Category: Friday Quote

“If we want to foster real diversity in higher education, we had better consider not only diversity of identity but also diversity of thought and perspective. It is this kind of diversity that we are supposed to recognize and foster in the first place.”

Learning how to give and take criticism without being hurt is an essential life skill. When serious thinkers respect someone, they are willing to engage them in a thoughtful argument.

I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if could not have one, I would have the other.

Capitalism reveals everything.

It reveals who works.

It reveals who improves.

It reveals who takes care of their best employees and who doesn’t.

It reveals who’s creative.

It reveals who thinks the biggest.

It reveals who doesn’t want to pull their own little red wagon instead they want you to pull it.

To pull books from a school library because of the discomfort they create in adults is a recipe for disaster. It erodes the trust young people have in the adults in their lives and pushes them to secrecy. It undermines the studied opinion of professional librarians and educators. It supports the false idea that there is one version of life that is acceptable. And it denigrates the work of authors who are brave enough to name experiences that are difficult and real.

I’m putting this one up as an “opposing view” on the books in libraries debate.

School socialization is based on an expectation of obedience, compliance, and conformity. It was about rule following. Learning was secondary. Exuberance was a liability.

People try to look for deep meanings in my work. I want to say “They’re just cartoons, folks. You laugh or you don’t.” Gee, I sound shallow. But I don’t react to current events or other stimuli. I don’t read or watch TV to get ideas. My work is basically sitting down at the drawing table and getting silly.