just said, "Do you want to say that to any of the journalists around here?" And we walked away from each other. I left soon after. I know that people will have their own reasons to choose one over the other if they would normally attend both, but to say that one is more important? To say to me (and, yeah, the guy didn't know me, but still) that sexual assault is something "less than"? What an ass. And I know he is an individual ass, and his views are not necessarily the views of others, but it did piss me off. Maybe I should have lied or kept quiet, but I honestly thought that we were all kind of on the same side. I was wrong. But, really, don't pick fights with the homeless or sexual assault survivors.</li>
<li>Two other random things. First, it smells great down there now because all the food trucks are all situated along the south side of the park. Second, the vendors have shown up, including a guy who has a table of bronze or brass bulls like the one on Wall Street. Really? Do you think these protestors want to take a replica of the bull home to remember this? Ah, capitalism (which is what this all comes down anyway, I guess).</li>
<li>Oh, one other important thing. I have been taking photos, but I decided today that I will not post them online. In fact, I may delete them. Why? This has already become a tourist attraction, and there are tons of people with cameras around, and people are starting to make signs that say some version of, "Please do not exploit us by taking our pictures." And that hit me. I felt uneasy taking photos of people as I usually do, which is why so few of the photos I ever take are of people, and seeing that sign today made me flinch, but I immediately agreed. The computer where I do my photo work is at home, so I have posted nothing yet, but I planned to do so. I even have a photo where a woman to the side is wrapped up in a sleeping bag and drinking coffee from Starbucks. I admit I was going to post that photo with a comment about the irony of it, but I thought of that as only a giggle and nothing to be that critical of. But seeing that sign about exploitation made me remember one of the basic points of visual rhetoric. If I post a photo, someone could publish it somewhere. It happens all the time since I use a Creative Commons license, and my photos are usually background or used like stock images would be used (most recently, a real estate company wanted to use <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nels/3780056570/">this one</a>, for example). But I suddenly got the image in my head of someone taking that photo of the woman with Starbucks, cropping it, and somehow creating an image to promote hypocrisy. I don't want that to happen. I actually think that the Starbucks coffee along with the pizzas and Subway sandwiches are often donated. I've seen people walk into the group of people actually staying there 24/7 to bring food and drink. But, yeah, me just posting random photos on Flickr could lead to exploitation. I know a lot of people are doing it, and it's not something I think everyone should stop doing. We need to images. But I'm going to leave their creation and distribution to those who have been invested in this from the beginning and not just some basic tourist like me who has spent less than a few hours watching over a couple of weeks. </li>
</ul>
Now, I admit that I have not read a lot about #occupywallstreet online because I have barely been online these past few weeks, so I'm not sure what issues have or have not been mentioned elsewhere. I have watched the local NYC and national news (since I'm also living without cable, and there's really nothing else to watch at 6:00 PM). Frankly, I imagine what has been said in the media contains several versions of truth.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-23324152549695029152011-09-25T18:51:00.002-04:002011-09-25T18:52:27.308-04:00from Lauren Berlant and Michael Warner's "Sex in Public"<br />
Word, part two.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"Respectable gays like to think that they owe nothing to the sexual subculture they think of as sleazy. But their success, their way of living, their political rights, and their very identities would never have been possible but for the existence of the public sexual culture they now despise" (Berlant and Warner 563). </i></blockquote>
Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-56342100365295082672011-09-25T15:47:00.001-04:002011-09-25T18:53:08.502-04:00from Donald E. Hall's Reading SexualitiesWord.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"We in sexuality studies need such place-holding utopias--ones in which wide-ranging sexual diversity is valued highly, in which explorations of possible mutabilities in sexual desire (self-generated, theoretically generated, and simply temporally inevitable) are discussed energetically, in which the many ways that people engage in consensual erotic relationships are appreciated--and we need a mechanism to get us there: a missionary-like zeal for conversing among ourselves and with those who differ from us. We also need the intellectual quickness, flexibility, and tenacity to weather setbacks, shift tactics, and allow ourselves and our goals to alter in active dialogue with others. Marketplace acceptance nad token media visibility, though useful, should never suffice as the telos or our work--they are simply a side benefit" (Hall 15). </i></blockquote>
Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-74468781985923081552011-07-28T19:36:00.000-04:002011-07-28T19:36:24.230-04:00How Would You Cite Quotations from TV Shows and Movies?Anyone who has been following me anywhere online knows that I have been researching rape jokes for a few years. I'm finally drafting the article, and I'm stumbling on something. At the start of my article, I list ten sample rape jokes I have collected from television and film over the last twenty years. What do you see as the most legitimate way of citing quotations from TV shows and movies? I'm trying to decide between two ways.<br />
