Comments on Overheard at Grateful Bread

Yeah. That's why you shouldn't be the sap that pays full price for a high-end college. If you don't get the scholarship, just go to the freaking state school where you can get the scholarship, and if you can't get the scholarship there, then go to community college where it's cheap. It is beyond senseless to pay 200,000 dollars for college. No college is that good.

And what did you pay $200,000 for you selfish cunt?

@2: cunt? really?

slow your roll, friend.

That's hysterical.

Right, 'cause everybody knows if you spent that much on a college education for your kid, they should go into a line of work that exploits poor people in third-world countries, not um, like, helps them or anything.

And volunteerism? That's for state and community college grads who can't nail down a junior partnership or at least an executive internship at a Cabinet-level federal agency.

basket weaving is not taught by the peace corp. third world citizens already know how to make baskets.

they should come here & teach it to liberal arts college students.

Unfortunately, for daughter, this only shows that her family is simply of the petite bourgeoisie. The truly wealthy will drop $200,000 on their progeny's college education, and will not blink when son or daughter decides to "find themselves" in the Peace Corps or other such wanderings. They rest secure in the knowledge that their children will still manage to slip into that brokerage house or law firm before they reach 27. Poor mother here is desperately trying to buy her way into prominence.

It gladdens me that so many talkbackers understood the implicit irony of this post.

@3

It's OK, Kerri. We can say cunt here @ Slog, regardless of the ball game.

In this particular topic, it's warranted. I know this because Tyler knows this.

COMTE: Couldn't have said it better myself. That's exactly what the problem is.

How about the Marines?

hey. i liked my liberal arts school! had i gone up U of Florida, i would have partied too much and i'd be dead in a ditch somewhere.

Huh. I was in the Peace Corps and don't recall any basket weaving lessons given. I remember drinking a lot, teaching kids to wash their hands after they shit, and helping 3 villages get potable water. But no basket weaving.

Jesus christ, I almost spit organic, sugar free non-third world exploitative lemon tea all over the monitor here at the UW library after reading that. Awesome.

@9: no, it isn't OK, particularly in this context.

of course, you are the person that referred to me as "a fucking bitch" on a third party's myspace page, so i don't even know why i'm wasting my time arguing with you.

i miss the old days of slog, when people seemed to have a little more respect for each other.

OH MY GOD!!!! The Public Intern goes to Greatful Bread?? I go to Greatful Bread!!! OH MY GOD!!! This is better than having sex with Ken Ryker!!! It is like a brush with fame!!!!!

If "cunt" goes, then so do "prick" and "dick". This is a sacrifice I, for one, am not willing to make.

Hey Squid, you were in the Peace Corps, so maybe you can answer my question: Does the Peace Corps require participants to have college degrees? Does it have to be in a field related to the work they'll be doing?

It would indeed be ironic if only those who could afford the steep price of a liberal arts education were allowed to go overseas to help low-income people.

@15

Oh calm down. Jesus. I made that comment after you showed little respect for Adrian! himself. It was between me and him, and not involving you, and it was before my good friend Ms. Dutton informed me that you are super duper, and I should respect the difference in opinion.

However I am surprised you check out his MySpace page...

Anyway, truce. I have no actual tiff with you. If it honestly offended you, consider this an apology.

As for cunt, what #17 said.

I'm not touching that cunt -- wait, that came out wrong. I have no opinion on the usage of the word in this instance, but I do think momma needs some kind of pejorative applied to her. How about "cunt"'s gender-neutral neighbor "asshole"?

Peace Corps volunteers do things like build wells, latrines and water-purification systems. Nothing is more valuable to struggling third-world communities than clean water. You also learn a hell of a lot about how to gett along in difficult situations, and you learn a little bit about the world, too. These skills don't just make you a better person; they make you smarter, more flexible and more resilient, and probably more employable in the long run.

Certainly more interesting to talk to twenty or thirty years from now. I wish I'd done it. I'm jealous of those who did.

