Congratulations on diving back into what you love. Reading is my greatest love, too. As to what has transpired of late, I understand your concern and wish you well. Indeed, I wish us all well, and, if I may be so bold, opine that "This Too Will Pass." Keep your spirits up. And thank you for your channel.
Hi Jim. I never have reading slumps but I've certainly been reading less in the run up. And I'm reading more in the aftermath, so there's that. I used to teach college (2004-2015) and the amount of reading that students would do when I taught was about a quarter of what was typically assigned in my undergrad days (early 1990s).
Hey James. Yeah, that squares with my undergrad experience too (mid 80's). As a teacher, I saw a steady decline, and it really dropped off the cliff around 2016.
Really appreciate you sharing your thoughts, Jim. I feel the same way you do about everything you talked about. I agree stepping away from social media, watching breaking news,etc is best for you & reading good literature. So glad I found your channel.
Thanks for the shout out!! Amazingly, like you, his first stint in the Oval Office had me perpetually glued to the news - but now I'm over it and barely take a look. It's just too low energy. I feel it's up to myself to personally focus on positive things and hope to attract similar. Like attracts like. I'd rather attract good. The Agitation Creation Industry [news media] is out the window for me.
1. My reading shot through the roof when I stopped watching TV about six years ago. 2. Thanks for the (relatively) even-keeled election take. 3. The enfeabling cultural/educational trend you describe is not just a thing in America. We got it in Europe too. It's just better hidden, which is worse.
As a, finally, former teacher, I'll cosign the idea of education going to pot. It's getting hit from all sides. You have people who want to test, test, test and punish teachers (even though test scores are primarily a function of household income) so now there aren't enough teachers. You have people who want computers to replace teachers even though kids learn horribly from computers. You have administrators who think everyone should go to college and put all the students in high level classes then make the teachers dumb everything down so those kids can pass. I tried to get out years ago, but kept getting called back because there was no one to take my place (I was actually a math teacher). But as they were asking me to come back they were also ignoring all my recommendations and pushing me to do things I didn't think were effective, and so I finally said enough is enough. Happy ending for me, I have all the time in the world to read now. :) And weep for the future. :(
I agree with all you said. My father was a high school math teacher. I wonder what he would say about the sad sad situation today. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Jim, your channel is comforting to me, that people still read and think. It also reminds me of my early days in the Philadelphia area, which is still one of the best places to live in America. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Yea, makes sense that would put you in a slump… Funny, I’m actually reading The Great Conversation at the moment, and it’s shocking really that Maynard Hutchins was lamenting this exact lack back in 1952, and it hasn’t been getting any better since… I stay away from most media too, but get one newsletter that’s pretty comprehensive & unbiased, it’s called 1440…
I hope history proves you right, but I don't have the same level of confidence in this matter. We might come back from this, but it will be a long, hard struggle if we succeed.
@@barrymoore4470 I think that the people in their goodness remain in charge, and that they have just surprised everyone by their decisions. Polls do not really capture what they think, because their thoughts are private. But for a long time, low and middle skill jobs have been disappearing. I think this is the issue and I think the average Jack and Jill wants something to be done about it. Hopefully, wise decisions will be made to solve this problem and then all will be well again in our country.
@@JamesAdams-ev6fc No supporter of Trump at this point, with everything now known about him, is a good person. And the incoming Trump regime will do nothing to better the lot of the average American, regardless of her or his politics. This is going to be a hard lesson for the tens of millions who have foolishly placed their trust in this incorrigible grifter.
@@barrymoore4470 Perhaps, but I refer you to Bernard de Mandeville The Fable of the Bees, for more on vices and virtues. Sometimes I wonder whether evildoers do not try to do the right thing just before they are due to meet their maker.
I can respond to this. Yes, Trump is the duly constitutionally elected next President of the United States (strictly speaking, he will not be formally elected until the Electoral College convenes in December). This was a fair and lawful election. The problem lies in all the threatening statements Trump and his team have made about what they will do once in power. They promise to dismantle the administrative state, as spelled out in Project 2025, and Trump has plainly stated he will be dictator on day one, a complete betrayal of the Constitution, which was written to protect the American people from tyranny. The Supreme Court has ruled that the President is completely free of any criminal or civil liability for any action that he and they deem to be "official"--this could be literally anything, and is again a betrayal of the ethos of the Constitution, which theoretically promotes equality before the law for all citizens (no one person was supposed to be above the law). Hence, the the constitutional republic as envisioned and implemented by the founding fathers will be gutted once Trump enters office and initiates these baleful policies. The republic will continue on in name, but its spirit will be lost and its nature perverted.
