Auchtoon!

Is it fair to hold the University of Michigan and Michigan State University to a higher standard just because they are “institutions of higher learning”? Sure. Although colleges and universities don’t guarantee learning, they do provide the opportunity to learn. And some otherwise smart administrators and coaches seemingly continue not to take the opportunity.

• Larry Nassar Case: https://believed.michiganradio.org/
• Robert Anderson Case: https://www.michiganradio.org/tags/dr-robert-anderson
• Mel Tucker Firing: https://www.michiganradio.org/sports/2023-10-25/michigan-state-hearing-officer-rules-mel-tucker-sexually-harassed-brenda-tracy-ap-source-says
• Sign-Stealing Scandal: https://www.michiganradio.org/sports/2023-10-20/michigan-suspends-football-program-employee-while-under-ncaa-investigation

I’ve had two distinct thoughts of late regarding the ongoing UAW autoworker strike and the news around it (or the lack thereof):

The first thought: It’s weird. Having been a Michigander most of my life, it’s just odd that the UAW strike isn’t consuming our every waking thought as it would have, say, a few decades ago.

Of course there are a host of reasons why this is: Manufacturing is much less dominant, the Detroit Three are much less dominant, it’s not a simple “white-collar vs. blue-collar” situation anymore, (and lots people have no idea what “white-collar” and “blue-collar” even mean). Still, having grown up in Flint, it’s hard to get used to a UAW strike not being the biggest possible news.

The second thought: It’s troubling. I mean, we could all focus on a good, old-fashioned labor dispute a lot more easily if the rest of the world wasn’t such a freaking mess. (No need for further explanation.)

Social media is a lot of things, but I don’t think it has fundamentally changed who people are. We have always found ways to miscommunicate with one another. Social media just does an exceptional job at facilitating it.

Most of the time, the stakes are pretty low, so it doesn’t matter. But when something truly awful happens, like what is currently happening in the Middle East, the consequences of miscommunication are dire. It’s critical to listen, really listen and hear what the vast majority of people are saying. We are appalled by the violence, and our hearts break for innocent lives lost and all those who suffer. That’s the only place where we’ll find solace and, ultimately, solutions. Not in what side we perceive others are taking or whom they are blaming.