Earn Big Money!

Commencement season is upon us again.  Along with the joys of the season, these days there is a twinge of anxiety among the recently-minted graduates about their employment opportunities.  Some encouraging signs are beginning to emerge, however.  As reported in The Atlantic yesterday, the unemployment rate for 20 to 24 year olds with a Bachelor’s degree nearly doubled between 2007 and 2011, but began dropping by 2012.  While the types of available opportunities may be a factor in the lowering unemployment rate, the skills recent graduates developed through their courses of study may also play a role.

At least that is the suggestion from the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) recent study about skills valued by employers.  The report, entitled "It Takes More Than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success," highlights the idea that students should have "both field-specific knowledge and skills and a broad range of skills and knowledge" upon graduation.  Further, recent graduates should be able to apply their skills and knowledge to real-world situations in order to solve problems effectively.  As it happens, students develop these kinds of knowledge and skills through their studies in the liberal arts and humanities.

I have written before about the dangers of linking education only to potential employment opportunities, essentially arguing that learning should lead to a broadening of the mind or an appreciation of the aesthetic.  I also have suggested, however, that even given the employment-outcome orientation of education, schools should teach students the creative, problem-solving skills which they currently are not.  Adaptability – that is, learning how to learn - in our ever-changing world can ensure some degree of success in the workplace and can come from studying broadly and widely.  Such is the essence of the liberal arts and humanities.

Image from The Radical History Review. Available at http://chnm.gmu.edu/rhr/rhr.htm

The idea of education’s relationship to employment reminds me of one winter from my youth.  My eldest brother had returned home from his first semester at college, where he was majoring in history.  One day around the house, he was wearing a tee-shirt he had acquired while at school.  The shirt bore a caricature of Karl Marx.  The words “Earn Big Money!” appeared above Marx, while those below him inveighed, “Become A Historian”  The idea of Marx endorsing the pursuit of the almighty dollar struck me as funny, while the thought of becoming rich doing history was no less amusing.  (Nevertheless, that image likely influenced my own academic pursuits; though for the record I am still awaiting my big payday.)  In retrospect, my brother’s tee-shirt seems prescient.  While mastering Marxist interpretations of the past may not directly lead to vast riches, understanding that one’s studies are not an end unto themselves, but rather are an entrée into new and rewarding opportunities, could provide some degree of stability and security if not happiness.

By way of a Postscript, I have come to learn that my brother’s tee-shirt, which originated at The Radical History Review, was quite popular among particular generations of historians.  You can order your very own at The Radical History Review’s website.

Cinco de Mayo? There’s an App for That!

Cinco de Mayo is upon us again.  I ruminated last year on how the day usual is marked by non-Mexicans who demonstrate a misunderstanding of the day’s significance in Mexican history through their drunken behavior, or by Mexican-origin celebrities wanting to demonstrate their Mexican "authenticity."  This year, however, it seems to me that Cinco de Mayo has completed it integration into the non-Mexican mainstream American culture, evidenced by the Cinco de Mayo mobile app.

"Hit the Pinata!" available at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cinco-de-mayo/id521925155?mt=8

Creating a mobile app based on the Mexican holiday makes commercial sense, considering the rates of smart phone ownership among Hispanic consumers.  The Pew Research Hispanic Center reported in March that 49 percent of all Hispanic adults own smart phones.  This figure is comparable to both the overall rate of smart phone ownership (46 percent) as well as with ownership rates among whites (45 percent) and African Americans (49 percent).  (In the interest of full disclosure, my residual neo-Luddite tendencies prevent me from feeling the need to own a smart phone.)  In other words, Hispanics are utilizing the latest technologies at rates similar to other racial and ethnic groups.

Two interrelated drawbacks emerge from these rates of adult Hispanic smart phone ownership, however.  One is economic status.  Hispanics smart phone ownership declines with income.  As the Pew report states, "More than three-quarters (76%) of Latinos with annual family incomes of $50,000 or more say they own a smartphone [sic].  This compares with 59% of those with family incomes between $30,000 and $49,999, and four-in-ten (40%) Latinos with family incomes under $30,000."  The other related indicator is educational attainment.  As with income, smart phone ownership declines the less education Hispanics attain.  The Pew report continues, "About seven-in-ten (68%) Latinos with some college education or more say they own a smartphone.  This compares with 45% of those who have completed high school and 32% of those without a high school diploma."

