flâneur

The Awfulness of College Lectures (Aaron Swartz's Raw Thought)

aaronsw.com · 1,422 words · saved by 1 readers

What do the children of privilege do when not engaging in conspicuous consumption while wearing fashionable clothes? Why attend class, of course! This bizarre, yet widespread, affectation seemed intriguing enough that I decided to pursue a further investigation in my inimitable “first-person snob” style. The Harvard students sit patiently outside the lecture hall as they wait for the previous class to end. Many simply sit, but others, showing the go-get-it-ness that got them into Harvard, begin attempting conversation with their neighbors. The awkward situation shows through in the awkward conversation (which, no doubt, they will learn to smooth over as they get older) about superficial topics of schoolwork (never school content, of course). As the previous class exits, we file in and take our seats. Gabbing continues somewhat for a while until, all of a sudden, as if by some mysterious consensus, it completely silences. The professor seems surprised too. “Well, uh, it got quiet all of

The Awfulness of College Lectures (Aaron Swartz's Raw Thought) Raw Thought by Aaron Swartz The Awfulness of College Lectures What do the children of privilege do when not engaging in conspicuous consumption while wearing fashionable clothes ? Why attend class, of course! This bizarre, yet widespread, affectation seemed intriguing enough that I decided to pursue a further investigation in my inimitable “first-person snob” style. The Harvard students sit patiently outside the lecture hall as they wait for the previous class to end. Many simply sit, but others, showing the go-get-it-n

related reading