<br />
First is citing the actual episode of the TV show or the movie. The journal to which I plan to submit this article wants <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/05/">Chicago-style endnotes</a>, and citing the individual episodes is tricky. The citation starts with the group, performer, or composer. Is that the person who wrote the episode/film? Is it the director? Is it the person who spoke the quotation in question? The one advantage of citing quotations this way is that I am citing the original source, but it's not often a source that people can find easily (such as obscure movies and cancelled TV shows not on DVD). That's another thing, if it's on DVD, do I cite it that way even if I made a note of it fifteen years ago during a broadcast?<br />
<br />
Second is citing IMDB quotation pages. I have been keeping notes for years, but I confirmed my notes by referring to IMDB, and I could cite the quotations from there. But that is not necessarily the original source. On one hand, this does show people the actual quotation they can read for themselves. But it also feels a bit like citing Wikipedia. IMDB is credible to me, but would academic readers read it this way?<br />
<br />
I should note that I am planning to send it to a rhetoric journal and not a media studies journal, at least not for the first go around. So, rhetoricians, would citing the IMDB page bug you? What about you media scholars? Preferences?<br />
<br />
(And if any students are reading this, you can see that professors struggle with citation just like you do.)Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-91126296968905692832011-04-24T17:37:00.000-04:002011-07-28T19:22:05.059-04:00Now That I Know What I'm DoingIn <a href="http://drnelsresearch.blogspot.com/2011/01/over-next-month.html">this post</a>, I listed the various things I was applying for during my sabbatical. This past Friday, I finally heard about everything. I had made some educated guesses about what I would and would not get, and I was partly wrong and partly right. At any rate, I am going to be living on the NYU campus for the entire fall semester as an NYU Faculty Resource Network Scholar in Residence. Yes, I am very excited. The point is to be in the city and visit as many archives as often as possible. Then, I will be home for the spring semester and can figure out what to do with whatever I find in the fall. In June, I will also be at NYU for <a href="http://www.nyu.edu/frn/programs.events/enrichment/network.summer.2011.html#seminar-4">the week-long seminar</a> on "The Anatomy of Evil." Last week, I applied for another June seminar and submitted a proposal to an October conference right before I started writing this entry.<br /><br />So, for the rest of April and early May, it's all about finishing classes and submitting final grades. For the rest of May, it's all about finishing up my work as department chair and getting everything together for the interim chair. June is about travel. July and August will be about prep work for NYU. I want to make lists of the places to visit and what I definitely need to look at and what I will look out if time allows. I'll set up some appointments later in the summer. I'm also hoping to get an essay on Wojnarowicz and one on rape representations done by September 1 and one of my essays on pornography done by February 1. That may sound like a lot, and I need to be careful not to put too much pressure on myself or I'll crash, but each of those three essays are already in the drafting stage. One goal of the sabbatical is to finish those things and get them out and away.<br /><br />I'm glad I can start making more official plans. And the rejections didn't sting at all. Of course, they came after I learned that the NYU fellowship had come through, which does make it easier. And I'm happy I tried for a few things, even the long shots.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-30178200132553405812011-04-20T18:29:00.000-04:002011-04-20T18:29:51.407-04:00From Edwidge Danticat's "A Little While"<blockquote>“It is,” she insists. “That’s what it is. And life, like death, lasts only <i>yon ti moman</i>.” Only a little while.</blockquote>(<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/02/01/100201taco_talk_danticat">more</a>)Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-81024634451246268802011-03-12T14:45:00.000-05:002011-03-12T14:45:51.842-05:00My Dreams are Getting Longer and StrangerI just have to write about the dream I had last night. As I've mentioned now and then, I saw a sleep specialist last summer. I just never have slept well, and nothing would work. My doctor would give me something like Ambien, and it would have no effect on me. I would try this and that to no avail. I would take something like Nyquil and end up jazzed and hopped up for hours. So, I saw this guy, and he had me figured out right away. Over a few weeks, we came up with drugs that would target my particular issues, and I started to sleep for what felt like the first time in my life. Now, I do have to make sure I give myself plenty of time to sleep, about nine hours with ten being perfect. The doctor says that I am recovering from about forty years of sleep debt. He also said that I would start having longer and move vivid dreams as I entered the deeper levels of sleep. I have always had odd dreams, but he was right about them getting stranger.<br />
<br />
