Curmie
@manjushri924.bsky.social
Retired theatre professor; still doing some academic writing. Left-leaning civil libertarian. Curmudgeon.
Curmudgeon Central on FB.
https://manjushri924.blogspot.com
Curmudgeon Central on FB.
https://manjushri924.blogspot.com
"Of course, ACTF is not without its own partisanship, and their decision was in part a predictable exercise in virtue signaling. But was it necessary? Yes. Yes, it was."
Thoughts on the KC/ACTF Divorce
Curmie has never been a particular fan of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. They’re too political, in two senses of ...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:05 AM
"Of course, ACTF is not without its own partisanship, and their decision was in part a predictable exercise in virtue signaling. But was it necessary? Yes. Yes, it was."
"...no rational person believes that the Kennedy Center ought to be re-named in honor of an anti-intellectual, narcissistic, vulgarian like Donald Trump."
Dear Leader's Latest Vanity Endeavor
How telling is it that they’re either too stupid or too lazy to use the right damned font? It’s still the Gulf of Mexico. It’s still the De...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:24 PM
"...no rational person believes that the Kennedy Center ought to be re-named in honor of an anti-intellectual, narcissistic, vulgarian like Donald Trump."
"What is certain is that not merely is the person who wrote that missive unfit for the Presidency, he’s batshit crazy."
Donald Trump Is Unfit to Be POTUS. But We Already Knew That.
Early in the 2016 primary season, one of Curmie’s Facebook friends asked for a two-word description of Donald Trump. Curmie went with “xeno...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
"What is certain is that not merely is the person who wrote that missive unfit for the Presidency, he’s batshit crazy."
This library needs your support today!
Please sign the petition and help @everylibrary.bsky.social fight for libraries in the United States. www.fightforthefirst.org/petitions/th... @everylibrary.bsky.social
Please sign the petition and help @everylibrary.bsky.social fight for libraries in the United States. www.fightforthefirst.org/petitions/th... @everylibrary.bsky.social
Stop book bans in Victoria, Texas: They don’t speak for us
Removing and banning books of any topic is censorship; plain and simple. We cannot allow books to be removed because it creates a slippery slope. This is a PUBLIC library paid for by taxpayers, and th...
www.fightforthefirst.org
December 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
This library needs your support today!
Please sign the petition and help @everylibrary.bsky.social fight for libraries in the United States. www.fightforthefirst.org/petitions/th... @everylibrary.bsky.social
Please sign the petition and help @everylibrary.bsky.social fight for libraries in the United States. www.fightforthefirst.org/petitions/th... @everylibrary.bsky.social
"Alas, [Rubio's] tenure has been a disaster. Most of that is probably attributable to being a good soldier, advocating for policies we can only hope he knew were stupid, but this one takes not only the cake, but two pies, a dozen donuts and a loaf of artisanal focaccia."
The Latest DEI Threat to American Sovereignty: the Calibri Font
Curmie had started a piece about how the NCAA can’t do literally anything right, as evidenced by this year’s colossally stupid FBS football ...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:09 PM
"Alas, [Rubio's] tenure has been a disaster. Most of that is probably attributable to being a good soldier, advocating for policies we can only hope he knew were stupid, but this one takes not only the cake, but two pies, a dozen donuts and a loaf of artisanal focaccia."
"Suggesting that even privileged white Christians need do good work and fulfill assignments if they want good grades, of course, does not sit well in Trumpistan."
The University of Oklahoma Fails by Excusing Failure
Grades on college essays have been a source of controversy since professors started giving grades on college essays. The latest case to be...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
December 7, 2025 at 4:27 PM
"Suggesting that even privileged white Christians need do good work and fulfill assignments if they want good grades, of course, does not sit well in Trumpistan."
"This time, it’s Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where Curmie himself taught for seven years, that has sought the easy but no doubt ineffectual fix even if it means betraying what Curmie had always believed was a genuine passion for the liberal arts model of higher education."
Cornell College Turns Its Back on the Liberal Arts. This One Is Personal.
Armstrong Hall, where Curmie used to work. (Theatre has now been moved to a new, adjoining, building.) Over the years, Curmie has written a ...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:46 PM
"This time, it’s Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where Curmie himself taught for seven years, that has sought the easy but no doubt ineffectual fix even if it means betraying what Curmie had always believed was a genuine passion for the liberal arts model of higher education."