@@barrymoore4470thank you for the response. I really do think that the right and left live in two different worlds. When trump said that he will be dictator on day one it is obvious that he is speaking in hyperbole because if you listen to is reason he says is will be a dictator, is that he will close the border and start drilling for oil. Both of these things are in the realm of the executive branch. Article 2 section 3 states “[the president] shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed” is not enforcing federal immigration laws within his constitutional power? How would closing the border make him a dictator?Secondly, how does “drill baby drill” make him a dictator? Is not reversing restrictions on drilling for oil in the realm of power of the president? The court’s ruling in Trump v. United States does not place the president above the law; it only provides immunity for specific official acts within constitutional authority. For unofficial acts, the president can still be held criminally liable, ensuring accountability outside his formal duties. This decision is about balancing necessary protections for the president to govern effectively with the principle that no one, including the president, is beyond the reach of the law. If you read the court opinion, it’s clear that the president cannot just do whatever he wants. It is my opinion your viewpoints are flawed due to the media blatantly lying. Maybe I am wrong but let me plead my case. Just 8 days ago all mainstream news said trump wants to kill his political enemies and put Liz Chaney in front of a firing squad. If you are sincere enough for the truth I employ you to listen to what he said and any sane person can see that that is not at all what he was saying. It’s this type of lying done by the media that probably got him elected because the 74 million that voted for him sees through the BS. It seems to me, that the claim that our democracy is over is just another lying scare tactic that the media has done for the past 8 years. We have already had 4 years of him as president and was our democracy destroyed? Clearly not and you said it yourself that trump was fairly elected. I say these things in the spirit of honest inquiry because I do not understand where these claims are founded.
@@Alexk4578 You are rationalizing the monstrous and the cruel, and do not deserve any more of my time and energy. Live long and prosper under your new dictator.
We have witnessed the demise of our constitutional republic. The majority of the electorate no longer has faith in the foundational democratic principles on which the nation was established. We might come back from this eventually, but will have a long, hard fight if we even manage to do it. I notice the diploma from The University of Texas at Austin on the wall behind you! I am a UT alumnus myself, having received my Bachelor of Arts degree from there in 1990 (major was English, minor was French). My very best instructors AND my worst instructor were all in the Department of English. It's still an academically excellent institution, though it resembles more and more to my mind a corporatized, glorified vocational school, and I think far too much money and attention are pumped into the football team at the expense of the humanities that were the traditional bedrock of higher education.
Thanks for the comment. I was in grad school there 1986 thru 1987, so we must have overlapped a bit. Who were your favorite English professors there? I didn't know all of them. It was a gignormous department!
@@greatbooksbigideas I very much appreciated Rita Copeland for her course on Geoffrey Chaucer, Theresa Kelley for her class on the English Romantic poets, Anthony Hilfer, a charming older gentleman, for his general survey of American literature, and, though he had a cold and distant manner, William Scheick for another course focusing on American letters. My most intellectually stimulating professor was Ramon Saldivar for Introduction to Literary Criticism, his leftist perspectives on classic works of literature revelatory for me. I also had Thomas Cable for a history of the English language, a very interesting subject and a rewarding course. I began my studies in 1985 and finally received my degree in 1990.
@@barrymoore4470 The only professor from your list I had was Scheick, for an American lit course. He really knew his stuff, and he helped me to appreciate Emerson and Thoreau.
@@greatbooksbigideas Yes, Scheick was remarkably erudite and was a compelling communicator of facts and analysis. In my class at least, he had an aloof manner and didn't seem really happy to be there. Unlike most of my other professors, he never indulged the students in group discussion, running the class like a nineteenth-century schoolmaster, standing before us in austere presentation of his subjects, with the class simply dispersing once his lecture had concluded. But his great knowledge and insight compensated for his cool demeanor.
@@barrymoore4470 His grad school class was small--a seminar format, and he was a little looser, but yes, rather aloof. I do remember him engaging with the students a little before and after class sometimes.
Congratulations on diving back into what you love. Reading is my greatest love, too.
As to what has transpired of late, I understand your concern and wish you well. Indeed, I wish us all well, and, if I may be so bold, opine that "This Too Will Pass."
Keep your spirits up. And thank you for your channel.
Hi Jim. I never have reading slumps but I've certainly been reading less in the run up. And I'm reading more in the aftermath, so there's that.
I used to teach college (2004-2015) and the amount of reading that students would do when I taught was about a quarter of what was typically assigned in my undergrad days (early 1990s).
