Why must the NYU library site be down, in various ways, for days on end, right as the semester's about to start? And why must they announce the "New BobCat," when there is in fact no BobCat whatsoever? I need, like, a lot of books. This is not helping.
Oh fine, let me whine away, while as usual, Nicholas Kristof-not-ol highlights problems beyond the First World. One comment to his latest article made me feel extra-awful about myself: for complaining about an admittedly problematic library website; for complaining earlier in the evening about how Whole Foods hot dog buns are never as fresh-tasting as the regular supermarket kind (but the hot dogs themselves are delightful); for being infuriated yesterday at a coffee shop when a man thought he was being oh so cute telling me that I would strain my eyes reading tiny print, thereby distracting me from the tiny print I was reading, not that he himself was distracting, which he wasn't, but it reminded me just how tiny the print really was; and for my disappointment at discovering that the shoes I want are all over NYC at a steep discount in all sizes except my own:
I started working at the age of five, in Hong Kong, and never stopped. I still remember those days when getting enough rice, and nothing else, for two meals a day (not three) was a struggle for my mom. Sending me to school took everything we had, including me working after school. At the age of 54, I am an accomplished scientist with a Ph.D. degree now. I would never have gotten where I am without child labor. Thank god for child labor!
Never mind then. BobCat, take your time.
Of course, now that we've decided child labor is a positive force in the universe, we can import tons of five year old SE Asian children for pennies a day to run the NYU library website more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteTheir tiny fingers can reach inside the wires to directly manipulate the electrons.
This is why it is good to be a left-wing political theorist: one can pretend that one's research is crucial to the survival of the world, and hence justify grouchiness at the library. At least, it always works for me. :-)
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