Welcome, Millennials and Other New Brane Space Readers! But....There's Much More Material Here Besides 'Abby Huntsman's Hijinks'!

Scanning over the blog statistics the past week I see almost one thousand new Brane Space readers, which is very gratifying - especially considering I don't do "Facebook" - so it's clear certain stories are spreading via word of mouth or links sent to others via e-mail.  The one which has attracted the most reads by far, however, is the April 6th entry:  'Bernie Sanders Schools Millennial Moron Abby Huntsman on Bill Maher's REAL TIME'. 

When I put that blog up last Friday night, almost as an afterthought , I figured it might attract some eyeballs but not anywhere near 856 at last count. (But this is still far fewer than the 3,700 hits for last June's Venus transit of the Sun.) 

The blog itself referenced Millennials, Generation Ys and Huntsman as perhaps (hopefully!) an outlier example of what author Mark Bauerlein has called "the dumbest generation". He referenced this as pertaining to those embedded almost entirely in social media like Twitter and Facebook and hence seldom leaving those solipsist, self-referenced cocoons to read or explore any other venues, subjects or areas - especially which may appear too challenging at first glance.

What I hope, however, is that if Millennials are pouring in to read the post on Abby Huntsman, they will also move eyeballs to the right column and check out all the other blogs, articles which will be seen to be of an eclectic variety.  The emphasis then is on diverse content, and much of it is expressly designed for a college level or college age audience.

As I wrote in my inaugural blog (in 2007) launching Brane Space.

"The name for this blog implies multi-dimensional (or multi-faceted) content in time. I will blog on aspects of science (especially astronomy, astrophysics, quantum mechanics etc.) as well as on pseudo-science (astrology, Velikovskianism etc.), philosophy, religion, mathematics and even economics. Most of the time the blogging will simply reflect ruminations on current events, developments or scientific discoveries, but sometimes the writing will embody current worries......whether of economic malaise and dollar decline, or global warming, or perhaps when the next major asteroid may strike Earth....My main goal is to provide captivating content that enlightens and maybe entertains as well."

I suppose in many ways the 'Abby Huntsman' blog was "entertaining" - but I hope new blog readers, especially many Millennials (because they appear to be most interested in a fellow Millennial) will understand that only eating ice cream without any veggies, will not be conducive to health. In this case, one's mental health, intellect, .....the point Bauerlein made in his book, i.e.

"For education to happen, people must encounter worthwhile things outside their sphere of interest and brainpower. Knowledge grows, skills improve, tastes refine and conscience ripens only if the experiences bear a degree of unfamiliarity"

So, enjoy the Abby blog, but don't let the other content -unfamiliar though it may be-  turn you off!

Bernie Sanders Schools Millennial Moron Abby Huntsman on Bill Maher

Here is a cautionary note for any up and coming "Millennials" (aka Generation Ys) seeking to make a bigger and brighter name for themselves over the tube: Educate yourselves first! Abby Huntsman's pathetic appearance last night on Bill Maher's Real Time, reminded me why we have books like Mark Bauerlein's  The Dumbest Generation  widely circulating.

Huntsman, much like the woefully ignorant 'Kennedy' (aka Lisa Kennedy) last year on Maher's show ( in regard to global warming - who spouted "Sunspots!" as the reason)  had to be schooled by Sen. Bernie Sanders on the details of the Chained CPI (i.e. Obama's proposed cut via changing the cost of living to inflation index for seniors on Social Security). She also had no clue, not one, that the federal budget game isn't stacking her Gen Y bunch against my Boomers, but rather BOTH our groups against the Military Industrial Complex, which is sucking us all dry.

But instead of being informed, demonstrating some scintilla of education, she whined about "My generation - what're they gonna do?" like a sniveling nitwit. Bernie tried his best to educate this star of  'Huffpost Live' - in the brief spans of time allotted to him - between her interruptions, as well as those of the congenital moron Stephen Moore. But it seemed at times she was more invested in getting her two cents in than in listening to what the elder statesman Sen. Sanders had to say - given he has about 40 years more experience in the political -economic world. 