Dear Mother: I've been trying to find a teacher for weaving baskets from Bamboo. It's a long and difficult process to master the correct preparation of Bamboo for Basket Weaving. What's more frustrating is that NOTHING exists of the WWW about the preparation of Bamboo to weave baskets. I'd pay to find a tacher, but alas they are not to be found. So Mother Dearest, don't be such as Ass in public again like that to me. Maybe I should teach baking.

@20,

What Fnarf said. Any employer worth his or her salt will think it's neato that the kid was in the Peace Corps.

Kerri,

Mr. Poe seriously rides Adrian's balls on virtually anything, ever. If you were critical of anything Adrian said, sure enough Poe is going to be vile to you.

It's kinda sad, if you ask me.

@18

I didn't know anyone who didn't have a degree, but it's not required. I've heard that if you have a lot of experience in that field, that helps too. As for field-related experience being a must, no way. I knew plenty of English majors becoming water/sanitation or health pcvs. I also came across PHDs, doctors, lawyers (one who ran out of the WTC as it was coming down) and ages from 20-72. Btw, it was the best decision of my life...basket weaving or not.

If you wanna know if your "qualified", go here:

http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.howvol.qualify

@19: apology accepted and appreciated. and, for the record, someone else told me about it. i waste enough time as it is on the internet without looking at myspace pages of people i don't know.

@7... i agree. how sad for the daughter to realize her mother doesn't value her education, she only values the dollars spent on the education.

here's hoping daughter develops a minor heroin problem and dates innapropriate men, just to freak her mom out.

That could have been my mother. In fact, it was her a couple of years ago. Only change $200,000 to $50,000. It was state school for me!

mom may be a cunt, but she's a funny cunt. i kind of wish my mom would say shit like that but on second thought i'm really glad she wouldn't.

Fnarf, you can still do it. I've heard that some of the best PC volunteers are older retired couples. You and Ms. Fnarf should give it a go.

I'm personally of the opinion that sort of like eco-tourism, Peace Corps is more about changing the lives of participants than doing good in the developing countries... but anything to give Americans more exposure to the world is probably good. That girl should just join up and get as far away from a mother like that as she can (Perhaps East Timor?) before manages her life to death.

@23

I think it's sad that you think loyalty is sad. I also think it's sad that you take Adrian!'s lit so seriously. Why don't you find that dumb cunt Elizabeth Newmark from this week's page 6 and cry about it. And by it, I mean everything.

Your sauce is mild and it's ruining Chalupa's. Might I suggest you pick up a surplus of this? It's tear free. Check it out. Bitch.

@19

I understand. It's a conundrum I tell'ya.

@19

I understand. It's a conundrum I tell'ya.

*@25

Whoops.

See Kerri, I pointed out how obsessed with Adrian Mr. Poe is and he went batshit crazy (30)

It's weird, too...because poe generally likes disgusting old child molester types, wherein Adrian Ryan has that sort of read-head-trying-to-look-young-but-just-awkward-late-20's thing going on.

@23: could you stop using that offensive word "balls"? I have balls of my own, and it bothers me to hear balls used in common conversation. Balls. See how wrong that sounds? Balls. No, I just don't like it. Gets on my balls, in fact.

read=red

@32

Right. Because I'm only a fan of someone if I find them attractive.

Let's al be a little less cunty, shall we?

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNO!

oh suck my balls, 33

(but will you wear your yellow suit? ;)

@35

Here was my thought process.

I consider you to be sharp, so it's not conceivable that you are a fan of his writing as it is ridiculous/meaningless/vapid/rife with run-on sentences

Who knows, maybe he is...um...fun....in...person...or...something...? that validates his employment.....?..???

Volunteerism is a reactionary tool of the capitalist establishment. It is the opposite of public welfare. That's why the Republicans prefer the Christmas donation box over a comprehensive entitlement program where the government guarantees that all homeless are fed and housed. That's why they prefer church volunteers helping out as a way to buy their way into heaven.

