Joshua Gibbs

Upsetocracy: Rule By The Most Upset

Overcoming the hubris of modernity means learning to be a little less impressed with the fact something has made you upset.

The Worst Super Bowl Half Time Show Ever

There is a common misbelief that the 2011 Super Bowl Half Time Show, which featured the Black Eyed Peas, is the worst of all time. I myself may have participated in this error. The 2000 Super Bowl Half Time Show is not only worse, it is also one of the stranger things to ever happenContinue reading “The Worst Super Bowl Half Time Show Ever”

Insincere Calls For Moderation

Not every call for moderation is sincere. It is possible to call for moderation and want none of it. How so? If a certain institution is lenient, indulgent, and slow to anger, it will nonetheless be forced to draw the line at some point. When the institution draws the line and begins to scold, chastise,Continue reading “Insincere Calls For Moderation”

A Rather Common But Nonetheless Lamentable Inability To Distinguish Between Direct And Indirect Causes

American revolutionaries: (throwing pilot from cockpit onto tarmac) No captain by Captain Jesus! American revolutionaries: (overturning pots and pans in the kitchen) No chef but Chef Jesus! American revolutionaries: (shanking a heart surgeon) No doctor but Dr. Jesus!

Anyone Led A Class Trip To NYC Lately?

I am interested in whether any fellow teachers have led class trips to New York City in the last year or so, and if they have, what it was like. If you have experience leading class trips to NYC post-COVID, I would love to hear about it. You can contact me through Gibbs Classical.

In Praise of Difficult Students

“Just as small-minded administrators, parents, and students cannot distinguish between different kinds of difficult teachers, small-minded teachers lump every sort of difficult student into the same “bad” bunch. A disobedient student is a liar, a cheat, a scofflaw who disregards small rules, a queen bee enthralled by the shallowness of popular culture, a bully whoseContinue reading “In Praise of Difficult Students”

Persuasion (2022)

The Netflix adaptation of Persuasion is a hot algorithmic mess which helplessly bites half a dozen better sources (a more appropriate title for the film would have been Jane Austen’s Fleabag), and yet I was pleased to find the zeitgeist has moved on from “self-care,” which is now a punchline subject to open mockery andContinue reading “Persuasion (2022)”

The Downside Of Luxury

If a man does not have enough real problems, he will invent fake ones. Fake problems are even more destructive than real problems. Why? Real problems can prompt people to seek real solutions, but fake problems only prompt fake solutions. The man with fake problems is not only stuck with a certain level of fakeness,Continue reading “The Downside Of Luxury”

This Bliss

After fifteen years, the price of this one finally came down to around 20 USD and my copy just arrived in the mail. Not disappointed at all.

How To Interpret Twitter Statistics

Step one: Say something profound or provocative. Step two: Count the number of people who respond in any way. That is how many followers you actually have. Step three: Repent of all the ways you have lied to yourself when explaining to yourself why almost no one ever responds to your tweets.