I know not all Millennials are clones of either Kennedy or Ms. Huntsman, but so far the feature performances are not inspiring.

Regarding 'The Dumbest Generation', readers may recall from a blog three years ago that it revealed how a whole generation of youth (mainly Generation Y'ers) were being dumbed down by their aversion to reading anything of substance, and their addiction to digital crap, and socializing via Twitter, Facebook, etc. Wasting time when they ought to have been developing their minds by accessing the (written) works for politics, science, history, economics etc.  As soon as I listened to Huntsman for five minutes, after her first interruption of Sen. Sanders, I pegged her in this category of hyper-social networking twits.

The problem with the hyper-networked bunch is that they erect confected and artificial solipsist worlds in which all the things that bother and bore them are blocked out. In the case of Huntsman, it could well be that she simply didn't care enough to really learn why the Chained CPI is a terrible idea or why her generation isn't losing to us older farts, but rather both of our generations are losing out to the rich fuckers and the war mongering assholes. But her narative, that we (older folks on Social Security) are "taking from" her gen's mouths, and grabbing their jobs - while corporations sit on $1.7 trillion in capital - discloses she's in the same brain league as Kennedy.

Of course, this is exactly the strategy of the Neoliberal scumballs and parasites who are all about "divide and conquer". Regrettably, Abby Huntsman, by her obtuse reaction to Sen. Sanders, shows she's bought this hook, line and sinker. She actually believes in her heart of hearts that we old farts would rather her generation fall behind than that we miss out on our 'goodies' (Never mind Obama plans to cut them!)

Meanwhile, Abby's take on letting the Keystone XL pipeline go through was equally uninformed (adding 'Well, we all have to take risks, like when we walk across the street!' which had Maher falling out of his chair in a pseudo-mock demo) . Abby then  interjected  "bestiality" in a discussion of same sex marriage. One is left to wonder if she really got all those brains from dad, Jon Huntsman.

Sadly, if Facebook “friending”, texting, tweeting and video gaming is what defines a group's limited universe, then their overall education (which must exist beyond any classroom) will be a casualty. As author Bauerlein notes (p. 138):

"For education to happen, people must encounter worthwhile things outside their sphere of interest and brainpower. Knowledge grows, skills improve, tastes refine and conscience ripens only if the experiences bear a degree of unfamiliarity"


What that means, as he further observes, is one must move through and beyond the initial knee-jerk reaction: “I don’t get it! That’s not for me, not my cup of tea!”  Even if it's a blog on the chained CPI, or 'order and disorder' and evolution, or even complex numbers. At least make a minimal effort to learn.

Bauerlein again (ibid.):

“Nobody savors the process, but mature adults realize the benefits. Adolescents don’t and digital connections save them the labor of self-improvement…..the screen and cell bombard adolescents with youth trifles and the sporadic brush with challenging subjects that recall their shortcomings are quickly offset by a few minutes back in virtual comfort zones"

And – as the author warns, the “opportunity costs are high”. Imagine instead of wasting hours and days on pseudo-socializing (which I define in terms of digital contacts-communication, rather than face-to-face or the famous “bull sessions” such as we used to partake of in the 60s) the young adult pursued actual knowledge aims – learning the conjugation of Russian verbs, or Latin, or how to integrate around a pole using residue calculus, or …just learning about what’s transpiring now at the interface of politics and ecoomics, say in terms of financial implications of the sequester, or the history of the deficit and the debt ceiling.  Oh....and how U.S. taxes are at the lowest percentage of GDP in over a generation!


‘AWWWWWW……BOOOOOOOOORRRRRING!’

Well, yes, to the undeveloped and raw mind. But getting beyond that reaction is what molds and defines the adult. It is, if you will, the sine qua non rite of passage to adulthood in a civilization which generally foregoes such rites.

One hopes Abby Huntsman will learn and actually apply that next time she gets a prime time gig. Assuming she does get one! But given how often superficial looks get a pass in our  consumer, 24/7 Bimbo-Himbo corporate media culture, I wouldn't be surprised if her star rises even further after her just concluded 'brainiac' performance!