Last night, the first part involved being in a movie theatre that was as the base of an apartment building. I was outside the theatres and in the hallway. There was something I wanted to do, but <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/triatriatria">Tria</a> wouldn't help me. I think it was some kind of fight over who was going to get credit for something or get recognized for something, and she got in there first. So, I went upstairs. There was some other stuff before then that I don't remember.<br />
<br />
In my apartment, I found my sister and brother-in-law. They looked exactly like they do now, both in their fifties. But they were acting like teenagers. And they were baby sitting two boys. They might have been my step-brothers, but I'm not sure. They, too, wouldn't talk to me or let me do anything, so I went to the back of the room. The boys were loud and jumping up and down, and my sister and brother-in-law were eating chips or popcorn or something while lying on the couch. My brother-in-law went in to start a bath for the boys so they could get ready for bed.<br />
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Then, my "father" got home. I use the quotation marks because he looked nothing like my father. In fact, he looked most like porn star <a href="http://thequod.blogspot.com/2009/12/dean-coulter.html">Dean Coulter</a> (link may be NSFW to some people) but with a thicker goatee. He went into the kitchen, and I went in to hug him, and he started talking to my like the husband does when I hug him when he or I get home or if we've been ensconced in our offices here at home away from each other for a few hours. And when I say he talked to me, I mean he was just using the terms of endearment that the husband uses with me, which could also be a way a father would talk to a child (yeah, you psychoanalysts can have your fun with that one). Oh, and let me make it clear that I am talking about the adult version of me just as the teenagers were adult versions of my sister and brother-and-law. I remember feeling like I was twelve even though I had a full beard and bald spot.<br />
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So, he's hugging me and asking if I'm okay, which I'm not, and the boys start screaming about how they need their bath before they go to bed, so my "father" goes in to start the the bath, but it's been running for awhile. The tub is full with water spilling over the edges. I run into another room to grab a bunch of towels that are all over the floor in the room where the teenagers are watching TV, stretched out on couches with their junk food all around them. The towels are things they were supposed to have washed, but they are all over the floor. My brother-in-law screams, "Aw, shit! I forgot!"<br />
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Then, I woke up. Don't know what the heck any of it means and don't really care. I'm more surprised that my dreams are getting longer and that I can remember more of them. And they are getting even weirder.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-21749963684052561682011-01-21T13:31:00.000-05:002011-07-28T19:22:05.060-04:00Help Me Find Columnists for My Rhetoric CourseI'm teaching <a href="http://rpw370whighberg.blogspot.com/">Foundations of Rhetoric</a>, and I'm mixing it up. We're reading contemporary theorists (Foucault, Scarry, Haraway, Butler) in the first unit. For their major assignment, I want students to take the theories we've read and apply them to the work of one newspaper/magazine columnist who writes regularly. I want them to read that person's work for the last couple of months and develop an argument about the extent to which they are an effective rhetorician using the theories we've discussed. For example, <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/frankrich/index.html">Frank Rich</a> was the first one who came to mind. But, obviously, I want to get a range of people with some diversity. Students will choose one, and I want to give them some real choices. Politically, there is <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032402294.html">George F. Will</a>. There's <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/monacharen/">Mona Charen</a> and <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/maureendowd/index.html">Maureen Dowd</a>.<br /><br />I will fully admit my embarrassment at not being able to think of racial or ethnic diversity. Maybe <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/ta-nehisi-coates/">Ta-Nehisi Coates</a>? I don't know if I can get over my personal anti-<a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/">Andrew Sullivan</a> bias. Yes, I'm still holding a grudge about the whole barebacking, magic glutes things from the 1990s.<br /><br />So, when you think of columnists writing regularly today, who comes to mind? Any and all ideas appreciated.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-12926010658160769912011-01-16T20:16:00.000-05:002011-07-28T19:22:05.060-04:00Over the Next MonthFour weeks from today, I will be in NYC. Four weeks from last night will be <a href="http://www.bowerypresents.com/event/5603">Robyn at Radio City Music Hall</a>. Though a tangent for my professional blog, I have to say I do not understand why Robyn's music is not all over radio in the United States. It is the kind of pop/dance music that shows skill and grace. But, I digress. I am excited about the idea of spending the weekend in the city, and I cannot wait for the concert. But the weekend is the perfect timing for me because I have so many grant and fellowship applications due by then. Actually, the final deadline is four weeks from this past Friday. So, yeah, it's going to be a nutty month.<br /><ul><li><strike>Fellowship One: January 15</strike> Done and out!</li><li><strike>Conference Panel Proposal: January 15</strike> Done and out!</li><li><strike>Grant One: January 21</strike> Done and out!</li><li><strike>Grant Two: January 24</strike> Done and out!