Friday, August 7, 2009

Hi, Mom:

If you want to explain why you think the discussion on the Daily site should be censored please comment.... Your remarks will not be censored unless they contain profanity or links to porno sites.

Your boy,

Bill

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am most certainly not asking The Daily to censor any comments made on their blogs. I am only asking that you be the better man and not engage in fruitless arguments with a stuck up engineer that has a superiority complex. These arguments are not constructive in the least and do not contribute to the overall discussion of the article at hand. Moreover, one must question the level of professionalism at this university when they take a look at some of the posts you make (and openly acknowledge making) on the newspaper website. As a close friend of mine once stated, "single lapses in professionalism can have disastrous consequences."

Mr. B. said...

Hi Mom,

Thanks for your comments.

"when they take a look at some of the posts you make on the newspaper website."

I'm sorry, Mom, but I don't think what I post on a website is any business of yours or whoever "they" is.

As for lapses in professionalism, I am a little unclear as to your meaning. Is stalling on conflict-of-interest a lapse in professionalism? Is doing nothing about double dippers for years because "they" think that these folks might be able to help them sup at the piggy trough professional?

I am afraid that any lapses in professionalism that you might lay at my feet pale in comparison to what goes on around here.

People - including you - should be mad and speaking up.

Regards,

Junior

Anonymous said...

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I was preparing a manuscript for publication. Back to the matter at hand, I would most certainly consider name-calling and snarky comments in an online comments section unprofessional. If nothing else, commenting forty or fifty times a day sends the message that our professors have nothing better to do with their time. If they took a look at the time stamps, they would know better. Unfortunately, that makes the dangerous assumption that people look into things like that before shooting their mouths off.

As for the other BS that goes in the administration around here, that does make me angry. Make no mistake, I have spoken up. Where does it get me? This university is plagued by people that accept mediocre.

For example, take a look at the MN Daily. It is consistently full of spelling, grammar and usage errors. I believe that this is a sign of people not striving for excellence. Instead, they strive for "good enough." You seem to disagree, citing that many past Daily writers have excellent jobs in journalism. While I do not dispute that, the reputation of past Daily writers can only carry the current ones so far. After that, the pursuit of excellence in their work needs to carry them.

That being said, I am not surprised in any way be the way that our administration accepts "good enough" and allows conflicts of interest to continue. Are you? Is it right? No, but until we can convince the Board of Regents that we need (dare I say it?) "change" the status quo will continue.

Which brings me back to your comments on the Daily's pages. You mention that your comments pale in comparison to the other lapses in professionalism that occur around here. I disagree. I submit that your "they are doing worse" excuse is just that, an excuse. I hate excuses. If you cannot logically justify your actions, perhaps you need to rethink them. If you need to make an excuse, you had a lapse in judgment.

Cheers.

Mr. B. said...

Thanks for your comments, Mom. I guess being a chemist is genetic?

I am afraid that we disagree, and we'll have to leave it at that.

I hope you've seen my piece on Excellence Within Our Means. What excellence is and how to get there is a topic not discussed often enough around these parts.

Best,

Bill

Anonymous said...

"Thanks for your comments, Mom. I guess being a chemist is genetic?"

Apparently so.

"I am afraid that we disagree, and we'll have to leave it at that."

Fair enough.

"I hope you've seen my piece on Excellence Within Our Means. What excellence is and how to get there is a topic not discussed often enough around these parts."

I have and I agree.

Cheers.

Mr. B. said...

Hi Mom,

I assume you've seen the housecleaning on the comments section of the Daily? Rumor is that there will be some changes made in how things are done.

Hopefully this will allow for better discussion on the site. In the event that this actually happens, I promise to be a better behaved boy.

Toodle-pip.