Sunday 9 November 2014

Jesus Cro'st?



Art College education in the UK normally consists of two different stages. Firstly there is a one year 'Foundation Course' where one learns everything from oxy-acetylene welding to the basics of industrial design. Secondly there is a three year degree course, in one's specific chosen subject.

My Foundation Course was at a rather piss-poor college on England's South coast; a small institution with a rag-bag of inferior lecturers, who were all extremely lucky to have found employment.

Other than learning how to draw, vacuum mould plastics, and use extremely dangerous wood-working machinery, we were also required to attend extra-curricular seminars; one of which was on Philosophy.

Our Philosophy lecturer was a woman called Maggie H. A slight, bumbling, ineffectual young woman, who probably knew less of her subject than many of us students. Making her life as difficult as possible was an essential part of our weekly fun (I can't give her full name as she now holds an important professorship at a well-known British university, as well as being the author of several highly regarded publications). 

After one of her more meaningless seminars I was walking along a corridor with her when she suddenly stopped and asked me (in a very serious hushed voice) "Do you see yourself as a Christ-like figure?".

I was somewhat taken aback by this very odd question, and tried to figure what she expected me to answer. Eventually I decided it would be more fun to reply "Yes".

She walked off, and didn't speak to me again. After all these years I'm still wondering if I shouldn't have just been honest and said "Of course not".

Bizarre halo-less photo, © Charles Fenton-Savage.

18 comments:

  1. Jee-sus Cro-st on a cracker! What a great photo!

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  2. It's strange the things one remembers. Of my year spent on my Foundation Course, this is the only conversation I remember verbatim. She must have really annoyed me!

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  3. I wonder where she pulled that question from. How random. What kind of answer was she expecting? Perhaps you should have said "No, but i ask myself, what would Jesus do all the time". Baffling and so it has stuck!

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  4. You had obviously been particularly difficult in class that day.

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  5. Your unexpected answer might have given Maggie some great insight, that might have led to some great writing from her, leading to a steeper-than-expected career curve. Kudos to you, Cro!

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  6. I can't help but wonder if she saw you as 'holier than thou' or the ultimate 'do-gooder' -- or maybe even both!

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  7. I think you really had gotten under skin and she had probably spent days deciding how to take you down a peg or two - sadly her ploy failed.

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    Replies
    1. Well I am still contemplating her question!

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  8. You clearly made an impression on her. Should you read the few highly regarded publications in case you appear as a case study under a false name?

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  9. Were you the ring-leader and the others followed? Were there twelve of them?

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  10. You should have replied
    " Be still and know that I am God"
    (chortles!)

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