by Storytime with GamerDude
GamerDude talks about how, in his lifetime, society has changed in its view of telling the truth, acting honorably, doing the right thing, and owning up to your mistakes. He talks about how lying has become far more acceptable than it ever used to be. He discusses the Watergate Hearings he remembers seeing on TV when he was a kid, and how Watergate showed that most people would "do the right thing," and do the "honorable" thing even when it wasn't politically expedient. He talks about "truth" and "facts" and compares them to "perceptions" and "beliefs" and discusses the difference between them. He talks about how there's a difference between a factual truth and a firmly held belief. He uses asbestos as an example of how the scientific fact of the deadly nature of asbestos fibers did not change simply because people once believed that asbestos was beneficial. He also discusses how, because we are lied to all of the time, every day - from when we're kids in school to when we're trying to pick the "right" cologne - it's easy to start to question everything we're told. But that questioning doesn't change certain indisputable facts, like the fact that the Earth is round.
An old electric football game inspired this week's StoryTime. GamerDude remembered what playing with the electric football game was like, and how unique a game it was. It also reminded him of the other activites that he used to do to pass time when he was a kid, most of which no longer exist. He talks about the spin-art machine he and his siblings had as kids, and how they would create abstract "masterpieces" with a squeeze bottle of paint and a high-speed turntable. He rememberd friends who had wood-burning kits, which were basically hot pokers designed for burning wood. He talks about how much he enjoyed making model cars, and the detail that went into completing each one. He remembers his Erector sets, and talks about why he never bought into the "build it just so you can take it apart and build something else" mind-set you had to have to enjoy Erector sets. GamerDude also remembers the home chemistry set he had as a kid, and the helpful neighborhood dad who gave him the recipe for gunpowder.
GamerDude has always been interested in history and in the law, and this week's episode comes from the intersection of those two things. He talks briefly about some of the silly laws in the U.S., like the Chicago law banning ugly people. He then goes back in time to talk about how the death penalty was prevalent in so many old laws, from the Code of Assura to the Code of Hammurabi. He talks about how the word "draconian" came from the laws passed by Draco, one of the rulers of ancient Anthens, and how he imposed the death penalty on everything from theft to loitering. GamerDude also talks about how poorly women have been treated under the law for, literally, centuries. He discusses how ancient laws viewed the crime of rape, and how men had many ways to avoid penalties for it. He also talks about how the death penalty was imposed in a wide variety of instances, from cutting another farmer's crops to being a heretic. GamerDude also talks about several different forms of execution that display the creative cruelty some people have always had, from keelhauling to the creation of the original "Roman candles."
This week, GamerDude returns to law school to fill in some details about the day-to-day life on the road to becoming an attorney. He talks about how he found a group of basketball buddies (including one of his constitutional law professors) and how they would play basketball a couple of times a week to break up the stress of the law school days. He talks about how he treated law school like a job, which enabled him to take it seriously enough to do well, and how he was invited to join both the law review and the moot court team. He talks about why he choose moot court over law review, and his dream of becoming a trial attorney. He also talks about recruiters looking for law school students that were not the usual law firms you'd expect, like the JAG corps and the FBI. GamerDude also talks about the changes he made to the "traditional" law school track in order to graduate in two-and-a-half years. He talks about his first year clerkship with one of his law professors, and he also shares his experiences from his "big firm" clerkship during his second summer, and how that convinced him that the last thing he wanted to do was actually work for a traditional "big law firm."
In a "very special" Best Of episode, GamerDude goes back to Season 1 and two of his most commented on episodes. The first excerpt is from his episode about bullying, and what it was like growing up being bullied on an almost daily basis, from being called "four eyes" (because of his glasses) to unprovoked physical attacks just because he existed. He also re-shares the stories about how he came to be the "fat kid" in school, and how being rewarded with food led to him gaining a lot of weight between middle school and high school. He talks about what it was like trying to socialize, and how he started to learn to pick up on social cues because of how he looked, and how people reacted to him.
