Dear Mr. Limbaugh,
I see you have let your own educational insecurities shine through in your latest rant in which you "bravely" attempted to decipher the "sad-sack story" of a Classical Studies scholar. Bravo. If only you had taken a philosophy course about the Sophists, you might have been better at debating your point. Unfortunately, your rhetoric fails you and you blunder through your argument, proving the limited grasp you have on the concept of higher thinking.
You reference a picture you came across on the Internet (I believe, sir, that is called a 'meme'). The picture shows a letter written by a Classics student, whom you assume is a woman (thus also managing to offend feminists and male Classical scholars worldwide), detailing the lack of prospects "she" has, even though this person has a degree and understands Latin. This is heartbreaking, but it's not necessarily news. Nor does "she" speak for the numerous individuals currently studying Classics. These students know there is no money guaranteed from obtaining a degree in Classical Studies. They study Classics because they want to understand the roots of Western thinking (quite patriotic of them, isn't is Mr. Limbaugh?), or they love the stories and works of great thinkers (works conservatives used to encourage others to read). They take Classical Studies for the same reasons other students study history or political philosophy -- to widen and inform their thinking, and to better understand they world they live in.
"What the hell is Classical studies? What classics are studied? Or, is it learning how to study in a classical way? Or is it learning how to study in a classy way as opposed to an unclassy way? And what about unClassical studies?"
All right Mr. Limbaugh, I'll tell you. I was a Classical Studies student; I'm no expert, but I took the courses. Classics is a branch of the humanities that examines language, literature, philosophy, history, art, culture, and archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean world. You know, the Greeks. The Romans. The guys who the Founding Fathers were crazy about. The guys who inspired... democracy. THOSE GUYS. The students who dream of having a Classics-based job understand that most of them will be in school for a majority of their lives and will have to be professors; others will take this knowledge into other fields with them -- politics, physics, archaeology, medicine (it's less socialist than you think Mr. Limbaugh), they can extend their education in terms of modern politics, writing, physics, and medicine. Those who believe in instant wealth if they study Classics are idiots -- the exact same idiots in other classes who fully expect that a job and a $500,000 a year paycheque are in their immediate future.
Indeed, there are uses for Classical Studies in all aspects of life. Workplace politics are much less stressful if you can think to yourself, "Well, at least this isn't the Roman Senate, and the jerk who steals my lunch from the communal fridge isn't plotting my assassination! Whew!" Or, if you are wondering "Why on earth did the United States choose democracy over a monarchy?" Classical Studies has your answer. Classical Studies explains the basic concepts of math (I'm assuming then the Pythagorean theorem wasn't easy for you, Mr. Limbaugh, just as you assumed the Classical Studies student was a woman. It hurts, doesn't it?) as well as science.
You pointed out that there will be no degree to change a useless person into a useful person. This is true. There are hundreds of useless engineers, writers, politicians, historians, and mechanics. There is also at least one too many useless broadcasters.
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Hardly, his father was a lawyer and his grandfather was a very well-connected judge.
Rush's "brilliance" comes from knowing how to throw his raw meat to hungry dogs every morning and laughing all the way to the bank.
He was formally a Top 40 DJ (just like Glenn Beck), and a failed sales rep for a sports team.
Just us.
I LOVED history, I still love it. But if I could do things over I would definitely keep history as a hobby and educated myself in something that could afford me a more comfortable living. It just really worries me that more people AREN'T worried about this. My college education is the most money I've ever spent on something and I feel the returns have been underwhelming.
I think colleges need to do a better job for the students instead of their own bottom lines. College is four years, work is the rest of my life.
I also think that the Occupy movement has nothing to do with this despite Rush's efforts to link them. The disenfranchised are across all ages, races, and occupations.
This I find hysterical: That he uses his own ignorance to denounce the importance of the studies. I'm not a chemical engeering major; I couldn't even tell you what they do. But I could tell you they're important. What am I? A Classics Major, true and proud. I can tell you more about politics from 2,500 years ago than I can from today, and even that is probably more than Rush can understand. I guarantee him, 95% of our culture is not unique; we live in the shadow of the past and feel its influence in every respect. There's even nothing "American" about our language or the style of an argument. It all originated in classical cultures. Clearly Rush doesn't quite understand that and never learned the rhetorics of Cicero or else he might have composed a better argument, as wrong and fool-hearty as it is.
Either way, AM talk radio pundits like him are thoroughly useless and gladly will not be remembered by future generations.