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May 21, 2012

Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
James K. Glassman: 5 Stock Picks Among Online Retailers
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Caroline B. Glick: Embracing dangerous delusions and not our friends
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Janet Bodnar: How to Teach Kids to Handle Credit Cards
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Mary Beth Franklin: Retirement Savings Tips for New Grads
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
Chelsea Sheasley: Social media: Is it too feminine?
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Jackson Holahan: The Aleppo Codex
Jonathan Tobin : Iran Declares Victory in Nuclear Talks
Anne Kates Smith: 7 Stocks That Let You Sleep Tight
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Dennis Prager: God and Man at (and for) Liberty
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
Environmental Nutrition Editors: Get the facts on palm sugar sweetening
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Richard Simon: Purple Hearts for domestic terror victims?
Nando Pelusi, Ph.D.: The privacy paradox: Surrounded by strangers, we risk isolation, anxiety
Chris Farrell: Investing Lessons from the Great Recession
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
Tiffany O'Callaghan: New hormone mimics effects of exercise without the sweat
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Rabbi B. Shafier: Why happiness will always be elusive
Charles Krauthammer: Echoes of '67: Israel unites
Howard LaFranchi: With G8 snub, US-Putin 'reset' off to stumbling start
Jeremy J. Siegel: Investors, Relax About Rising Interest Rates
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Clifford D. May: The Real Palestinian Refugee Problem
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Harvard Health Letters: Palliative care: Underused therapy yields surprising benefits
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
Rachel L. Sheedy and Susan B. Garland : Make the Right Moves to Boost Benefits
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
John Rosemond: Parents, stop destroying the American male
Valerie J. Nelson: Maurice Sendak, author of 'Where the Wild Things Are,' dies at 83
Bob Frick: Angst Over Annuities
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Why did my blood pressure suddenly shoot up?
Lisa Gerstner: Lower the Rate on All Your Loans
The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : Springtime soba with miso sauce offers a coloful mix of fresh textures and flavors
May 8, 2012
Edmund Sanders: Netanyahu suddenly cancels new elections, forms unity government
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: Farewell to European superstate
Anne Kates Smith: 4 Stocks That Mimic Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway
Gaia Vince and Clare Wilson The Rise of Miniature Medical Robots: Fantasy Fast Becoming Reality
Paul Takahashi, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Never suffer night leg cramps
Jessica L. Anderson: Extended-Warranty Warning
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day with the Best Cookie Ever (Includes techniques)
May 7, 2012
Mark Clayton: Homeland Security warns major cyber attack aimed at gas pipeline industry underway
Angus Roxburgh: Putin Decoded: World view of a Russian feeling dissed
Kimberly Lankford: Navigate a Course for Long-Term Care
Kevin McCormally How to Adjust Your Tax Withholding
Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D.: Harvard Health Letters: How do you treat a Baker's cyst?
Joanne Capano: Healthy Snacks for Children: The Choices May Surprise You
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: Classic Creamy Spinach Dip with a Fraction of the Calories and Fat
May 4, 2012
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Holy 'trivialities'
Jonathan Tobin: Bibi v. Barak will be no contest this time around
Steven Goldberg: Blue Chip Stocks On Sale Worldwide
Art Pine Slow Productivity Growth a Blessing --- For Now
Sue Hubbard, M.D. : The Kid's Doctor: Are Kids Too Wired?
Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D: Foods that are good for your smile
Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H.: Eating Well: Foods that are good for your smile
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Strawberry rhubarb parfaits are elegant yet simple to assemble
May 3, 2012
Michael Freund: Who's Afraid of the Messiah?
Clifford D. May: The Foggiest War
Susan B. Garland: Insurance to Cover Old Old Age
Steven Goldberg 6 Reasons to Bet on a Big Bull Market
Harvard Health Letters: Treating prostate cancer --- no rush to judgment
Larry Gordon: Harvard, MIT partner to offer free online courses
Naomi Nix : Man gets free trip to Chicago after postcard sent by mother in 1957 finally reaches him
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Intensely Italian vegetable frittata is a seriously simple standby


Jewish World Review March 24, 2006 / 24 Adar, 5766

The Dude Culture

By Marianne M. Jennings

Marianne M. Jennings
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | The cover of Sports Illustrated featured a mid-air snowboarder, locks a-flyin', in a tip of the helmet to androgyny. The caption? "American Men and Women Rule the Halfpipe." Dude! Shaun White and Hannah Teeter, the male and female snowboarder Olympic Gold Medalists, have found second careers following their stint as the Hanson musical group. Ten bucks and Janet Jones Gretzky's sports book acumen say the snow skateboarders can't add the judges' scores without a calculator (them's three digits with decimals) or name the century during which the Revolutionary War was fought, but they have bested the world on freefalling.