</li><li><strike>Fellowship Two: February 4</strike> Done and out!</li><li><strike>Fellowship Three: February 4</strike> Done and out!</li></ul>And this coincides with the start of my semester this week and teaching two classes I have never taught before. But, hey, if anyone was reading my #reverb10 posts on my personal blog, I talked a lot about 2011 being the year of productivity, so no complaints from me. Right now, I'm excited. And nervous. I'm more nervous now that I've put it all in a list, but I'm excited about the potential.<br /><br />Guess I better get to work, though.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-89033627708349958172011-01-03T21:41:00.000-05:002011-01-03T21:41:34.743-05:00No, I Really SuckYesterday's post was in response to something I read where someone talked about how they feel bad reveling in schadenfreude, so they sometimes talk about themselves negatively to balance it out. Considering that yesterday's post was partly to show my negative qualities, it was pretty lame. And in a bit of karma, my worst instincts came out today, meaning my insane jealousy. I've kept it quelled for awhile, probably because of the good feelings I've been having for the last month. But there are certain people out there in the world who drive me up a wall. Why? Because they are admired and respected. And worst of all? They deserve to be admired and respected. There are a couple of blogs out there I don't read anymore because they just pissed me off. And they pissed me off because they were writing long, engaged posts that people were responding to. And to make it worse, I trolled. Oh, most people probably wouldn't think my comments were really trolling. They would just be anonymous and snide. And I'd get shot down fast because I deserved it. If I was acknowledged at all.<br />
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This came up today because I read a link in someone's blog to one of these bloggers. And I read that link, which led to more on that blog. Which reminded me of other blogs I felt the same about, so I checked those out. Same reaction. Even as I was doing it, I asked myself what I was doing. I hate wasting time, and this is the biggest waste of time of all. As I saw the clock on the computer reach the top of the hour, I started telling myself to get to work, to pull up something in Word that will make me feel better about how I was spending my time. I didn't do it, though, until I realized something, something simple that I had never acknowledged before. These people have such positive response to what they write because they work on it. They take time to write long, thoughtful posts full of links and ideas. Anyone who has been reading me for any amount of time knows I don't do that. I write as I think. And I don't proof. Sometimes, I'll read something a few days or even months after, find a typo, and fix it. Usually, though, I just leave it. I will not have people reprinting my posts in the <i>New York Times</i> or mentioned on HuffPo because I am not even trying to make that happen. So I have to let that go.<br />
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And I am thankful to all of you who do still read this blog. When I click my stats, I'm still surprised to see that people are reading. Thanks! I'd rather have these few readers who follow me around on my meandering. After all, that's the real me, or as close to it as anyone can get in a blog. As for those other people? Well, good on them for putting their efforts into posts that are engaging people. Seriously. I'll stay over here with my ADD-addled writing getting sidetracked by every shiny thing that comes along.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-39371923477437758982011-01-02T21:59:00.000-05:002011-01-02T21:59:14.047-05:00I SuckAnyone who does not know me who has read the posts I have written daily over the last month will likely have one of two reactions. Well, the third reaction is that someone could care less. That's probably the majority or readers who have found me from #reverb10 and Holidailies. But there's probably a group, however small, who fine me interesting, someone who's got it all together. Then there's group, hopefully smaller but perhaps not, who think I'm an ass, an arrogant braggart.<br />
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Oh, these posts this path month do show my best side. I can certainly be a pretty organized person, and this past month has been a pretty good one in terms of using that part of me to get things done. You know what I've been doing the past couple of days? I have been organizing our Christmas ornaments. Last Christmas was the first in this house, our final house. But it was two months after the move, and we were still stressed since we hadn't sold the old place. This year, things are calmer, and I decided to go through the decorations. If we didn't put it up this year, it's out, gone. And all the ornaments got labeled in various ziploc bags as opposed to the random plastic bags and newspaper wrappings we were using. See, that's what I do when I've got it together.<br />
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But I should confess. I am one of those academics who has no common sense. Well, that may not be fully true, but I sure do have a tendency to go about things the long way. It happens a lot. The husband and I are in Chicago, and we need to get to the other side of the platform, so I take us down the escalator about two floors and through a couple of doorways and up a couple of escalators. Then, the husband asks why we didn't take the stairs that are over the tracks. Huh. In all the time I lived in Chicago and transferred to a train at that station, I never really noticed those stairs, and there was more than one time that I had to get to the other side to get to the train I wanted. That's not the lone example either. There are times I drive somewhere and realize that there was a perfectly clear and shorter route there.<br />
