@Respect: 2 way st Sadly, the French and international schools didn’t teach my buddy to focus his/her arguments because I’m at a loss for which one of the many vagaries in the “Cruel to be Kind” piece I should address first. Also, too bad, professor B’s tactics to force students to critically examine views “before voicing them” fell short here. Maybe my buddy needs to throw on a dunce cap and spend more quality time next to the trash can, listening to graphic details of my non-existent sex life…that’ll teach him/her for sharing these not so well thought out two cents. Given my buddy’s fondness for cruel pedagogy, I should probably continue making bad jokes at his/her expense, but appeasing my buddy’s taste would be kind, and it’s cruel to be kind, so, instead, I should be kind because that is cruel, but cruel is kind here, so I should be kind because that is cruel…oy

Catch-22 or not, I am an unapologetic advocate of kindness. That’s not to say “I feel” the need to curb or sugar coat criticism, but I think that an exaggerated show of harshness and absence of empathy is equally bogus, patronizing and perhaps more harmful than any platitudes and niceties that test my patience. Brilliance is a shoddy excuse for below the belt criticism, and, while the latter may signal impatience, more often than not it’s a transparent signifier of insecurity, immaturity and thoughtlessness. Professors B’s unkempt attire is acceptable because she/he is brilliant, but pajama wearing dimwits are abominable? Also, thank G_d for professors who compel their students to be better, but why the stern professor versus friendly TA analogy? Why not compare the stern professor with a friendly professor? why does the stern individual outrank the friendly individual? More rubbish picked up during childhood trash time: “Not daring to comment for fear of insulting…(professor’s) intelligence”, “regretting (asking questions) and feeling dumb.” Occasionally, I ask my cousin’s 9-year-old for her take on banal as well grand matters, and when she offers her two cents, I pay attention, not to humor her but because I hope to learn something from her.

Lastly, perhaps I’m being sensitive or passive-aggressive towards the writer because after taking issue with many of her/his points, I feel obliged to point out that she/he raises an important debate. Although I cannot deploy expertise on teaching methods, I feel compelled to challenge the “cruel to be kind” delusion that many in our disciplinary society entertain. Constructive criticism is necessary; however, the only thing taking up residence next to the trash can builds is future visits to the shrink. It would be comforting to know that penitentiaries or “das Arschloch des Teufels” (German for “the devil’s asshole”) disguised as pedagogical institutions are perishing, but the proliferation of snarky news anchors is enough to suggest that they are alive and well, even in this day and age.

“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It is round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — “God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.” ~Kurt Vonnegut

@Alex S It’s not The Edge, of U2 and silly knit caps. It’s Bryce Edge, the band’s manager.

@last year in john jay i saw quigley in the 5th floor stairwell, looking helpless and confused. he asked me where health services was.