"College athletic programs have long since abandoned even the pretense of being about students. This is just one more nail in the coffin."
The Players Era Tournament: An Ominous View of the Future
On top of everything else, the championship trophy is so tacky it looks like it was designed by Donald Trump Curmie is of a mixed mind abo...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:20 PM
"College athletic programs have long since abandoned even the pretense of being about students. This is just one more nail in the coffin."
"But posting a meme shouldn’t get you fired, and it sure as hell shouldn’t get you arrested. What’s worse, of course, is the active collusion of multiple figures in the (in)justice system."
Please Tell Curmie This Is the Worst Case of Police and Prosecutorial Overreach This Year. Please.
Seriously, posting this is what generated a felony charge. You will recall, Gentle Reader, that the immediate aftermath of the assassinati...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:37 PM
"But posting a meme shouldn’t get you fired, and it sure as hell shouldn’t get you arrested. What’s worse, of course, is the active collusion of multiple figures in the (in)justice system."
"Female singers don’t have a monopoly on this stuff, but a lot of them sure to seem to be good at it: Dolly Parton. Taylor Swift. Ariana Grande. And now Cynthia Erivo. Whether we’re fans of their music or not, we need to recognize that the world is a better place for their presence in it."
Cynthia Erivo Does What “Security” Doesn’t
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo arrive at the “Yellow Carpet” in Singapore Curmie is behind, to say the least, in pretty much all things Pop...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:35 AM
"Female singers don’t have a monopoly on this stuff, but a lot of them sure to seem to be good at it: Dolly Parton. Taylor Swift. Ariana Grande. And now Cynthia Erivo. Whether we’re fans of their music or not, we need to recognize that the world is a better place for their presence in it."
Reposted by Curmie
International Graduate Student Enrollment Drops
Some colleges report dramatic declines in enrollment among master’s-level students amid visa issuance and immigration challenges in the U.S. https://bit.ly/4nJZRyp
#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
Some colleges report dramatic declines in enrollment among master’s-level students amid visa issuance and immigration challenges in the U.S. https://bit.ly/4nJZRyp
#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
November 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM
International Graduate Student Enrollment Drops
Some colleges report dramatic declines in enrollment among master’s-level students amid visa issuance and immigration challenges in the U.S. https://bit.ly/4nJZRyp
#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
Some colleges report dramatic declines in enrollment among master’s-level students amid visa issuance and immigration challenges in the U.S. https://bit.ly/4nJZRyp
#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
Sometimes Curmie considers Eeyore an optimist.
Not to Be a Wet Blanket, But...
As you might suspect, Gentle Reader, Curmie sees a lot of material from leftie sources—The Other 98%, Occupy Democrats, Robert Reich, and so...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Sometimes Curmie considers Eeyore an optimist.
"You can't make this shit up, Gentle Reader."
Harvard, Grade Inflation, and the Very Special Snowflakes
A recent article in the Harvard Crimson has generated substantially more buzz on the national scale than is common for college newspaper fa...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:37 PM
"You can't make this shit up, Gentle Reader."
"The Republican Party is now completely subservient to the petulance and vindictiveness of a delirious despot-wannabe, and they’ll say or do anything to prove their allegiance to him."
On Regretting the Loss of Thoughtful Disagreement
One of the saddest things about the current administration is that it has forced once-principled and intelligent conservatives to start spou...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
"The Republican Party is now completely subservient to the petulance and vindictiveness of a delirious despot-wannabe, and they’ll say or do anything to prove their allegiance to him."
"If you’re going to be a censorial asshat, at least be timely about it."
Reading between the Lines of the Censorship of "Between the Lines"
Curmie isn’t sure whether the classic rock lyrics du jour should come from Stevie Nicks or Whitesnake, but it’s clear that the situation is...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:49 PM
"If you’re going to be a censorial asshat, at least be timely about it."
"Curmie can, as is his wont, bundle three different stories that emerged roughly simultaneously under the general heading of Censorial Asshatitude."