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I am just the kind of person who takes five steps when two would do. The husband jokes that I dirty ever dish in the house when I make dinner. It's true. There are times I do something, throw utensils in the sink, and then realize that I really could have used the knife, cutting board, or bowl again. Sometimes it pisses me off because I hate to waste time, especially when I'm the cause of the waste.<br />
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But I try not to dwell on that. As I tell my husband, it may take a while, but we will get there. It may not be graceful. It may not be smooth. But we get there. That's what I try to remember.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-5308168688797231072011-01-01T21:38:00.000-05:002011-01-02T21:40:20.579-05:00Put Up or Shut UpI've liked this daily bit of writing over the last month for #reverb10, and there are still a few days left for Holidailies. Even though I was bugged by how the prompts for #reverb10 seemed repetitive, I had some fun moments, especially early on. I will not be keeping up with daily blogging, but it's been nice to do it for a month. I wrote more this past month than I have in a year. That's sad. I'm a firm believer in how blogging is where we can slow down and think, but I, too, have gotten caught up in the quickness of Twitter and Facebook. I wonder how many words a day I actually write?<br />
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At any rate, this blogging has coincided with other writing. I've done more this break than any other winter break. Actually, the fifteen pages I have written for an article I'm writing is pretty amazing, to me. Some people do it all the time, but I don't. And even though I've been feeling good, I looked at the calendar today and panicked a bit. Lots of deadlines, but I'm ahead of the game in a lot of ways. My winter class starts on Monday, which sucks in that I will have to get up early daily for the next couple of weeks, but the money is nice especially since the teaching is easy, being the fourth time I've taught this winter class. And I chose the early slot rather than the afternoon because this does give me the rest of the day to work. It's still over two weeks before spring classes start.<br />
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I've spent the last month doing all this talk about what I want these next few months to be. What's the cliche? Put up or shut up. It's time.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-55062180062032616262010-12-31T15:29:00.000-05:002011-07-28T19:22:05.060-04:00My Grading ProcessI have been teaching for almost twenty years, and I have learned a lot in that time, including how little students know about the work professors do. That is partly where this post comes from. When I assign a piece of formal writing in my classes, I tell students that it will take me one to two weeks to return papers to them. Occasionally, I get asked why it takes that long. I try to explain quickly, but it often doesn't feel right. So, I am creating this post so that students can understand how I grade. And I do not mean how I decide what gets an A, B, or C; my general grading rubric does that. This is the actual process I follow when I get papers from a class. It's not that amazing or interesting, but I just want to make visible something that is generally invisible. Too much happens behind closed doors, and it does not have to be that way. So, if you are in one of my classes, and you write an essay for me, here's what I do next.<br /><br />First, I download all of the essays I have received, giving them clear names so I can distinguish between clean copies and copies that will contain my comments. That way, I do not return the wrong essay to a student. Because I use <a href="http://db.tt/TH7Bbde">Dropbox</a> as my storage system, all of those essays get backed up immediately, too, so there is no chance they will get lost.<br /><br />Next, I count how many essays I have to grade. Then, I look at my personal schedule and see what is coming up for me over the next couple of weeks, how many meetings I have or other deadlines I must meet. At that point, I decide when I want to have these essays returned and how many I need to grade each day to meet that goal. For me, grading several essays in a row is a bad idea because I get tired, and the essays I grade last end up with fewer comments and less feedback. That is not fair. Therefore, I came up with this method. If I only have five essays to grade, I can grade them without feeling rushed.<br /><br />Then, I start grading. I always grade essays in the order in which I received them. I open up the document that is supposed to contain my comments, and I start commenting. As I do this, I keep a copy of the prompt for the assignment close by so I can remember what the exact requirements are. Depending on the assignment, grading can take from ten to thirty minutes. Usually, I grade three and take a break. As I grade each essay, I write down the student's name, their grade, and a couple of words about why they received that grade on a legal pad I keep next to my computer. This helps me keep grades consistent. If I gave a student a B- because of lack of evidence, then I know that other essays with the same problem should get the same grade unless there are other issues are play, too.