Despite these qualifiers, I will strike a somewhat less cynical tone this Fifth of May than I did last year for at least one reason.  The Cinco de Mayo mobile app seems aimed at disseminating information about the holiday to an audience wider than only one of Mexican origin.  As such, it seems to hold potential to dispel misconceptions and stereotypes, which hopefully will lead to the holiday being less about downing tequila and Corona and more about honoring the history and culture of the Mexican people.

Remembering the Spectators

As I am sure most people were doing, I spent much of this past week trying to make sense of the Boston Marathon Bombings.  Acts as horrific as these challenge our comprehension.  That the bombings occurred at all is jarring to say the least.  That they occurred at such a public event is frightening.  For me, as a member of the amateur running community, the bombings are somewhat personal, specifically because of who seemed to be the main targets of the attack – the spectators.

I claim membership in the running community based on my having completed two marathons, nine half-marathons, and several other races of various distances.  I have learned through my experiences that despite the existence of a “running community,” that label is something of a misnomer.  Running generally and long-distance running in particular largely are solitary activities.  Amateur runners mostly set their own personal goals (usually based on past achievements), run at their own individual paces, hit the wall at different and varied times, and do so mostly in isolation from each other when in the throes of a race.  This becomes most abundantly clear in the final legs of a long-distance race.  What makes the difference at that point – and where the sense of community fully manifests itself – is the gathering of spectators along the route.

Marathon spectators are a special lot.  Most are there to cheer for family and friends who are participating in the race.  Others are there out of sheer appreciation of the athletic abilities on display.  At times, however, these lines blur and people there to cheer family member or close friend invariably applaud all runners regardless of whom they are or why they run.  Ultimately, the spectators perform the most selfless of acts – they encourage their fellow human beings to do their best to accomplish the most they can.  As such, even the label “spectator” is a misnomer, as those in the crowd are valuable and important participants in the race. 

The second marathon I ever completed with the Philadelphia Marathon in November 2004.  Several friends turned out to cheer me through the race.  One group in particular met me at the finish line at the iconic stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Having hit the wall at mile 20, I was unsure if I could finish the race.  By mile 23, I was questioning why I undertook the endeavor in the first place.  By mile 26, however, I heard my friends calling my name and cheering for me.  I do not think I could have crossed the finsh line had it not been for their encouragement.  Some of these friends and I were reminiscing last month about that day, and my friends happily reminded me how much they enjoyed themselves at the race and informed me that since then they have become enthusiastic boosters of their own town’s annual marathon making it a family affair to cheer on all of the runners.

I myself have joined the crowd to cheer for a friend or two; one at the finish of a triathlon and another during the 2009 Chicago Marathon.  Despite all of the events of the last week, I hope all of us in the running community continue to cheer each other on.

One Year and Counting

My, how time flies!

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of The Mexican Intellectual.  Our blog launched on Friday, March 23rd 2012 with the very first post.  It seems as an appropriate time as any to reflect on what has happened on this site over the previous 12 months.

Celebrating one year of The Mexican Intellectual
March 22, 2013
Source: Author's private collection

Growing Popularity:  As of this writing, we have more than 3,100 total page views.  This figure may not seem like a lot when compared to Google, Amazon, or YouTube cat videos, but we think it is not too shabby for a two-man operation, especially considering we have full-time jobs and our own familial and other personal obligations.  Of these page views, 2,000 occurred during the first 11 months of the site.  More than 1,100 page views have come since the end of February.  We hope to keep up this pace and reach at least 5,000 page views by mid-summer.

More Production: Part of this growing popularity may be due to the fact that Dr. Gaytán and I are writing more.  We published only 15 posts from March to October 2012, with production declining first during the summer months and again beginning with the Fall semester’s mid-terms, which than ran through finals week, and spilled into the holidays.  Yet, we have published 17 posts during the first three months of 2013!  We hope to maintain this level of production from here-on-out.

What’s Popular: Of the Top Ten most viewed blog posts, Dr. Gaytán is the author of eight of them.  He also authored the most read post to date, “Why Does Everyone Hate Ruben Navarette?”  “Is the Unexamined Life Worth Hiring?” is my most popularly read piece in the Top Ten.  My other Top Ten entry is my more recent post about Pope Francis.  I really do not mind that Dr. Gaytán’s popular posts outnumber mine at a five-to-one ratio, since more people have viewed my “About Us” profile than his!

What’s Next:  We look forward to continue blogging our thoughts and opinions on a myriad of subjects.  We will continue to appreciate the support of all of you who read, comment about, and share The Mexican Intellectual.  In the coming months, you may see some changes to the site.  We expect these to be seamless and not to interfere with your enjoyment of the site.  We will be sure to keep you updated as we implement these changes.

Until then, thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of The Mexican Intellectual!