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/lit/ - Literature

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3109128 No.3109128 [Reply] [Original]

Hi /lit/. These are the interests (according to a worthless social media site) of a friend of mine attending Harvard. Can we talk about this?
He attended a notable private school, most notable because it costs more than the average college tuition. He did perfectly in classes. He was involved in some sports.
Does anyone else find that the greatest weakness facing today's youth is the development of interest? Too many of those attending notable institutions have explored very little-- in fact, they can't afford to, can they? Any time away from studies is time wasted if your aims are high enough. Involved passionately in something that cannot be displayed on paper will only harm. There is no time for anger, no time for sentience... who is to blame?

>> No.3109137

Stop being a envious dick

>> No.3109138

The criticism of others does you no good, perhaps even a little of the opposite.

See to your own interests and opinions first.

>> No.3109153

>>3109137
>>3109138
If a homeless man wanted to give you the greatest book ever written, you wouldn't take it, would you? Look past your curious preconceptions and tell me if and how education needs to change. For all you know, I could be a dog.

>> No.3109161

>>3109153
You are the one with preconceptions, sir, about this person.

Education should revert to the Trivium and Quadrivium. No exceptions.

>> No.3109178

>>3109161
Your assumptions know no bounds.
I'm aware of this person's character and interests-- I'm making little to no assumptions.

>> No.3109187

>>3109153
Nope because he's homeless and we would want him to keep it so he has some happiness when reading it.

>> No.3109196

>>3109178
Just out of interest, could you post a pic of your fb likes?

>> No.3109194

OP confirmed for mad jelly that he didn't get into Harvard

>> No.3109219

>>3109128
Strangely op, the majority of people I know that have gone to rich, usually christian, private schools and then university, are very closed minded and usually show empathy only when it suits their world views and don't like to be wrong, don't like change.

A good example would be my ex girlfriend, very smart and caring, at certain things but surprisingly cold and heartless to things that question what she has been brought up to believe.

I'm not implying though that public school kids I've met have more empathy and pursue more interests.

Just things I've noticed. It's interesting when you meet people that are dumb in school but extremely empathetic and wise and you meet people that are extremely smart at school yet go to maccas every day and can't even face things that confront them.

This goes vice versa of course. (I don't know how your friend can stand Glee)

>> No.3109221

>>3109196
inb4 the OP never posts again

>> No.3109253

>>3109219
You've got it exactly right as far as my experience goes. I went to a Christian private school, Baptist to be exact (the earth is 6000 years old, dinosaurs never existed, etc), for 12 years before dropping out.

>> No.3109291

>>3109253
Fuck. I'm not extremely against religion but I hate a system where people can't really question anything and ANYTHING is done for the good and god is flawless and everything has to run by his laws BUT he is exempt of his own laws. Sure believe in a God but at least admit he's a cunt a lot of the time, but then again who would want to worship a cunt?

I was in church choir and all that stuff, it was kinda fun as a kid, got to travel around but even as a kid I could see so many flaws, conflicting ideas, stupidity and massive hypocrisy. The Christians in my church were the biggest judges and gossips I've ever met, the biggest sheep, never accepting anyone that's even slightly different. I've never really met someone that's religious that practices what they preach.

Sorry for venting haha

>> No.3109318

>>3109219
>A good example would be my ex girlfriend, very smart and caring, at certain things but surprisingly cold and heartless to things that question what she has been brought up to believe.

Oh my, the same thing happened to me. She was a socialist, though.

>> No.3109320

Your friend has horrid taste. Which makes sense since he's obviously upper class.

>> No.3109336

I never understood the appeal of Facebook. I mean, I have an account, but I haven't logged in ever since I created it.

>> No.3109346

>>3109196
>>3109221
My likes are few, just some lesser-known semi-local bands and some great books.
It's just... I don't know. For Harvard I expect more. And I know my friend, and I know his interests don't run deep. There's something off about the system.

>> No.3109387

>>3109128
Private school is shit easy to get in if you have the money OP. Clearly your friend has the money and you don't.

>> No.3109391

>>3109346
You'd be surprised how uninteresting people who are really good at school can be.

A lot of successful people are really interesting, but they're s minority subset compared to the successful super boring/common people.

>> No.3109401

You have a lot to learn about life if you think the interest of one person in arts should be a parameter to evaluate education.

>> No.3109426

>>3109401
That's true. I must've forgotten to consult my textbook of studies objectively evaluating the relationship between a student's level of interest and his acceptance into a top-tier college.
In fact, we should narrow all of our opinions down to those only explicitly verifiable by scientific technique.
But in all honesty, only a few people I've met who are good academically seem to have actual intelligence/interests, and they all feel the same as I do.
captcha jmitga qualitative

>> No.3109441

>>3109138
Ugh, fuck off. You can look at society without being perfect, and I think the OP raises an interesting point.