<br /><br />After that, one of two things happen. If it's a small class of twelve students or so, I will grade all of the essays. Then, I review the grades to make sure I have been consistent. This means opening up some of the essays to review my comments or just checking my list of grades to see if anything seems odd. In the past few years, making sure I am consistent has not been an issue. After grading writing for almost twenty years, I know what I am doing. I just like to make sure. Also, this is when I develop the list of general issues that I plan to review during class. After this review, I email all of the essays back. In a class of about twenty students or so, I may email back the essays by students who turned them in first once I have completed about two-thirds of the grading. That is usually more than enough to ensure consistency and clarity on my part. And, if you have the chance to revise, it gives the students who turned in their work first a few more days, maybe, to think about those revisions.<br /><br />When I grade formal essays, I attach the graded essay to a reply to the email the student sent that contained the essay. I include a generic message that describes how to find my comments and understand the marks on the page. I then hit "Send." If I am grading a revision, I generally do not comment within essays since students have already gotten such feedback from me on the first draft. Instead, in my email replying back, I will write a paragraph that states the grade the essay has earned and why. I will always be glad to go over revisions for any students who are thinking of revising them again for writing samples to go with graduate school or job applications.<br /><br />If any essays are late but still within the time I will take them, which is stated on the syllabus, I will grade those after I have returned all essays sent on time. If I have multiple classes that all have essays due around the same time, grading late work can take even longer. I do not comment on late essays, but I do send an email back saying what grade that essay has received. As I say on the syllabus, we can review these essays in my office, especially if you have the chance to revise.<br /><br />I should add that I do almost all of my grading at home where I have a big desk, large computer screen, and comfortable chair. Sometimes, I have the TV on playing some marathon of <i>America's Next Top Model</i> or <i>Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations</i>, shows I have seen many times before and that function as white noise, blocking out anything that might disrupt me. Sometimes, I'll have the radio on, usually B96 on iTunes. Complete quiet makes too aware of every creak in floors or car driving by outside, which does discombobulate me. I always try to create a space and time where I can focus until I have met that day's quota. I know some professors who light candles and others who make sure they have certain (non-alcoholic!) drinks or snacks nearby. I stick with water.<br /><br /><br />If there is anything else anyone wants to know about my grading process, just ask. I really do think professors should make more of what we do clear to students. Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615167884712379815.post-31556490441888017312010-12-31T14:49:00.000-05:002010-12-31T14:49:03.149-05:00Core StoryWhat is my core story? I love my job, and my job is my life, so I love my life. That is a statement that I should not write for a lot of reasons. One, I know people who are fighting to get into jobs like mine, people who are more qualified than I was when I was first looking. By saying this, I am not trying to brag but trying to show my gratitude. Also saying that my job is my life is something that really freaks a lot of people out. As someone wrote on Facebook the other day when I said something along these lines, "When does the job end and life begin?" To me, they're intertwined, purposely. I don't have kids. This is a world that puts up a lot of roadblocks to gay men having children. We explored our options in the late 1990s and decided in 2000 that we were officially not going to have children. So, we both began to explore other options for what our life could become, which meant we both devoted more time to our careers. It also meant that we started regular saving for big trips, what with not having to save for college or anything like that.<br />
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But, basically, he returned to graduate school, and I finished. I got the job where we decided to make our permanent home. And we both work all the time but in ways that don't feel like work. Oh, sure, there are days when the deadlines and demands get to be a bit much. In general, though, we're reading things that relate to our work, we're watching things on TV on in the movie theatres that relate to our work, and we're spending time talking about our work. And we feel very, very lucky to be able to do that. While I'm on sabbatical, he will be finishing his dissertation, and we'll be there to support each other, reading srafts, offering encouragement, giving each other space when needed and shoulder at other times.<br />
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My core story is that I love talking, reading, writing, and thinking about all these things I get to talk, read, write, and think about. I seek opportunities where I can do more talking, reading, writing, and thinking. I don't do it to be a star or to impress anyone; the rather short list of publications on my CV sure proves that. It's more about the daily routine, the curling up in the chair in my office with a good book, the curling up on the couch with the husband to watch a movie that will have us talking for weeks.<br />
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I am lucky to be where I am, and I know that. Things can change very quickly, which is why I try to appreciate and celebrate what I have while I have. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com3