Hey James. Yeah, that squares with my undergrad experience too (mid 80's). As a teacher, I saw a steady decline, and it really dropped off the cliff around 2016.
Really appreciate you sharing your thoughts, Jim. I feel the same way you do about everything you talked about. I agree stepping away from social media, watching breaking news,etc is best for you & reading good literature. So glad I found your channel.
Thank you so much! Nice to know I’m not alone.
Thank you for your channel. Your perspective and presentation mean so much to me - especially now. I super appreciate you. Please keep sharing. 📚
Thanks so much, Holly! Hang in there.
Thanks for the shout out!! Amazingly, like you, his first stint in the Oval Office had me perpetually glued to the news - but now I'm over it and barely take a look. It's just too low energy. I feel it's up to myself to personally focus on positive things and hope to attract similar. Like attracts like. I'd rather attract good. The Agitation Creation Industry [news media] is out the window for me.
Excactamundo! Couldn't have said it better myself.
1. My reading shot through the roof when I stopped watching TV about six years ago. 2. Thanks for the (relatively) even-keeled election take. 3. The enfeabling cultural/educational trend you describe is not just a thing in America. We got it in Europe too. It's just better hidden, which is worse.
Thanks for the perspective!
As a, finally, former teacher, I'll cosign the idea of education going to pot. It's getting hit from all sides. You have people who want to test, test, test and punish teachers (even though test scores are primarily a function of household income) so now there aren't enough teachers. You have people who want computers to replace teachers even though kids learn horribly from computers. You have administrators who think everyone should go to college and put all the students in high level classes then make the teachers dumb everything down so those kids can pass. I tried to get out years ago, but kept getting called back because there was no one to take my place (I was actually a math teacher). But as they were asking me to come back they were also ignoring all my recommendations and pushing me to do things I didn't think were effective, and so I finally said enough is enough. Happy ending for me, I have all the time in the world to read now. :) And weep for the future. :(
I agree with all you said. My father was a high school math teacher. I wonder what he would say about the sad sad situation today. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Jim, your channel is comforting to me, that people still read and think. It also reminds me of my early days in the Philadelphia area, which is still one of the best places to live in America. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Glad to hear it! Cheers
@@greatbooksbigideas Thank you again. Your channel is on to something.
You have the whole Redwall series? WOW!
I think so. Should I give it a shot?
I didn't realize he wrote 22 Redwall books. I don't think we have that many!
@@greatbooksbigideas I didn’t either. That’s a lot of books to read. Lol!
Yea, makes sense that would put you in a slump… Funny, I’m actually reading The Great Conversation at the moment, and it’s shocking really that Maynard Hutchins was lamenting this exact lack back in 1952, and it hasn’t been getting any better since… I stay away from most media too, but get one newsletter that’s pretty comprehensive & unbiased, it’s called 1440…
“I don’t want to talk about politics.” Then goes ahead and talks about politics for 15 minutes. 😮
Jim, the republic will prevail. It is bigger and better than any one of us. Please remember that everything will be OK.
I hope history proves you right, but I don't have the same level of confidence in this matter. We might come back from this, but it will be a long, hard struggle if we succeed.
@@barrymoore4470 I think that the people in their goodness remain in charge, and that they have just surprised everyone by their decisions. Polls do not really capture what they think, because their thoughts are private. But for a long time, low and middle skill jobs have been disappearing. I think this is the issue and I think the average Jack and Jill wants something to be done about it. Hopefully, wise decisions will be made to solve this problem and then all will be well again in our country.
@@JamesAdams-ev6fc No supporter of Trump at this point, with everything now known about him, is a good person. And the incoming Trump regime will do nothing to better the lot of the average American, regardless of her or his politics. This is going to be a hard lesson for the tens of millions who have foolishly placed their trust in this incorrigible grifter.
@@barrymoore4470 Perhaps, but I refer you to Bernard de Mandeville The Fable of the Bees, for more on vices and virtues. Sometimes I wonder whether evildoers do not try to do the right thing just before they are due to meet their maker.
May I ask, how have we lost our republic? Was not trump elected exactly how our constitution dictates?
I don't believe I said anything about that. Did you intend to reply to one of the commenters?
I can respond to this. Yes, Trump is the duly constitutionally elected next President of the United States (strictly speaking, he will not be formally elected until the Electoral College convenes in December). This was a fair and lawful election.