I adjusted to the drooping pants, the Slinky string bracelets, and the Prince-Valiant-with-curls-hairstyles that wandered amongst us because historical and generational precedent assured: This too shall pass. But, nay, the skateboards, Bill and Ted, and the iPodded ears hover still. They have left their imprimatur. We have become the Dude Culture.


Time magazine has twice run multi-page spreads on dude geniuses. Somehow I cannot equate Time's wunderkind, who begins his insight, "I know a guy . . . ," with Socrates (that's Sew-crates, two syllables, in dudese). A recent Time exposé featured the top four thinkers in the country. Mark Cuban, thinker/owner of the Dallas Mavericks and co-founder of Broadcast.com and HDNet was one of them and weighed in, "In the past, you had to memorize knowledge because there was a cost to finding it. Now, what can't you find in 30 seconds or less? We live an open-book-test life that requires a completely different skill set." Dudes worry me because they don't know what came before them or even that we survived without them! Yes, anyone can look up "Mephistopheles" on the Internet in 30 seconds, but it might take cracking a book or two to understand Faustus. Another ten bucks says they don't know either one and are hoping Google's "Did you mean _______?" will correct their spelling when they plug them in for a search.


Mr. Cuban is right about one thing. The Dude Culture is the 30-second culture - their attention span is the length of an MTV video camera shot. This attention span deficit disorder (ASDA) has pummeled their work ethic. My children's pediatricians bemoaned the process of taking on new docs for their expanding 15-year-plus-practice, "They don't want to pay their dues. They want the flex hours, the short hours, the no-on-call-weekends, and they want it all with partnership status and all within the first year." Chill, Dr. Dudes!


The e-mail exchange of Dianna Abdala with lawyer Will Korman on his job offer is now legendary. Following two interviews, his ordering her stationery, and her agreeing on a start date, she sent him an e-mail. To her, his job offer "would neither fulfill me nor support the lifestyle I am living." At age 24, while in school, she has a lifestyle? When Mr. Korman called the dudette "immature and unprofessional," she shot back, hurling infinite wisdom at him, "A real lawyer would have put the contract in writing and not exercised any such reliance until he did so." He then asked, "Do you really want to start [annoying] more experienced lawyers at this early stage of your career?" The half-piped half-wit shot back, "bla, bla, bla." A quick Internet dictionary search would have yielded, "Did you mean 'blah?'" When a Wall Street Journal Reporter asked Ms. Abdala whether she was worried about her bad rep in the legal community she said, "I'm more worried about whether I left my hair iron on than this little email exchange." Dude, life is too short and hair too important for deference.


Swishing through the Internet faster than speeding bullets has emboldened the dudes around their elders. Students who have not yet met me drop me e-mails that begin, "Marianne." I count my blessings. First-name beats "Whassup?"


Perhaps, though, they cannot spell "Jennings." The dudes in the service industry choose "G" as the beginning letter for my name. Most drop the second "g." Therefore, my dude name, to which I now respond quite readily, is "Gennins." I fear that if they plugged William Jennings Bryan or even Peter Jennings into Google they would get, "Did you mean William Gennins Bryan?"


Once I navigate past these casual greetings from my new best friends, the content proves worse. I have e-mails that detail everything from stomach flu and temperatures to confessions of smoking half-pipes (or so) over the weekend. One student detailed the timing intervals for her IBS. Propriety goes with dudes as oil goes with water. Blend in their intense self-focus and, well, they blog away at you. Cursed high school teachers! You who insisted on molding journal-writing narcissists. Their journals are Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and/or Wilson brothers movie - the central plot involves bodily functions and impairment.


Dudes want executive status and perks, but they're not quite ready to stop binge drinking. They want deals and contracts, but don't want the boredom of customer service. They want gold medals, but not with the structure and rigor of figure skating or the team work of hockey. They want credibility, but their sweater sleeves hang down over their hands. They assure us that they are professionals, but the spider web tattoos on their elbows belie that. They want face-to-face contact but their piercings are blinding. I worry that they will be sucked in when they walk by MRI departments.


But I worry more that they have been sucked into a "The world has changed" mentality that finds them believing that knowledge, spelling, graciousness, and hard work no longer matter. Temporarily, it seems, they are right. The dude culture is in full swing, and they have swooshed their way to the Olympics, medals, fame, and fortune. Google is king of the business world. For now. But the dude culture is a disorderly one with few rules, no judgments, and a laid-back notion that all will be well. History does teach us differently. Plug "Roman Empire, Fall" into Google and read up, for at least 30 seconds.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Marianne M. Jennings is a professor of legal and ethical studies at Arizona State University. Send your comments by clicking here.

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© 2006, Marianne M. Jennings

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