Thursday, November 10, 2005

Lechner an overachiever

The New York Times today brings more fame to the embarrassment of UW Whitewater, Johnny Lechner. But there is something striking in this story. It comes in this paragraph:
Mr. Lechner is not entirely unique. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said recently that she had found a student who had been enrolled in college for 17 years. Still, in an era of national anxiety over global academic competition, some state officials are indignant that Mr. Lechner's record is attracting a spotlight.
Read that again. There is a student that has been enrolled in college in this country for 17 years, and we know nothing of him or her. Now that, folks, is an accomplishment. That is a student who is so dedicated to mediocrity that fame has not even come to him/her. Lechner is a schlub going through 15 minutes of fame. If we want to celebrate mediocrity, let's celebrate that anonymous 17 year college student.
A couple of quotes from the lovely Mrs. Jib on this topic:
*They got one part right-the lech part in his name. It's disgusting that we celebrate an individual whose only talent is seducing naive freshman girls over a decade his junior. You would think he could manage to add a few more accolades to his resume after twelve years of schooling.
*This is what the New York Times now finds to be "All the news that's fit to print"?

As you can tell, this is a topic that gets her fired up.

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