Yes, I agree. Society, to a large extent, favours the boring. The people who can devote themselves entirely to education, to their jobs, to their property values and the corporate food chain. To get ahead in society, you have little time to experience anything interesting so you just revert to the society-prescribed norms of Glee and the X-Factor. Of course there's exceptions in the subcultures - among the hippies and punks and struggling artistic intellectuals and hipsters (all of whom mainstream society conditions you to hate, for one reason or another) - but if you want to get ahead in the mainstream (and Harvard is definitely that), you have to be boring as pants.

>> No.3109495

>>3109441
and those same people wonder where contemporary lit/games/music/films/art and so fourth is rarely good.

In a way, we should hope it get's much much worse and what you're saying becomes much much more common, because then we can sweep through and have less competition in our art of choice/and look better because we would get compared to trash.

That kind of sounds bad, just an idea.

>> No.3109503

>>3109495
excuse my writing mistakes, it's morning here.

>> No.3109509

>>3109128
Has anyone read the Potter series? I tried reading one of the books but I felt I was reading dialogue over dialogue...

>> No.3109537

>>3109495
>so fourth
I love it when pretentious wankers cannot spell

>> No.3109545

>>3109509
>Has anyone read the Potter series

Is this a serious question?

>> No.3109550

>>3109545
yes. you should answer it

>> No.3109553

I expected worse from those people, to be honest. A lot worse.

>> No.3109577

>>3109509
We all have man. If you read as a kid, you had to read Harry Potter and it was fucking the best thing ever. As an adult it's ok but I think it's more nostalgia.

I still love the movies though.

>> No.3109580

>>3109553
Those people? It's one guy man, there would be A LOT word and a lot better.

>> No.3109585

>>3109537
Yeah I read through it and noticed my mistakes. I think you can easily have many interesting ideas and still make spelling mistakes, they don't cancel each other out.

>> No.3109679

>>3109550
It's one of the most popular book series ever published, of course people have read it.

>> No.3109687

>>3109320
>which makes sense since he's obviously upper class

>implying the lower and middle class have superior taste

Nope.

>> No.3109691

>>3109580
Yep, that's what I said. "Those people." Think about it. Read it again.

>> No.3109696
File: 109 KB, 754x1158, Female+Facebook+Info.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3109696

Every woman on Facebook compressed into a single image.

It could be worse, OP.

>> No.3109710

>>3109696

B-but mean girls is a good movie...

>> No.3109717

>>3109696

Wow. That is just painful..

>> No.3109725

>>3109696
A lot of girls cite the Bible as one of their favourite books, but haven't even read it. Makes me sick.

>> No.3109736

>>3109725
Maybe they had already mention the only four books they read.

>> No.3109749
File: 40 KB, 282x500, 1343006447821.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3109749

>>3109696
but
not every female is like that

>> No.3109753

>>3109749
He didn't say this was a particular person, but a compressed generalisation of all women on facebook.

>> No.3109755

>>3109749
shh, they're not going to believe you, because /lit/ is not much more than a misogynistic hivemind. or they'll say "prove it" and then say the girl must be fat and/or ugly.

>> No.3109761

>>3109725
A lot of rich preachers apparently glossed over some important parts too.

>> No.3109770

>>3109749
Yeah, of course. Most women with good taste either don't use Facebook much or don't bother filling out their info section. It's just a funny/disturbing image.

This guy is right >>3109753
Just a "generalisation."

>> No.3109782

>>3109736
Yeah, I think you've hit the nail on the head there. A lot of young people (not just girls) think that reading Harry Potter and maybe some Twilight or Dan Brown is enough reading to last them a lifetime. They read those books and never move forward, at least, not in their youth.

If it's not a record-breaking cultural phenomenon getting optioned by Hollywood then it's probably not worth reading, right?

>> No.3109786

I think your preconception of a man's taste in literature and music being relative to the amount of money their parents have is somewhat flawed.

>> No.3109806

>>3109755
plz don't essentialize /lit/ :(

But I don't know, a (female) friend of mine going to Harvard has Gatsby and some Atwood in her likes, and her family's fairly well-off. The pleb falls on the just and the unjust, or something.

>> No.3109820
File: 1.47 MB, 2592x1944, McBlaine Michael Boyle.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3109820

>>3109696
I fucks with Skins (U. K.) and The Big Bang Theory.

>> No.3109825

>>3109820

>The Big Bang Theory

leave

>> No.3110006

>>3109128
> Can we talk about this?

No. Fuck off.