The critical difference is whether you see providing goods and services to the people as a non-negotiable duty (the way conservatives look at the military) or a bauble that the rich will splurge on when they are feeling a little generous, or a little guilty.

Education should be free and Peace Corps workers should be paid a competitive wage.

Maybe it's because Canada is the land of socialized education (just like the United States, actually, anywhere before the post-secondary level, but don't tell anyone that!) so it's stunning to me that any school could cost $200,000 in four years. I was aware that it *could* cost this much, but I didn't think anyone really paid it. Is she including bribes in that number? Gold-plated textbooks? A NASA scientist or two to do her physics homework? Do you guys send your kids to college on the MOON?

They meant 200,000 in USD. Convert that to real currency like Canadian dollars and you'll see it isn't much money at all.

You might not *need* a degree in order to weave baskets, but without it, you'll probably not get hired in Seattle.

um...uh...well, uh...um...well, i'm on vacation.

Peace Corps budget since Iraq War started: ~$1.5 billion

Cost of Iraq War ~ $4.5 billion

Hmmmm...

Whoops:

Cost of Iraq War ~$450 billion (much better)

"I'm personally of the opinion that sort of like eco-tourism, Peace Corps is more about changing the lives of participants than doing good in the developing countries..."

And you base this on? No doubt the Peace Corps can have a profound impact on the participants, but it's pretty pig-ignorant to suggest that things like providing safe drinking water, building schools, and establishing agri-/aqua-culture industries isn't about "doing good in the developing countries". That it happens to be something that people are glad to have done shouldn't detract from the good that it does.

Kerri @15 said:

"i miss the old days of slog, when people seemed to have a little more respect for each other."

Did I miss something? When did commenters here EVER show even a modicum of respect for each other?

(Just mentally prepping myself for spending an entire day inside a flame-retardant suit.)

For those keeping score, even on the most liberal website in one of the most liberal cities in the world:

Homophobia: Bad
Racism: Bad
Misogyny: A-OK

@47 - Hm, pig-ignorant? Nice. Guess what, there are different opinions about how poverty and public health can be addressed. You may disagree with my perspective, but it is not ignorant. I base what I say on stories I've heard from a lot of returned PC volunteers and work with peace corps volunteers in one poor country.

Any perspective about "helping people in poor countries" has to recognize the difference between "doing something helpful" (building schools, teaching English) and actually changing the situation long-term.

It's not that easy to start a local industry/technology in an unfamiliar culture and have it last. 2 years may seem like a long time. Many projects don't last a year after the volunteer leaves. Maybe the PVC pipes don't get replaced when they break, maybe the farmers actually does not want to farm organically.

Plus, a US college grad teaching poor farmers how to farm organically has a whiff of condescension, don't you think? And a volunteer building a school? How is it supported once they leave? Who buys the textbooks, pays teachers? I am sure some projects do have a long-term impact, but a lot do not: I've seen it with my own eyes.

Personally, I'd like to see a Peace Corps where local health workers are brought to the US for training so that they can serve their countries' crumbling, understaffed health systems for the long term. (Cuba does this too, as well as send doctors all over the place)

Most people I know from the Peace Corps taught English. Volunteers can also be placed as political favors by the US embassy in each country. That said, most former volunteers come back with a much broader world-views than when they left. They often do excellent on-the-ground work and they become good global citizens.

@50,

I agree with you to a certain extent. However, I don't see how the Cuban model is particularly helpful. Cuban doctors who are sent to other countries often have pathetic supplies of medicine and equipment, basically meaning that they can't do jack shit for their patients. Training medical personell here and sending them back to their home countries poses the same problem: what do they use to actually treat their patients?

My main complaint with the Peace Corps is that it isn't nearly comprehensive enough. There definitely needs to be more follow through, such as ensuring maintainance of completed projects.

@50: You make some good points about how projects in developing countries don't always keep working after the foreign volunteers/workers are gone.

