MonkeyPants

Pemberton Festival Fracas

So there’s a big rock concert at Pemberton, and E is setting up. The whole lead-up is simply fraught with miscommunication, tension, and dissatisfaction. Every day there are different directives.

First it was x number of hours at y dollars. Then it was a flat rate. Now it’s fewer hours per day at the same dollars.

First it was planned that the workers would camp in a field. Now it’s camp in a field 25 K away from the actual event site. At the airport. (Pemberton has an airport? What?) Today, after having told the workers they’re camping, (they told them 3 weeks ago) they offer reduced rates on tents (that many also have, or have already bought).

The promoters might try to prevent them bringing their own beer to the campsite (Carnage will ensue! Livenation will charge, like, six bucks a beer!).

Now, with less than a week before they’re supposed to go, and the promoter is telling them there are restrictions on how many days in a row they can work. So there will be guys stranded in Pemberton with, say, Wednesday off, and absolutely NOTHING to do.

These Livenation promoter people don’t seem to be very good at making workers happy.

Debate Class

Yes. I’m just on my way to work to teach a class in debate. To one student. That’s actually less absurd than it seems, given the circumstances.

These kids’ mothers think, “Oooh, debate! He’ll learn to speak eloquently and fluently! And then he can go to Harvard!” But really? I have to start with the basics. Things like having an opinion. Never mind expressing it. We’ll get there. We’ve got to find out what you think. What’s that? You don’t know what you think? We’d better fix that. Here’s some stuff to read. Then we’ll talk about what it means. Then we’ll see if you’re beginning to think something about it.

Later on, we’ll get to the actual argument. We’ve got to learn to back it up with support, not leave it hanging out there in its underwear. And then we’ll work on putting it all together.

So, while I only have one kid in the class, it’s really good for him, because he’s learning how to think for himself. It’s just not going to get him into Harvard.