{"id":2400,"date":"2021-01-14T06:52:58","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T14:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/?p=2400"},"modified":"2021-01-14T06:53:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T14:53:00","slug":"bildungsroman-re-piped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/bildungsroman-re-piped\/","title":{"rendered":"Bildungsroman re-piped"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cIt is my sad duty to inform you that the \u2026president<\/em>\u2026 was shot twenty-five minutes ago and has been transported to the hospital.\u201d The children in Frank\u2019s class cheered. It was not an uncommon occurrence. It happened in other classes. The teacher\u2019s face fell. He scowled at the children and started angrily berating them. \u201cThat is the president of these United States<\/em>!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"person
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The lack of unity amongst the children for these United States<\/em> flustered him. It was unacceptable. Would not be given toleration. When you lose the youth, your society declines. Freedom to choose is the promise of these United States.<\/em> That was sacred. Could not be deviated from. Not an inch. The flag. Worth defending. The children quieted down, but a certain giddiness remained through-out the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The president was not popular in the eighth grade circle. And the breaking up of the monotony of the everyday was not without its part in the festive, circus-like atmosphere. At least the class clowns were respectful; silent, all in the same car. But there were sporadic lectures resulting throughout the day. As a corrective, drained of all meaning. A dark ritual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lunch<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


But there was one class, and what I tell you now has passed into legend, where, after a stern lecture from the teacher began, a single student, unnamed, but it was a female student, said, \u201cHow do you know the cheering was for the shooting of the president and not his transport to a regional hospital?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"burning
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And the teacher was struck dumb for answers.
And the girl broke the silence again, \u201cFrankly I\u2019m offended you didn\u2019t ask. The judgmental attitude you hold toward innocent youths is disturbing. I should report you.\u201d And with that she physically moved her desk around to face away from him. A rejection of status. Emboldened, the other students did the same. Anarchy! Rules turned on heads. Silence reigned until the bell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a bathroom in the lower hall where there were no stalls. People didn\u2019t linger. There was no stalling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three toilets in a row with no walls. Communal commodes. It is crazy how close the toilets seem without stalls. An illusion. Once Frank sat there with another boy and he didn\u2019t remember who spoke first. They spent an afternoon there, because who wanted to go back to class. But he didn\u2019t catch the other truant\u2019s name, and even if he had seen him in the hall later they would not have made eye contact. Sometimes people drift apart, even when they bonded quite closely initially. Because circumstances change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n


And there was also no mirror in that bathroom, being that there was no time for self reflection. Where there had been a place for a mirror, on the far wall, there was a framed piece of plywood. Like it was meant to be a mirror but was going against the grain. On this flat surface people scribbled messages like throwing a bottle into a polluted sea. \u201cI live near campus and I have a waterbed.\u201d (One is identified by what one owns.) \u201cFor a good time call #######\u201d but the numbers were cross hatched out. (Mysteries are enticing to the inquisitive mind.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sometimes people squinted at the dull polished metal of the paper towel dispenser to see how they looked. A clown funhouse reflection on demand. You don\u2019t need to know what people\u2019s hair looks like. Einstein hardly used his comb. Maybe he never found one to his liking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt is my sad duty to inform you that the \u2026president\u2026 was shot twenty-five minutes ago and has been transported to the hospital.\u201d The children in Frank\u2019s class cheered. It was not an uncommon occurrence. It happened in other classes. The teacher\u2019s face fell. He scowled at the children and started angrily berating them. \u201cThat is the president of these United States!\u201d he said. The lack of unity amongst the children for these United States flustered him. It was unacceptable. Would not be given toleration. When you lose the youth, your society declines. Freedom to choose is the promise of...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12,2],"tags":[227,223,147,167,226,225,224],"class_list":["post-2400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-books","category-writing","tag-anarchy","tag-coming-of-age","tag-humor","tag-humour","tag-school","tag-toilet-humor","tag-wip"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3u13S-CI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":412,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/obamas-old-hat-the-peace-prize-president\/","url_meta":{"origin":2400,"position":0},"title":"Obama’s old hat (the peace prize president)","author":"David Raffin","date":"September 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"(Originally written when the Swede's gave Obama the Peace Prize. The Swedish\u00a0sense\u00a0of humor is odd. For instance, they let the Norwegians give out the Peace Prize. An indication of how seriously they take it.) Obama's old hat by David Raffin President Obama, honored with a Nobel peace prize while fighting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1977,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/those-lizard-people-good-eggs\/","url_meta":{"origin":2400,"position":1},"title":"Those lizard people? Good eggs.","author":"David Raffin","date":"August 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s been\u2026 A terrible accident involving a li\u2019l scientist atomic pile kit. The rec-room has been evacuated. It\u2019s projected not to be safe for 100,000 years. I spilled root beer on the kit even though the instructions clearly stated no food no drink near kit. I have removed the aa\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":862,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/sexism-arbitrary-ethnic-humor-and-science\/","url_meta":{"origin":2400,"position":2},"title":"Sexism, Arbitrary Ethnic Humor, and Science.","author":"David Raffin","date":"April 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Three men walk into a bar\u2026 At this point a lady asks me, \"Why men?\" And I say, \"It's a sexist joke.\" Three Swedes walk into a bar. It is full of leprechauns. It is the wrong bar. They are lost. \"Who is lost, the Swedes or the leprechauns?\" The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/1077593_10151504553277823_1904869306_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/1077593_10151504553277823_1904869306_o.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/1077593_10151504553277823_1904869306_o.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/1077593_10151504553277823_1904869306_o.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2302,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/washington-hellbillies\/","url_meta":{"origin":2400,"position":3},"title":"Washington hellbillies","author":"David Raffin","date":"October 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Let me tell you all a story \u2018bout a man name Trump a simple minded bumpkin with a head full of fluff, he wouldn\u2019t wear a mask now the Twitter corps says you can\u2019t wish him ill because he is our fascist Prez. Smoke mirrors The Naval base doctors gather\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/black-and-white-man-person-cigarette.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/black-and-white-man-person-cigarette.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/black-and-white-man-person-cigarette.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/black-and-white-man-person-cigarette.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/black-and-white-man-person-cigarette.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/black-and-white-man-person-cigarette.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4182,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/rub-this-one-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":2400,"position":4},"title":"Rub this (one off)","author":"David Raffin","date":"October 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I was a member of the street party but now I am a member of the house party. We are going to have a Civil War. Between the halfs and the half Nots. Who can bring us back together from these times of radical severance?Now we are all members of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1950,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/tragic-stories-disguised-as-jokes-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":2400,"position":5},"title":"Tragic Stories (disguised as jokes)","author":"David Raffin","date":"May 29, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Tragic Stories (disguised as jokes) is a collection of tales told by a monster to a demanding little girl. Monsters are unlucky in love. Cupid explains. Some monsters are closer than others. There is a monster who only dines on one half of any available loving couple, A specialty. You\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/TSDaJ80-189x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2400"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2406,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400\/revisions\/2406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}