(no subject)

[sythyry]

Mirrored from Sythyry.

Mump’s Reply to His Students [19 Nivvem 4385]

or, On the Triumph of Socio-Prosodical Research

Dear Students,

I am afraid that you have utterly misunderstood and misapplied the methods of socio-prosody. I simply permitted you to explore your obvious misperceptions in the hopes that you would quickly set them right after a bit of further understanding. This hope is clearly vain. Obviously, instruction is wasted on yourselves — Experience is a slow and bitter master, but a fool will learn from no other — the old proverb is amply justified and verified with references to yourselves.

“How could we do otherwise than make a thousand errors?” you ask? The answer is clear! You, being yourselves, could not do otherwise — you have no chance of ever achieving anything of particular correctness! You, not I, chose to use the Translating Dictionary of Gi-Shozempi the Great! Who was it that recommended using that of the Noetherian Institute instead? Did you follow that recommendation, which was made with decades of experience in academe? You chose not to — so you faltered and fell!

Socio-prosody concerns itself with the Poetic Essence of the Spirit of a People. This is perhaps obscured to your eyes by the use of the word Prosody in the name socio-prosody, but that is what the term means. Are tofyofs the poetic essense of the spirit of Hanija? Well, in your misreading of the poetry of that country, perhaps! In reality — no, not so!

It is quite reasonable for a poet to describe his lover as “hooklike”. Æloch-dü Verter, the Chopistau Poet, used that very word to describe his wife, who, hooklike, drew him into battle with cleavers and blades.

You clearly intend to promulgate a foolish and pernicious new discipline in this “socio-vacationing” of yours. You wish to found a new academic department, independent from all others, under your control, with access to an ample supply of funding which you seek to liberate by calumny from the funds of Socio-Prosody! With this you will travel and experience luxurious vacations in many lands! The difference between this and embezzling is that you shall write pretentious and fallacious studies of your deeds!

But know this! I am a might professor in the halls of academe, and I shall not permit the slightest iota of your plan to come to fruition! Know that now, I am your nemesis, the force of justice which brings your nefarious schemes and foolish theories to the executioner!

The Reaction

Invincible Fire Demon: “He sounds really quite upset.”

Prince Rastomil: “He does, I’m afraid. A pity. With a slightly different approach, you might have found quite amazingly helpful and cooperative — in the sense that any help or cooperation from him would have been quite amazing.”

Invincible Fire Demon: “Oh, what do you mean?”

Prince Rastomil: “If Hrone had been right, transaffection would be much more important than it actually is. Outside of this rather peculiar skyboat, I mean. Which would be a major boon to one Mump, Professor of the Study of Transaffection. It couldn’t but help him, perhaps a lot.”

Prince Rastomil: “Still, for whatever reason, he seems to have been moved to quite an astounding fury. What will you do now?”

Hrone: “Write a humble conciliatory letter and hope to get back in the graduate program, at least enough to get my degree.”

Alzagonde: “My plans are unchanged. I have no great use for degrees — several important societies and organizations support me and my intended works!”

Invincible Fire Demon: “Go back home after this trip, study accounting, and go into the Exchequer. I never was much for this theoretical transaffection stuff really.”

Comments

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

I think he's overreacting a tad. Unless this is how he founded his own department I guess? Is that really how it's done?

[rowyn]

I dunno, when you're a professor and your students complain that your methodology is made of fail, you've got a lot invested in making sure no one believes them. >:)

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

Especially if the methodology is, in fact, made of fail. ;>

[rowyn]

Mump: "Is not! They're doing it wrong!"

[rowyn]

I don't know. Mump's apparently got a lot of his reputation invested in socio-prosody, so it's not surprising that he'd react viciously to anyone who slighted it. Or wanted to replace it.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

It's more than reputation. The proposed new department would cut severely into Mump's funding, both in general (funds for education are limited, so each new department most pull resources previously devoted to existing departments) and in specific (there's far less need to indirectly develop information about societies if someone is going to learn about them directly).

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Blame-Shifter! Ooooo.... That Blameshifter! It's *HIS* fault, and he's trying to save his own job. Take it like... a... whatever you are, you stupid professor! You Blame-Shifter!

[rowyn]

How intimately are the universities of different cities connected? Maybe Hrone should consider taking his plans to a different college, where his irate professor would have less influence.

[brynndragon.livejournal.com]

Even better if there's a rival university! I bet they'd love a direct hit on a competing school. . .

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

World Tree city-states seem to be pretty insular, so Hrone might have difficulty just getting by for that reason. On the other hand, the academic profession might be a little more tightly-knit... which could, unfortunately, work against him as well, with this condemnation.

It might not be as doomsome as all that, but just on the surface, it doesn't look good.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Plus he'd have to start over from scratch.

[zeeth_kyrah]

He (or the others, or all of them) could take up adventuring and perhaps sky-piloting, save up for a small skyboat (and a few anti-pirate weapons), and ferry himself around the Tree performing his socio-traversals with a few students and friends. I'm sure that learning about new cultures would be greatly facilitated were these few to acquire a skyboat and/or pilot of their own.

Not to mention all the adventuring experience they'd get just travelling to see these various societies in person.

My own response to Mump is thusly:

"Better to analyze one's own technique and discover the flaws. Admitting to flaw on one's technique and seeking to improve before said flaws are exploited by others is an excellent way to build one's reputation as a seeker of truth. Admitting to flaw and seeking to improve after said flaws are discovered and/or exploited is an excellent way to build one's reputation as a person of great character, much goodwill, and an earnest desire to expand learning, rather than one's personal (tiny) empire -- and provided one's sources of funding respect learning as much as they do charisma, the foundation of said funding will be stabilized and improved overall with this evidence of greatness in scholarship.

Of course, earnestly seeking to do better, or earnestly seeking to destroy one's apparent opponents (whether or not they really are), are not your only choices. But do as you will, who have already decided to throw your weight against your students for learning of an inadequacy of technique, rather than including their discoveries amongst your own (and incidentally taking credit as their teacher)."

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

Mump sounds EXACTLY the same as many academics I've had the uhmmm...pleasure of meeting.