Three First Amendment Stories
There are just too many things to write about right now. Curmie doesn’t promise FOC Steve that a piece on the bombing of those Venezuelan ...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 17, 2025 at 8:13 PM
"Curmie can, as is his wont, bundle three different stories that emerged roughly simultaneously under the general heading of Censorial Asshatitude."
"If he’d stop whining about how he deserves a Nobel Prize for large illusory accomplishments, he might even deserve one for an actual success."
Credit Where It’s Due: President Trump
The convoy of released Israeli hostages heads toward Jerusalem To say that Curmie has been unimpressed with the Trump presidency is to err m...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 13, 2025 at 10:40 PM
"If he’d stop whining about how he deserves a Nobel Prize for large illusory accomplishments, he might even deserve one for an actual success."
"The Compact, as expected.... restricts freedom of speech even as it pretends to support it. It reveals a profound ignorance about the way higher education works and a contempt for scholarship, teaching, and learning."
The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education Is, Unsurprisingly, the Exact Opposite of What It Pretends to Be
Baker Library at Dartmouth College This one is long, even by Curmie’s standards, Gentle Reader. Buckle up. A few months ago, Curmie wrote...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
"The Compact, as expected.... restricts freedom of speech even as it pretends to support it. It reveals a profound ignorance about the way higher education works and a contempt for scholarship, teaching, and learning."
“The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.”
--John Lennon (85 today)
--John Lennon (85 today)
It’s a Different World Out There Now, Dennis
Masked ICE agent sprays Pastor David Black directly in the face. Photo by Ashlee Rezin of the Chicago Sun-Times There were, no doubt, severa...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
“The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.”
--John Lennon (85 today)
--John Lennon (85 today)
This is terrifying!
ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)
This is Trump’s America.
ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)
This is Trump’s America.
October 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Are you an alum from one of the 9 schools the federal government just attacked? Sign this alumni petition now to support your school, defend democracy, and build a grassroots movement for campus freedom across America. alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org/petitions/tr...
STAND WITH YOUR SCHOOL: Trump attacks 9 universities. Sign the alumni petition now.
Are you an alum from one of the 9 schools the federal government just attacked? Sign this alumni petition now to support your school, defend democracy, and build a grassroots movement for campus freed...
alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org
October 9, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Are you an alum from one of the 9 schools the federal government just attacked? Sign this alumni petition now to support your school, defend democracy, and build a grassroots movement for campus freedom across America. alumni.standforcampusfreedom.org/petitions/tr...
"If you want to read a banned book, go for it. Don’t do so just because it was banned. But if that makes it just a little more intriguing, so be it. Enjoy, Gentle Reader."
Thoughts on Banned Books Week
It is currently Banned Books Week, during which time we are encouraged to read… wait for it… banned books, i.e. , books that some censorial ...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:59 AM
"If you want to read a banned book, go for it. Don’t do so just because it was banned. But if that makes it just a little more intriguing, so be it. Enjoy, Gentle Reader."
Tilly Norwood is being touted as the next Scarlett Johansson. That’s not gonna happen, at least as long as the real one draws movie-goers in large numbers. Tilly won’t do that, except perhaps very briefly as a variation on the theme of a freak show. But she is a helluva lot cheaper...
On the (ahem) Acting Career of Tilly Norwood
To say that Curmie is rather ignorant of popular culture is to err more on the side of understatement than of hyperbole. That wasn’t always...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 3, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Tilly Norwood is being touted as the next Scarlett Johansson. That’s not gonna happen, at least as long as the real one draws movie-goers in large numbers. Tilly won’t do that, except perhaps very briefly as a variation on the theme of a freak show. But she is a helluva lot cheaper...
"...disagreeing with the Israeli government doesn’t mean you’re antisemitic. But if you claim to be a diplomat, refusing to listen to the Israeli PM when you endured a harangue by Donald Trump pretty much means that you are."
The Other UN Story
The chances are, Gentle Reader, that you’re well aware of the recent visit of President Trump to the United Nations. You’ve read about h...
manjushri924.blogspot.com
October 1, 2025 at 9:51 PM
"...disagreeing with the Israeli government doesn’t mean you’re antisemitic. But if you claim to be a diplomat, refusing to listen to the Israeli PM when you endured a harangue by Donald Trump pretty much means that you are."