I don’t know. I’d link the article but pretty sure it’s behind a paywall. I think the transition away from lucrative manual jobs (there are some, just fewer of them) has left a lot of men unable to leverage what seem like natural gifts and braun. I also think those strict gender roles and male hegemony has both hampered and protected men and boys (who have performed in mediocre ways in school for a long time) from experiencing the consequences of that. What’s worse is that men my age and older don’t seem to have any clue just how underprepared/under-qualified they are compared to the female applicants we have. I have said this before but men are often affirmative action hires in my line of work. Their people and writing skills, in particular, are a challenge. Found it: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/14/making-sense-of-the-gulf-between-young-men-and-women?utm_campaign=a.special-edition-newsletter&utm_medium=email.internal-newsletter.np&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud&utm_term=20240330&utm_content=ed-picks-image-link-2&etear=nl_special_2&utm_campaign=a.special-edition-newsletter&utm_medium=email.internal-newsletter.np&utm_source=salesforce-marketing-cloud&utm_term=3/30/2024&utm_id=1870978

It spoke to both and attributed the changing value systems to disparate educational attainment and content exposure.

There’s a recent article in the economist which speaks to the growing disconnect between men and women, partly attributable too to increasing academic disparities between young men and women.

I was in college in LA at the time of the trial. None of the black folks in/around South Central had fond feelings toward the police. College parties around campus were routinely shut down by 11p if the attendees were black while Greek row was allowed to do all manner of foolishness in the open until the wee hours. The double standards were blatant and the community anger was palpable. The only thing that saved our uni from damage and destruction after Rodney King's beating and the subsequent acquittal of LE perps was favorable town-gown relations. These two things happened within 3 years of each other. Pete Wilson was also the Governor at the time too, which didn't help matters at all. "The Governator" (small r) notwithstanding, CA hasn't had a Republican governor since.

The Monster at the End of This Book is a hit with every toddler I’ve ever known. 🙂

It’s not bad to me, just different. I have to eat less of it.

Duck eggs taste richer to me, heavier.

For us, the box turtles are out (lots of rain of late) and looking for places to lay eggs. We have some really big ones, usually 12-18”. Not sure what kind they are.

Agree w/Rosie. No. I am in my late forties and gainfuly employed. My health issues occasionally interfere but not this much. Ever.

Given your limitations, look for front row seats (or close to it) along the rim. Don’t pick the floor. The most enthusiastic people will stand for most of the show (or move about the floor) and he won’t be able to see.

I don’t disagree about the theater experience. My family stands out like a sore thumb and I don’t give a damn but I can also tell you that nothing about classical opera resonates with me, its chords or rhythms, language or production style. Discounting the lack of universality in productions is a problem. No, everyone won’t learn to like it, nor will it resonate broadly. Adaptations are the lifeblood of the theater and only the most ‘advanced’ for lack of a better word need to read Pygmalion to understand My Fair Lady or Pretty Woman, all of which are plenty old.

I just completely disagree. I don’t think there’s anything special about the original form. In most cases, they were popular because of their accessibility. They were never intended to be exclusive but popular, accessible, and relatable. Should schools update how they’re taught absolutely. The discouragement of modern interpretation and those who have the minds to do it is, IMO, a *BIG* mistake.

The ‘classics’ aren’t accessible for everyone in their original form. I agree with the thematic merit (in most, not all cases) but think the updating of form is appropriate and valuable. For some, they’re only valuable in original form. That’s a mistake.

No. It doesn’t. I don’t like ‘classical’ opera but do enjoy and support musical theater (as do many animated film devotees whether they know it or not). Rap is a form of spoken word poetry that I do enjoy. I hate to run, too top heavy, but admire those who do. There are multiple ways to enjoy and be entertained by the things our bodies can do and our minds can create. Sport is one of them. I appreciate them even if I don’t participate in them or connect with them personally, or like them. One of the things that makes ‘humanities’ so unappealing IMO is the insistence that only high-brow forms count. The number of people who consume athletic-related content, and spend on it, is directly related to the number of people who participate in it, feel connected to it, and want to see it. If opera has fallen out of favor, it’s because things like ‘Carmen Jones’ are disdained. ‘Humanities’ are not static, and of all disciplines, should be the most inclusive and representative. Folks have lost the plot. Humanities, when done well, foster connection and break down barriers to understanding. Why do people compete and feel the need to prove themselves through physical exertion and sport? That is a *human* question/concern. Siloed-study of mechanical/technical disciplines are the opposite, ignoring those sorts of questions. *THIS* is why people who play in the humanities will always have a place, role, be able to make a GOOD living. Reductive, siloed perspectives on how humanities apply and what they are creates a vacuum where those who ‘get’ people always thrive and those who lack access to those perspectives lose (as does society as a whole).

Yes, that’s what I was trying to say, badly probably. Sport isn’t funded and celebrated in place of humanities or STEM, it’s compensated where it makes money and starved where it doesn’t. Rather, my point is that, like the humanities it *is* a value add, both for entertainment and for health and for its economic impact. It doesn’t receive the credit it deserves.