Ambulance? Here, Have a Sandwich Instead.

Bing Generated Image in Response to the Prompt: "Generate an image of someone on the ground who needs an ambulance but was given coffee instead”

“Quick, call an ambulance!” I had originally planned to write a blog post about handing a cup of coffee (and/or a sandwich) to someone who really just needed a ride to the hospital because that person had just been shot. It was meant to be an image that would drive home a principle ––one that applies to many different issues in life: poverty, unemployment, social justice, human resource distribution, war crimes, etc. But I kept putting it off. Lo and behold! What better concrete analogy do we have before us now than the images of parachuted “assistance” coming in from the shores of Gaza, Palestine…

Gratitude is Multi-Faceted

“Would you like sugar and cream with your coffee?”

“Yes, thank you, but hold the genocidal war please.”

You can be thankful for a blessing and unwelcoming of genocide at the same time, right? It is tempting sometimes, when you are in the position of the one doing a favor, to consider any critique directed towards you to mean that the person critiquing you does not appreciate all you have done for them. But reverse positions, imagine yourself in their shoes, and it will be much easier to distinguish between the two issues. Sure, sometimes a person may be both critiquing you and too bitter to appreciate God’s blessings, but that is not necessarily the case.

Furthermore, sometimes a person may appreciate God’s blessings that are coming through you, and would in normal circumstances express gratitude to you, but because doing so will likely encourage/condone/enable abusive behavior, they may opt to hold back on making you feel good about yourself with their profuse “thank yous.” In such a scenario, would you blame them? Or would you have done just the same? Imagine the murderer of your loved ones comes up to you and gifts you a meal, even meals for a lifetime, heck even meals for your entire network of friends and family ––would you be jumping up and down thanking them? If you have a sense of human decency, you would understand entirely and likely react the same way in their shoes.

Look, to be honest, I really appreciate the cancellation, deferment, or whatever it may be called when it comes to student loan debt. But even more sorely needed are suitable job opportunities for graduates to sustain a living wage, before getting to pay off loans. To honor the knowledge and prized credentials they have strived for means that there must be commensurate opportunities reserved for such qualifications… and in adequate numbers. Otherwise, the feedback loop should inform the “pipeline” of each academic/professional specialization trajectory. One can be appreciative of whatever good has come their way while recognizing these issues and calling for reform. This does not contradict or conflict with that.

In a related vein, educators at all levels, not only (and let alone!) university professors, should be treasured for the knowledge they pass along as its keepers. If teachers and professors (adjunct faculty or not) are satisfied to work in less favorable conditions because they are pursuing their passion for sharing and deepening knowledge, then so be it. But the rest of society must not devalue such dedication by assigning an unreasonable wage to such efforts. First, reasonable compensation, commensurate with credentials and experience, well beyond the living wage expected for all professions, should be a basic assumption in institutional budgeting. Second, if reasonable compensation, compensation in light of one’s credentials, is not fully possible in a given institutional context, then whatever is possible to maintain the value of those credentials, and reward one’s efforts, should be presented as being within the scope of their service to the public ––pro bono publico (for the benefit of the public), whether fully or partially discounted from the reasonable compensation value. It should go without saying that work conditions should be respectful across the board, honoring not only basic human dignity but the value of knowledge in a context-appropriate manner (for the very same underlying principle).

In other words, there should be no mistake in the broader public regarding the value of college degrees. Honoring knowledge, and the credentials that attest to it, is an ethical responsibility with economic implications (the value of degrees, tuition, institutional and professorial network reputations, etc...). Each dimension could be discussed at length, but the idea is apparently intuitive enough to hit home with the reader without the need for further elaboration. Every party involved, the teacher, the student, the public, etc., has a role to play in this dynamic. The point is that raising awareness regarding the necessity of such reforms do not conflict with gratitude. The reforms in question merely emphasize what should be addressed while maintaining the sense of appreciation for whatever good is already being done. Thus, there should be no room for rejecting this sort of discourse by an appeal to appreciation guilting, similar misunderstandings, or (unfortunately in some cases) various forms of manipulation. Let’s keep the eye on the ball, so to speak.

Cut your Losses but Don’t Kid Yourself

Most people with a good head on their shoulders are not going to be fooled by the theatrics. Minimize the losses, reduce the suffering, stop the bloodshed, etc… But if you are not sincere, do not carry on a charade that makes it even more difficult to confront your demons. We all have them, but what makes us different is how we deal with them. Should you just throw in the towel because you have been so deeply complicit already? No. That would be going deeper into the abyss. But is everything fine and dandy simply because you had a change of heart for political reasons? Or because you finally realized that the initial operation’s plan was doomed to fail? No. Salvage what can be salvaged because it gives you the best chance for your own long-term interests. That includes both moral and political interests (they overlap but not always). When that’s done, and a sincere change of heart is in order, let’s talk.

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Intro to this Blog

I have been considering the pros and cons of focusing this blog on a particular theme or intended readership. With all the merits of specialization, I submit that my academic specialization has me niched enough for the rest of my time on Earth, and that I will be looking forward to this blog as a more diversified avenue of expression. It will still be me, just not always the PhD dissertation mode of me. For that, I beg your pardon, you will have to wait for the occasional academic study I announce here, or read parts of my dissertation (hint to fellow academics, in particular). So you can expect this blog to shed light on the more far-reaching implications of my work as an academic, tailored to a diverse and broad readership, weighing in on current events while also contextualizing and drawing lessons from history. Without further ado, welcome to Ali Moughania’s blog!