Monday, April 23, 2012

“It’s Time to Play the Music...”

Depending on your age, you know how the rest of this goes... “It’s time to light the lights...” Ah, yes, the Muppets theme song. And, I know, once you have started it will stay there in your head as an endless mobius play list, ending only when replaced with the theme song from Gilligan’s Island. I grew up with the Muppets and could not wait for Saturday night to come. It was a time of excitement and anticipation of waiting for that specific time, and that time only, to watch something on television. And there was something so real and human about those stuffed talking creatures. They laughed at themselves, they cared, they taught, they loved (in a way only a blond bombshell pig and singing frog could) – and we did the same, right along with them.

The Muppet Movie (http://disney.go.com/muppets/), recently released, was an immensely enjoyable experience for me. Not that I am getting all sappy here, but it took me back to a time in my youth where things seemed simpler, safer and easier to understand. From my extensive survey (4 teenagers), I found that the Muppets were not so exciting for them. Downright “boring,” to quote one succinct responder. Mention Harry Potter or, clear a path, The Hunger Games, and all ears are at attention. Is that really where we are now – more dangerous, more complex, more real?

At a University, I strive to find that place, that image, that “flavor” that will spark the attention of that 18 to 24-year old demographic. How can I express to them that we are all in this world together and that thinking about their own survival in times of crisis is not only practical but necessary? Maybe a survival WOW-type video game, or a Hangin’ With... game in which you hang the icons of yourself when you don’t win enough bottles of water or first aid kits.

Seton Hall has created something that I think is genius. They created an emergency preparedness website specifically for that younger set (Sue’s definition: Anyone under 30) that is in a comic-book style format. Visually interesting and fun. Take a look at: http://blogs.shu.edu/codeblue/

While I know that tastes change, it’s just hard to let go of what once meant so much. I guess it is just it's time to get things started on the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational emergency preparedness program that I know. Maybe I can call Kermit for some help...

Hear the whole song here: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/m/muppets9423/muppetstheme546474.html

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Shopping List

Do you ever get in the grocery line to check out and look at what you have selected. Some days I feel pretty virtuous. Fresh lettuce, cucumbers, green beans, garlic. Fresh baked bread, chicken breasts and low fat milk. Maybe some melon or strawberries if they look good and are on sale. Yeah, I am the model shopper just by looking at what I am getting. Shouldn’t I get a medal or something for being so healthy and smart with my items?

Actually, it just balances out those times I look at what I am placing on that little conveyor belt and hope no one sees me. Oreos, tortilla chips and coke. Maybe those cinnamon rolls in a can and some chocolate milk, too, if I am feeling especially cocky. Do the checkers even think about these collections? Maybe in the beginning -- when they are trying to figure out how to put giant bag of chocolate bars with the chips and giant container of marshallow crème with the extra large bottle of laundry detergent – they scratch their head and wonder, “what is this person doing when they get home?” But, mostly I think they don’t even think about it and leave this pondering to the ones standing in line behind you.

Like me. We all type-cast shoppers, right? The “hippie-types” are probably buying soy milk and organic vegan hot dogs, while the teenagers are buying energy drinks and gum in space-themed wrappers. The well-dressed middle agers go for the nice bourbon and tiger prawns, while young couples nab the nacho cheese dip and wine in the box. Well, at least in my mind.

The other day, however, I noticed one shopper that really had me stumped. I was at the local drug store, which doubles as a liquor store and mini-mart, when I noticed the woman ahead of me with a cart full of stuff. The woman was probably in her 70’s anyway and pushed a cart overflowing with the strangest collection of good I had ever seen assembled. This tall, thin, somewhat frail looking elderly woman had the following things: A case of water. Check. Good, as most elderly do not drink enough and are usually dehydrated. Two packs of liquid supplement drinks. Check and also good. Easy nutrition she can just drink. Four packs of Red Bull (or equivalent) energy drinks. Check and whoa! I could not imagine what she would be doing with those energy drinks. She was barely moving with her cart, so, in fairness, maybe a shot of energy drink would put a little pep in her step! The kicker, however, was the final item… A giant bag of incontinence pads. In total, I was trying to imagine the intersection of these four items and thinking in some way, it made sense. Moving around with all that increase in nutrition and energy makes you thirsty and just in case you can’t make it to the bathroom, well, that’s what the pads are for!

I watched her pay and slowly push the cart out of the store. Go get ‘em, I heard myself say. She is prepared for something, or will be soon, and I’d really like to see how that all works out. But, for now, I critique my own shopping cart, divvying out accolades when warranted and hiding in the self-check lanes when I am not.

It’s been a funny couple weeks. And this just made it more fun.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Never Prepared

As soon as I heard the words on the radio yesterday, “Another tragedy on a college campus,” I took a deep and somber sigh. The details that followed – lone gunman, in a classroom, shots fired, people dead or dying, the gunman fleeing – started running through my head in a continuous loop. How could this happen? Why did a person walk into a classroom with a gun? What could anyone have done to prevent this?

I have taught in a college classroom for years. I know the routine. Students come in, some excited, some quiet, some obviously wanting to be anywhere else... As an instructor, I am usually busy fiddling with the computer set up, getting my papers arranged, getting students’ papers ready to hand back. Would I even notice if a student not enrolled in my class walked in? And, if I did, what would I do and how would I handle it?

I have children in school. They get to their classroom, sometimes excited, sometimes quiet and wait for the class to begin. That one kid, the quiet, odd one comes in. He acts “weird,” but everyone has already accepted that. They ignore him. But something is not right that day. Something different. Could he pull out a gun and start shooting? And, if he did, what would my child do and could he or she be shot?

Questions like these are streaming through the minds of so many people today. The what-ifs, the if-only-I-had, the whys. How could something like this happen? In Oakland, this small, private Korean college is trying to cope and make sense of it all.

Some experts will say it is complex. Others will boil it down to a couple of basics, such as bullying or a proliferation of handguns. It is probably some giant mix of all of this. The bottom line is that we wonder how to prepare for something like this? Is preparedness even an option? As an educator and parent, I doubt that you would ever feel prepared.

The one thing we can think about it is that we cannot stop addressing issues of violence. Usually, people exhibiting this type of violence show signs in advance. We must find ways to open communication between ourselves to notice these signs and report when someone is showing signs of erratic or anti-social behavior. We need to feel empowered to say, “this isn’t right,” in ways that protect the reporter, but also handle the accused in productive and responsible ways.

While we can never prepare ourselves for this type of senseless violence, we can start talking, start noticing who is around us and take action. So, while we can never prepare ourselves to lose a loved one, especially in this way, we can start doing something today to maybe prevent it from happening in the future. See something? Say something. It may just save a life.