This week, GamerDude revisits the topic of baseball. Back in Season 1, he talked about his love for the Yankees, and how and why he started rooting for them as a kid. In light of the end of the most recent lockout by the owners, GamerDude wanted to revisit the topic of baseball and talk about how he used to love it, but how and why he lost interest in the game. He talks about listening to baseball games on AM radio as a kid, when he was supposed to be sleeping. He talks about how radio signals at night from Boston, Cincinnatti and Chicago carried to his bedroom in New Jersey and alllowed him to listen to a number of games in bed. He talks about how the radio announcers brought the games to life, and how he learned the rules of the game from listening to, and occasionally watching, baseball. He also talks about wanting to play baseball as a kid but never really having the chance. He talks about throwing tennis balls at the house, and at a Pitch-Back in his back yard, to practice his fielding and throwing. And he talks about going to batting cages and trying to hit 70 mph pitches. He also talks about how he used to love baseball until the players' strike of 1994. He talks about rule changes, and playoff changes, and schedule changes. He also discusses the huge contracts and the extended length of games because of advertising. And, as any baseball fan would, he shares his rant about the designated hitter.
In this episode, GamerDude revisits the topic of "things that have changed" during his lifetime. He first talks about gas prices, and how he remembers when his mother paid 33.9 cents per gallon when he was a kid. He also talks about how things like seat belts and bike helmets were not part of his child hood at all, but how they are now just ordinary, accepted parts of our lives. He talks about how child-proofing when he was a kid was, basically, his parents saying, "No! Don't do that!" and how he ignored that anyway. He discusses how electrical outlet caps, drawer stops, and corner covers just didn't exist when he was growing up. He also talks about how he had to wear glasses as a kid, and how "wearing glasses" has evolved from making you a target to you making a fashion statement. He also talks about Dungeons & Dragons. He discusses the "satanic panic" surrounding D&D when it first came out, and how some religious groups considered it a tool of the devil and something akin to a satanic recruiting device. He also discusses how it has evolved from a fringe role-playing game for nerdy outcasts to a mainstream form of entertainment. He also discusses how D&D spawns creativity, promotes criticial thinking, inspires problem solving, and - most importantly - is just plain fun.
GamerDude talks more television this week, with the focus this time on "reality TV." He talks about when the show Survivor started in 2000 (yes, 22 years ago!) and how he loved the concept, at first. He discusses how shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race seemed to start casting their shows to check off certain boxes: the villain, the try hard, the old one, the boisterous one, the family one, and how it seemed to signal a change from just casting "real" people. He talks about shows like American Idol, AGT, and The Voice, and how the "reality" of getting input from the viewers often seems offset by what the producers want to have happen in a show. He also talks about The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise, and other shows like Wife Swap and the Real Housewives franchise, which seem to be about people wanting to be on TV, rather than dealing with anything ordinary people might consider as "real." He also talks about The Ed Sullivan Show, which could arguably be considered to be one of the first reality shows, and then focuses on Candid Camera, and explains why it is the first reality show, and why it is so good. He talks about why catching real people, reacting as themselves to odd situations is the best kind of reality show, because people being themselves is more entertaining than watching people trying to act out a part they may have carved for themselves.
GamerDude's first "taste" of law school was through the movie The Paper Chase, and the title of this episode is a quote from that movie. This week, GamerDude talks about how this Professor Kingsfield line is entirely accurate, and he discusses how law school changes how you think, and teaches you how to "think like a lawyer." GamerDude talks about the process of learning to think like a lawyer. He talks about the types of courses you take in law school, from torts, to contracts, to Constitutional law. He talks about the work load, and how attendance at class was so important. He talks about the tremendous amount of reading and note-taking there is in law school, and how an outline of an entire semester's class is necessary to have any hope of passing a final. And, he talks about the infamous "Socratic method" that was used quite liberally during his days in law school, and how it all helped teach him to learn how to think like a lawyer.
GamerDude revisits the topic of things that were a normal part of his life growing up that we don't have, that we don't need, and that we don't use anymore. He talks about having phone numbers of all of his friends, and the time-and-temperature line, and the local movies theaters, and the local police all memorized. He also talks about how the white pages, and the Yellow Pages in the phone book were the primary way to find phone numbers for people and businesses. He also remembers making photo albums and scrapbooks of clippings to save for his furture self, and also talks about re-visiting some of those clippings and wondering why he saved them. He also remembers his vinyl album collection, and his CD collection, and how it was so important to have these collections so that you would always have your music. He also talks about using a travel agent, and the services they offered. He also remembers what it was like to book your own trip, which involved calling all of the airlines, and the hotels, and the rental car agencies yourself. He also talks about how he discovered the Fodor's and Frommer's travel guides, and how those indispensible sources of information helped him book his trips back in the day. He also remembers his road map collection, and how he always relied on road maps during his trips. And he discusses how finding an alarm clock has grown much more difficult in a time when so many people rely on their phones to wake up to in the morning.