However, if you do a bit of research into the Peace Corps as a specific organization, you'll find that their take on the situation is pretty much exactly the same as yours, and that they're designed specifically to avoid, as much as possible, that kind of situation.

To begin with, countries have to apply to get volunteers, and they determine which kinds of volunteers they want. So if they don't want to learn organic farming techniques, they don't ask for agriculture volunteers-- simple as that.

Within the country itself, it's up to the various cities/towns/villages to apply for a volunteer. In order to do so, they have to provide a project which they need the volunteer's help with. So if they don't want a new school, they don't ask for someone to come help build one.

In addition, Peace Corps volunteers are trained to make sure that whatever projects they're working on are sustainable, so that when they leave, it doesn't all fall to pieces. If a project is too complicated to do that in the 2 year timeframe, sometimes volunteers will extend for a few months or a year to finish. Alternatively, sometimes a succession of volunteers is assigned to the same site to keep a project going.

This system isn't perfect, of course, and there are certainly projects which never get going or fail after the volunteer leaves. But at least the Peace Corps tries to address the situation as much as possible.

Unfortunately, most people don't bother to actually find out about any of this stuff, and just assume that they know what the Peace Corps is and how it works :-(

Megan, Thanks for pointing that out - I agree that they do try to be sustainable. I am aware of this, and I understand that a lot of volunteers do their best to meet the community's needs, I just know from experience that that is all easier said than done. On the ground, it's a different story, and it can actually be pretty hard, as an individual in a community, to create something lasting.

I would say that some people assume the PC is all about hanging out on the beach; or they think volunteers are inherently doing great good just by being there; or they think it is all a sham. I am just saying that you can be doing something that looks good and trying really hard but it may not be the most practical way to go about helping the world (as an alternative, see my suggestion in an earlier post, addressing the "brain drain" in developing countries)

By the way, I don't know if they still use this ad, but they used to recruit people by showing volunteers saying, "I made a difference, but the biggest difference was for me" or something like that, which is basically supporting what I started off saying - that it is primarily an experience for the volunteer.

P.S. For a long time, all I knew about the Peace Corps was what I saw in Airplane! the Movie - teaching the natives basketball, developing a drinking problem, etc.

@54 : Don't you mean Volunteers? Featuring John Candy as Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, Washington, who teaches the local Communists the WSU fight song?

Wow. It's getting hot in here.
I don't understand why so many people have a problem with "cunt". I personally love cunt.

CUNT!!!!! That word rules. I also am fond of snatch, shnizz(sp?), twat, and meat curtens.

"By the way, I don't know if they still use this ad, but they used to recruit people by showing volunteers saying, "I made a difference, but the biggest difference was for me" or something like that, which is basically supporting what I started off saying - that it is primarily an experience for the volunteer."

There you go; you've identified the source of your mistake. You've taken a recruiting message, which understandably emphasizes the benefits reaped by volunteers, and twisted it into an admission by the Peace Corps that they really don't do all that much good for the people that it is their mission to help.

Hypotheticals about unmended broken pipes or unrequested lessons about organic farming make it very clear that you still don't know much about the Peace Corps. Maybe sometime you can buy me a beer and I'll tell you about the years I spent teaching calisthenics and basketball fundamentals to the Malumbos...

peace corps is cia. dan savage is cia. poe is cia.

Bison: I take it you are an RPCV then? That would explain your defensiveness.

You obviously don't care about any of the details I give ("hypotheticals" as you misrepresent them), you just don't like my opinion.

So, I apologize. Sorry to raise any issues about the Peace Corps. GO PEACE CORPS! RA RA. RPCV 4 evr. Thank you for:

"providing safe drinking water, building schools, and establishing agri-/aqua-culture industries".

Bison, you made a difference. Can we all please feel good about ourselves?

Good night.

@59

Shh! You'll piss off Coop!

You can't spell adrian! without CIA.

Or at least I-A.

What's your middle! name?