The WTF? Thread

[S. aureus]

I'm not sure whether you're agreeing that the increasing focus on "career-oriented" degrees in universities is a bad thing, or whether you think FIgs and all are defining "practical application" too narrowly.

[ursus arctos]

The definition of practical application here seems awfully narrow to me.

Certainly these degrees provide training in (and opportunities to refine) skills that can be applied in other lines of endeavour.

Admittedly, my view is coloured by the fact that I ultimately chose a profession employing over a million people in this cpuntry, none of whom have a domestic undergraduate degree in the subhect.

[S. aureus]

Given that languages, humanities, pure sciences, combined degrees and much much more have been hounded out of my institution for not being 'professions-facing' I am a loud and staunch defender of studying things without a practical application.

I completely agree with this, also.

[Balderdasha]

Given that languages, humanities, pure sciences, combined degrees and much much more have been hounded out of my institution for not being 'professions-facing' I am a loud and staunch defender of studying things without a practical application.

Oh I agree. I have zero regrets in studying my "pointless" and "impractical" degree. I loved it and found that it profoundly influenced how I choose to live my life. And it has not stopped me working in a wide range of professions (partly because I have no shame in creatively translating my skills and experience to new fields).

[Patrick Thistle]

Almost like he had pre-determined what his answer was going to be, and then defined his terms to make sure it came out as he wanted.

That's the default for religious apologists though.

It was such a bizarre justification that it stuck with me.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Given that languages, humanities, pure sciences, combined degrees and much much more have been hounded out of my institution for not being 'professions-facing' I am a loud and staunch defender of studying things without a practical application.

[Balderdasha]

It's a good example of the pros and cons of majoring in religion. On the one hand, you learn about stuff like that and it is fascinating. On the other hand, that knowledge has no practical application whatsoever.

This is also true for my social anthropology degree.

[Janik]

Almost like he had pre-determined what his answer was going to be, and then defined his terms to make sure it came out as he wanted.

[ursus arctos]

He must have had a very high bar for "truly heinous"

[Patrick Thistle]

I remember a Catholic former seminarian in college telling me that if you listed all the truly heinous Popes, it worked out at about one in twelve, which is the same ratio of disciples that betrayed Jesus so it was to be expected.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

For some reason, I have no memory of this even though I'm sure it was discussed in my Medieval Christianity class circa 1994.

It's a good example of the pros and cons of majoring in religion. On the one hand, you learn about stuff like that and it is fascinating. On the other hand, that knowledge has no practical application whatsoever.

It makes you unimpressed by popes. That used to mean something. For some reason I have it in my head that poor old formosus wound up in the Tiber a second time

[Hot Pepsi]

A notable example from history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod

For some reason, I have no memory of this even though I'm sure it was discussed in my Medieval Christianity class circa 1994.

It's a good example of the pros and cons of majoring in religion. On the one hand, you learn about stuff like that and it is fascinating. On the other hand, that knowledge has no practical application whatsoever.

[Levin]

https://twitter.com/arrroberts/status/1778110496186466418?t=x1mWqbcUKtCqc6QZjKYRhA&s=19

[delicatemoth]

A notable example from history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod

Ooh, the success of this caper may have inspired the trials of animals that took place on various occasions during the Middle Ages.

[elguapo4]

Pope John XII. He was beaten up and thrown out a window rather than getting the Leon Trotsky treatment.

[ursus arctos]

Doing God's work as always, you two

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

We included pope Formosus in a papal top trumps mock card game in a college magazine Garcia and myself did back in the day. We wanted to educate people that the popes weren't just a boring polish lad reading out phonetic nonsense like "bringing piss to ireland". The real John XXIII was in there too. There was a lad who got a hammer through the back of the skull by a disgruntled husband somewhere along the line.

[ursus arctos]

A notable example from history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod

[Patrick Thistle]

Yeah that headline needed a "was" in it

[RaggedTrousered]

I thought WTF on seeing this on rte news

but it turns out offences were historical rather than some new law to literally bring dead people to trial.

[Guy Profumo]

<bugger. It's old, and a fake>

[Guy Profumo]

"The front fell off - that's not typical"

Does what it says on tin, front falls off ship


https://youtu.be/WkpGWbW3YhM?si=WyQkWMtmuMrof73f

[Nocturnal Submission]

This (old) newspaper article claims that one Brigadier-General A.C. Critchley either planned to, or actually did, introduce the sport of cheetah racing in London: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...m-1090171.html

[Patrick Thistle]

This is amazing!

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1776654852749222231?t=ImLfxrLU8mQIU7_RxgUJAA&s=19

[Patrick Thistle]

Incredible stuff!