Apologia for my Vita

Apologia.

Years ago, when  Fight Club came out,
and then the Columbine Shooting prior
to 9/11, I had been re-reading Marshal
McLuhan’s Understanding Media (“the
 media IS the MESSAGE, not the
 message," he claimed—prophetically
anticipating in  the 60’s our e-mersion
and transformation by electronic mass
access via internet web blog texting
sexting I phone cell phonic skye I pad
info overdosing we now swim in all wet
like a fish with a dry idea).

And I felt called & compelled to shift my
so-called teaching from emphasis on textual
harassment to the CONTEXT: the ring of
READERS in any class—and the potential
empowering meanings that might emerge
when context (media) is the primary focus
of learning—rather than the text (message).  

At that point, and for the same reasons,
I began spamming colleagues across the
curriculum, and students-out-of-class,
convinced  the MEDIA now allowed
argument & discussion & quibble &
qualification & with-all-due-respect,
and oh-but-I-take-exception &  define-
your-terms and that's a false dichotomy,
Sam and such like “academic” activity
amongst the  phdegreed 24/7/365 and
not just behind closed doors, under
fluorescence and the late afternoon
weight of 4:00 forums.

Courses without Borders! Borders without Courses! 
Towards Frontiers, etc. &  Stalwart Pioneers, etc.
Cerebral & Affective Fight Club & Gold's
Gymnasium--which is how schooling is
described in Europe, and means
"naked training."

This is somewhat the rationale because and affect
behind the method of  my madness and local
food-for-thought service project, in case
you wondered or were interested. .


No bumper crop so far. No emerging phenomena
or innovative rigor, damnit.  Rome wasn’t built in a
daze and Donald  Trump reminds me: "Don't give up;
don't ever give up." Effort counts more than success
and Jesus says: my reward is not of this whirl.

If at first you don't succeed, my old man advised me
once when I was trying tohammer some tin cans onto
the  bottoms of my shoes so I would clatter when I
walked. Try Try Again.  xxxooo,  Sam