i was told that around 20 years ago, the faculty of commerce (in undergraduate program) was the dumping ground instead of the faculty of arts. what i mean by dumping ground is where students apply to just for the sake of going to university because they don’t know what they really want to do in the future yet, or they simply don’t have the required GPA to get into their desired faculty, so since arts is easier to get in, they use it as a stepping stone and later transfer to something “better”.
my friend was ranting to me the other day: “i’m so sick of people in my class that just don’t care and don’t participate...and i didn’t come here to learn with people who are just using arts as a dumping ground!” she was really angry.
so i wonder why, why was it a 360 degree difference 20 years ago..maybe that was when the hippie age was taking place- when people strive for justice, equality, and change- thats why they would go into arts and learn more about deeper philosophy behind matter. and now commerce is like the faculty that everyone wants to get in because thats what generally leads u to earning real money.
more worse is that, its almost like being in commerce defines if one’s intelligent or not.
that really disgusts me. especially when my economics professor would say “yea because this is what makes the world go around” .. um no it’s not.
no, it’s not.
I strongly believe not only that the world doesn’t run solely because of the people who know how to use and earn money, but more firmly that intelligence cannot be determined by knowing how to run a business, being sneaky and tricky enough to make the most profits to yourself by taking away other’s, or in general, be good with money. I literally feel sick after an economics class because the whole lecture would be about how to maximize your benefits, how the flow of money keeps the world from collapsing. To clarify, I have no offense against those who are good at commerce. In fact, I think some people are made for it and if they don’t go into this field, it would be a waste. I am just really against the idea of things that evolve around money is what runs this world that I’m living in. Because it’s such a misleading belief, it’s not improving anything out of so much in nowadays society that truly needs improvements, that is dying for changes.
Sometimes I wonder if I am just fooling myself; just because I am not good at economics (since thats the only math course i take) that’s why I don’t believe in it. Maybe i’m just covering my weakness up by making all these rationalization about how many other things are more important than money. I think the reason why I have this doubt in myself at times is because of my surroundings. When one is in an environment where a certain thing is being reinforced, approved, and even appraised,so much, it is extremely difficult to not eventually believe in it. maybe that’s what strikes me sometimes.
I will not deny the fact that money and business and whatever goes around it are very important to the society today, but why now? why so important now? why more and more students want to get into commerce? what happened in between these 20 years, or more? so many questions in my head that are unanswered, and i’m sure that goes with a lot of people out there too.
to be honest, I still get offended by the idea that knowing how to deal with money determines if one is smart or not.
If you’re not in arts, and if you do not indulge in artsy fartsy stuff and you’re just in arts because of whatever reason, you don’t understand how degrading it feels when people ask you “oh what faculty are you in?” “arts” “oh..”. That “oh” is like, “oh man i’m sorry” or sometimes worse when they say, “oh THAT’S OKAY”. what do you mean “that’s okay”?! there’s nothing about me that i need to hear a “that’s okay” from you, you know? I enjoy writing and learning about deeper issues in the society more than learning how to make the most money I could and anything else. THAT’S why I’m in arts. I like to take an abstract view on things, to see them and analyze them in deeper levels. I didn’t come into this faculty to hear “it’s okay that you’re in arts” because it SHOULD be okay, not just okay, it’s good, it’s fucking fantastic.
yea sorry but it’s just so annoying when people are like oh what faculty are you in “commerce” “oh wow smart guy” versus “arts” “oh.......”
yea.
I don’t think any “smart” guy in commerce can write a A+ philosophy paper and an english student might suck at econ. Just making my point across in a lamer and simpler way.
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ReplyDeleteCommerce kids are just cocky. They shouldn't even be proud about "being smart" because if you want to count it that way, everyone knows Engineers are the best :D. The only things most of them are good at are be cocky, go clubbing, and dress up in their "business attire" to their class presentations that no one cares about because no one needs a comm. degree to get some common office desk job they will end up hating, which is what most of them are headed for. But of course, they all like to think that they are going to be millionaires or big bosses because they took a course on "business management"
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, i am the smartest.... hahahahhaha ... jk/// i wish i was brave enough to pick arts
awwiez :) i enjoyed reading this. lol, the last paragraph is so true.
ReplyDeleteFunny that you mention this topic, I happen to have a poorly-structured response for it. Here it goes... my ramblings:
ReplyDeleteDoes success necessarily have to equate to a yearly salary income? Perhaps this unspoken rule is rooted within our capitalistic culture. Sure, we naturally value expensive goods and high social statuses, but since when was art not also considered a luxury? -- since the defining line between high and low art (it's been that way for a while). Most people argue that majoring in art is risky; something that takes balls of steel to follow through completely. Of course, the stereotype is that most art students are crack addicts and dream about acid-trippy fantasies. The typical conservative family will discourage this kind-of major. However, what most people fail to realize is that people who are inadvertently 'successful' (in capitalistic terms) are usually passionate about what they do, hence their enthusiasm and 'success' in the field. The other counter-argument towards this is the whole, "How do artists fundamentally contribute to society? They don't perpetuate anything important in this dying economy." Wrong. As a matter of fact, artists define, contribute, and influence a HUGE element in our society: the media. Going back to consumerism, like I said before, we naturally enjoy luxurious material goods and treatment -- the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Who came up with that pair of $400 sandals you're wearing? What part of the population defines the running trends? Who creates the propaganda posters? Who designs the packaging to encourage the products' sales?
I'll leave it to you to fill in the rhetorical questions.
i agree, katherine! i'm always having to defend being in arts! but the thing is, there are so many people out there (the ones we should listen to, the ones with real life experience) who will tell you that the most important thing - the thing that will really really make you successful - is to follow your passion.
ReplyDeleteif your passion is business, science, engineering...go there, do those things, excel in that. but if your passion is in arts...well, the same thing goes. the worst case is those that (as was alluded to in theo's comment) are really passionate about one of the fields in the arts, and yet, because of the stigma, refuse to follow that path.
intellectual snobbism will get our society nowhere...we need people of ALL disciplines to help the world go 'round.
one last point though, where i'd like to throw in my two cents about one of your ideas - economics is actually in the faculty of arts, and i am possibly planning to pursue that as my major, and i think it can be looked at a lot differently than the way you have framed it (though i understand what you mean). the difference is in intent: the reason that i would like to understand the way the world economy works, is because it shapes so much of the way society, government, nations, international relations, etc. etc. are structured. and to truly understand this is, to me, a way of possibly being able make some necessary changes in the way that very same economy works.
knowledge is the greatest form of power.
so no, money does not make the world go 'round, but i would say that economics can be separated from this pretense neatly and without any stretch of the imagination, as long as the goal of pursuing economics is not the pursuit of profits in and of themselves.
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