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It's a fundamental tenet of our cultural mythology that the only thing wrong with us is that humans are not made well enough. We need to be made of finer materials, to some set of better specifications (provided, perhaps, by greened-up versions of our traditional religions). We just need to be made kinder, gentler, sweeter, more loving, less selfish, more far-sighted, and so on, then everything will be fine. Of course, no one succeeded in making us better last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that--or indeed any year in recorded history--but maybe this year we'll get lucky . . . or next year or the year after that. Beyond Civilization
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UNIT 17 Civilization: Who Likes It?
Does the public have different expectations of a religious leader than a star quarterback? And if so, why? Would your opinion of Quinn's ideas change if, like a rap star, he was arrested while driving drunk, with a suspended driver's license, with an unlicensed gun and a stash of cocaine in the glove compartment? How does this relate to what the author is saying about himself here?
Why did the president who told Quinn his work was "too good for kids" care that it was too good? [It will take some digging to get the answer. You may have to ask questions about related industries. For example, what would it mean if a theatrical producer told the costume maker that s/he was making the costumes "too good"? Clearly, "making something too good" is code for "spending too much money on it."]
Where does Quinn's allegiance lie?--with the ten percent who "love their work" or with the rest who need to find fulfillment beyond civilization? Or is he sympathetic to both?
In pointing us toward a new territory beyond civilization, does Quinn seem to be saying, "You go ahead. I'm staying here"? [This is a question that will invite reassessment in later sections.]
To get a sense of how well the author is doing, have students rate each of the twelve statements in "Pulling the pieces together" with a zero, 1, or 2, scoring zero for "unconvinced," 1 for "somewhat convinced," and 2 for "completely convinced."
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