“The difficulty is how to begin an opera, that is, how to find its musical atmosphere. Once the opening is composed, there is no more fear.” Giacomo PucciniFriday, June 4, 2010
this i am excited about
“The difficulty is how to begin an opera, that is, how to find its musical atmosphere. Once the opening is composed, there is no more fear.” Giacomo Puccini
Thursday, June 3, 2010
dirty word
As in: "at last a philosophy developes [sic] itself, partly satiric, partly consolatory, concerned only with the regenerative vigour of manure, and the necessary obscurities of fimetic Providence" (944).
--John Ruskin, Fiction-- Fair and Foul
Fimetic: having to do with dung
--John Ruskin, Fiction-- Fair and Foul
Fimetic: having to do with dung
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
& we were talking about this selfsame thing last nite...
...I believe the fact of their being unhappy is in itself a violation of divine law, and a sign of some kind of folly or sin in their way of life...
-John Ruskin, Pre-Raphaelism
Problem being, that first you must have security, food and water and shelter, a sense of belonging in society, maybe even financial security, etc. Happiness is so contingent. But I love Ruskin, so I choose to believe that he is talking about people who get degrees in things they hate, go up to the oil sands for years and live in surroundings they hate, doing work that is both immoral and unfulfilling, and then complain that they are unhappy.
Why didn't you do a degree in music history, then.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sir Peter's GUARDIAN ANGEL!
Sir Peter's GUARDIAN ANGEL!
The Times Higher Education article announcing Sir Peter's stepping down as Kingston's Vice Chancellor was swamped with very critical comments from readers highlighting his contribution to workplace bullying. I admit they presented a very unflattering image of the man.
As of today (1 June 2010) all these critical comments have been removed from that blog. What was left is a wash out. Does Sir Peter have a guardian angel?
Anonymous
--------------
No, he has expensive legal help that threatens THES with legal action so the latter removed the 'offending' comments and replaced them with the following statement:
The Times Higher Education article announcing Sir Peter's stepping down as Kingston's Vice Chancellor was swamped with very critical comments from readers highlighting his contribution to workplace bullying. I admit they presented a very unflattering image of the man.
As of today (1 June 2010) all these critical comments have been removed from that blog. What was left is a wash out. Does Sir Peter have a guardian angel?
Anonymous
--------------
No, he has expensive legal help that threatens THES with legal action so the latter removed the 'offending' comments and replaced them with the following statement:
- Editor's comment
We welcome free speech but not comments that are libellous, unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable. Any postings of this nature will be removed.
Ann Mroz, Editor
Monday, May 31, 2010
When the Boss Feels Inadequate
ABSTRACT
When and why do power holders seek to harm other people? The present research examined the idea that aggression among the powerful is often the result of a threatened ego. Four studies demonstrated that individuals with power become aggressive when they feel incompetent in the domain of power. Regardless of whether power was measured in the workplace (Studies 1 and 4), manipulated via role recall (Study 2), or assigned in the laboratory (Study 3), it was associated with heightened aggression when paired with a lack of self-perceived competence. As hypothesized, this aggression appeared to be driven by ego threat: Aggressiveness was eliminated among participants whose sense of self-worth was boosted (Studies 3 and 4). Taken together, these findings suggest that (a) power paired with self-perceived incompetence leads to aggression, and (b) this aggressive response is driven by feelings of ego defensiveness. Implications for research on power, competence, and aggression are discussed...
CONCLUSION
The present findings highlight the importance of perceiving personal competence when holding a position of power. Power holders who do not feel personally competent are more likely than those who feel competent to lash out against other people. Additionally, the finding that self-worth boosts assuage the aggressive tendencies of such power holders implies the effectiveness of a strategy commonly employed by underlings: excessive flattery. It is both interesting and ironic to note that such flattery, although perhaps affirming to the ego, may contribute to the incompetent power holder’s ultimate demise—by causing the power holder to lose touch with reality.
Full paper at: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~nathanaf/power_incompetence_and_aggresssion.pdf
When and why do power holders seek to harm other people? The present research examined the idea that aggression among the powerful is often the result of a threatened ego. Four studies demonstrated that individuals with power become aggressive when they feel incompetent in the domain of power. Regardless of whether power was measured in the workplace (Studies 1 and 4), manipulated via role recall (Study 2), or assigned in the laboratory (Study 3), it was associated with heightened aggression when paired with a lack of self-perceived competence. As hypothesized, this aggression appeared to be driven by ego threat: Aggressiveness was eliminated among participants whose sense of self-worth was boosted (Studies 3 and 4). Taken together, these findings suggest that (a) power paired with self-perceived incompetence leads to aggression, and (b) this aggressive response is driven by feelings of ego defensiveness. Implications for research on power, competence, and aggression are discussed...
CONCLUSION
The present findings highlight the importance of perceiving personal competence when holding a position of power. Power holders who do not feel personally competent are more likely than those who feel competent to lash out against other people. Additionally, the finding that self-worth boosts assuage the aggressive tendencies of such power holders implies the effectiveness of a strategy commonly employed by underlings: excessive flattery. It is both interesting and ironic to note that such flattery, although perhaps affirming to the ego, may contribute to the incompetent power holder’s ultimate demise—by causing the power holder to lose touch with reality.
Full paper at: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~nathanaf/power_incompetence_and_aggresssion.pdf
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