I alway keep an eye on my reports for Delo.si, I want to see what goes on through the mind of the readers. The last one, from Tivoli (Dj Umek), is an interesting one, and one that clearly displays the inability of some people to understand the variability that is the human race.
It all started with the comment from "neandretalec", who's name is more than fitting. He discarded the effort of some people as being a "drug dealing party". He put all of the people who were there in the same basket, as drug dealers/users.
But what I find most interesting is the writing of "Dr. prof. Miš". For an educated man, I would expect his reasoning be a bit better, and his arguments a bit more substantiated. He tried to argue with almost everybody on the forum that young people should study 24h/day to "become something great". This is what fails to impress me:
- What is the definition of great? I personally feel one becomes "something great" when they achieve what they set out to achieve. If I want to be a photographer instead of a professor does that make me any less educated? How about a software architect?
- Why would somebody devote their entire life to one thing only? It's nice to have a goal (or multiple goals) in life. I think it's more than acceptable to work for these goals. What I do not believe in, is the need to pre-script these goals as one and the same for all human beins; some people would like to believe that having an academic profession is what is needed to become great (read above point again), but... I've met a lot of people with extremely high education, and with extremely huge achievements in life (I would argue every day that even Dr. prof Miš can hide from them), and yet when we went out for a beer, they forgot all about it, they relaxed. We talked about things totally unrelated to the "business matter" for which we were there (particle physics and control systems). This leads me to my next point:
- What is education? Ok, sure, the technical term education is when you recieve your degree, your masters, bachlers, or whatever title you wish. In some countries, like Germany, this is a status symbol, they actually have it printed on their credit cards. Yet during my time in Germany (I worked as an intern in the DESY institute), we also had totally unrelated conversations with these people, about a cheese cake, about coffee, about music -- heck, half of the building I worked for helped me find a fliss german sheppard for my girlfriend, and keep in mind these are scientists! That is, in my opinion, education. Not being able to find a fliss german sheppard :), but to be able to see more to life than a book, and a title. To be able to see the grass grow is the expression, I think. More importantly, to be open about things that are unrelated to your field of work. I'm a photograher (or I want to be one), and yet my life does not revolve only around it. There are things I learn about in one field that help me in another field (physics vs. computer science anyone?)1. This also means to be able being tolerable of people who are different than you. Obviously, when you work, you work; but why work 24/7?
Ok, this covers Dr. prof. Miš. There was another person who commented that instead of destroying the grass in Tivoli, they should destroy something less valuable, like the grass in the stadium. What gives you the right to decided what is more valuable? For the football players, the grass in the stadium is life. For the Iron Maiden concert, when the stage was set on the grass directly, I've heard a lot of complaints of how it ruined the green... The definition of value is again something that is very subjective. I think Tivoli was picked for a particular reason -- to show Ljubljana's support to events like these. There is however one valid point (in my opinion), Simobil - Vodafone should be responsible for cleaning up the mess. Just the same as the organizers of Iron Maiden were responsible to clean up the stadium after the concert.
I'd like to wrap things up by adding that I listen to rock primarily. I also make rock music when I'm playing guitar and composing. Does that make me inferior person, compared to the people who listen to opera? But, I also listen to classic compositions, does that make me superior and inferior to myselft at the same time? Something doesn't make sense to me here... I was at the show, and although I normally don't listen to electronic music, I got a CD there, and I'm playing it at home. Does that make me a drug addict? I was on water the whole night long. I rarely drink alcohol (a beer here or there), and I don't smoke, let alone take drugs of any kind. What gives these people the right to judge me purely by my personal taste of music? It's the same with goths... I bring this up to relate to the concert of Marilyn Manson in Križanke. Križanke is a venue which symbolizes culture IMHO, and yet these controversial shock-rocker had a show there. Are all the people who were there, devil worshipers and drug abusers?
And even though I though I was wrapping up, something else popped in my mind - Keith Richards. This is a guy who has probably done more drugs than the whole of Slovenia combined, yet is a hero to millions more. Not for his drug abuse (although sadly for that also), but also for the music he contributed (and thankfully, not for the acting he contributed in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End). More people are motivated by him than from me, and Dr. prof. Miš. In fact, more people are motivated even by Lado Bizovičar, who was at the show also. And yet I don't see him having a bachelors degree in science. In the same context, Dexter Holland, of the punk rock group The Offspring
Holland was the class valedictorian at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, CA and was a Ph.D. candidate [2] in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California, however he declined to get his Ph.D. in favor of focusing on The Offspring. He has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology, both from the University of Southern California.
Holland married hairstylist Kristine Luna, who wrote some of the Offspring's songs including "Session". He has a daughter, Alexa (born c. 1987), from a previous relationship.
Holland is also a licensed Airline Transport Pilot and has made a solo trip around the world in 10 days.
He also recently participated in the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon, his charity of choice was the Innocence Project, a non-profit legal clinic that handles cases where post-conviction DNA testing of evidence can yield conclusive proof of innocence. Holland finished 7900th with a time of 5:01. Afterward, Holland signed his shoes and donated them for charity.
And besides that, he sold millions and millions of records, and played hundreds of shows. Does that make him not eductaed? Stupid? Neandrethal?
Ok, this is the end, but there is one more thing I need to clear up. Why in the world did I scoop down to this level, and even insulted the same people I call neandrethal. Well, for one, I hopefully didn't insult anyone, I just tried to prove a point that you don't need to be a neuro-surgeon to be respected and smart. And not everything in this wolrd is how you wanted it to be, so you should be tolerable and respectfull to others. It doesn't mean you can't be critical of others - but respect them at the same time, after all, it's not just you who has rights.
Kudos to anybody who read the whole text. If we meet, I'm buying a drink =), just leave me a comment.