The problem lies in all the threatening statements Trump and his team have made about what they will do once in power. They promise to dismantle the administrative state, as spelled out in Project 2025, and Trump has plainly stated he will be dictator on day one, a complete betrayal of the Constitution, which was written to protect the American people from tyranny. The Supreme Court has ruled that the President is completely free of any criminal or civil liability for any action that he and they deem to be "official"--this could be literally anything, and is again a betrayal of the ethos of the Constitution, which theoretically promotes equality before the law for all citizens (no one person was supposed to be above the law).
Hence, the the constitutional republic as envisioned and implemented by the founding fathers will be gutted once Trump enters office and initiates these baleful policies. The republic will continue on in name, but its spirit will be lost and its nature perverted.
@ yes! Lol I meant to reply to another commenter.
@@barrymoore4470thank you for the response. I really do think that the right and left live in two different worlds. When trump said that he will be dictator on day one it is obvious that he is speaking in hyperbole because if you listen to is reason he says is will be a dictator, is that he will close the border and start drilling for oil. Both of these things are in the realm of the executive branch. Article 2 section 3 states “[the president] shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed” is not enforcing federal immigration laws within his constitutional power? How would closing the border make him a dictator?Secondly, how does “drill baby drill” make him a dictator? Is not reversing restrictions on drilling for oil in the realm of power of the president?
The court’s ruling in Trump v. United States does not place the president above the law; it only provides immunity for specific official acts within constitutional authority. For unofficial acts, the president can still be held criminally liable, ensuring accountability outside his formal duties. This decision is about balancing necessary protections for the president to govern effectively with the principle that no one, including the president, is beyond the reach of the law. If you read the court opinion, it’s clear that the president cannot just do whatever he wants.
It is my opinion your viewpoints are flawed due to the media blatantly lying. Maybe I am wrong but let me plead my case. Just 8 days ago all mainstream news said trump wants to kill his political enemies and put Liz Chaney in front of a firing squad. If you are sincere enough for the truth I employ you to listen to what he said and any sane person can see that that is not at all what he was saying. It’s this type of lying done by the media that probably got him elected because the 74 million that voted for him sees through the BS.
It seems to me, that the claim that our democracy is over is just another lying scare tactic that the media has done for the past 8 years. We have already had 4 years of him as president and was our democracy destroyed? Clearly not and you said it yourself that trump was fairly elected.
I say these things in the spirit of honest inquiry because I do not understand where these claims are founded.
@@Alexk4578 You are rationalizing the monstrous and the cruel, and do not deserve any more of my time and energy. Live long and prosper under your new dictator.
We have witnessed the demise of our constitutional republic. The majority of the electorate no longer has faith in the foundational democratic principles on which the nation was established. We might come back from this eventually, but will have a long, hard fight if we even manage to do it.
I notice the diploma from The University of Texas at Austin on the wall behind you! I am a UT alumnus myself, having received my Bachelor of Arts degree from there in 1990 (major was English, minor was French). My very best instructors AND my worst instructor were all in the Department of English. It's still an academically excellent institution, though it resembles more and more to my mind a corporatized, glorified vocational school, and I think far too much money and attention are pumped into the football team at the expense of the humanities that were the traditional bedrock of higher education.
Thanks for the comment. I was in grad school there 1986 thru 1987, so we must have overlapped a bit. Who were your favorite English professors there? I didn't know all of them. It was a gignormous department!
@@greatbooksbigideas I very much appreciated Rita Copeland for her course on Geoffrey Chaucer, Theresa Kelley for her class on the English Romantic poets, Anthony Hilfer, a charming older gentleman, for his general survey of American literature, and, though he had a cold and distant manner, William Scheick for another course focusing on American letters. My most intellectually stimulating professor was Ramon Saldivar for Introduction to Literary Criticism, his leftist perspectives on classic works of literature revelatory for me. I also had Thomas Cable for a history of the English language, a very interesting subject and a rewarding course. I began my studies in 1985 and finally received my degree in 1990.
@@barrymoore4470 The only professor from your list I had was Scheick, for an American lit course. He really knew his stuff, and he helped me to appreciate Emerson and Thoreau.
@@greatbooksbigideas Yes, Scheick was remarkably erudite and was a compelling communicator of facts and analysis. In my class at least, he had an aloof manner and didn't seem really happy to be there. Unlike most of my other professors, he never indulged the students in group discussion, running the class like a nineteenth-century schoolmaster, standing before us in austere presentation of his subjects, with the class simply dispersing once his lecture had concluded. But his great knowledge and insight compensated for his cool demeanor.
@@barrymoore4470 His grad school class was small--a seminar format, and he was a little looser, but yes, rather aloof. I do remember him engaging with the students a little before and after class sometimes.